Saturday, July 03, 2010

Different styles for different flowers

When I look through my paintings I realise that I treat different flowers in very different ways. Some need to be very controlled, others work best when the paint is allowed to do the work without too much interference.

First, magnolias. They're very elegant flowers, on stiff branches and with waxy petals. I feel that these are best suited to the controlled approach, as you can see in this painting which I finished last weekend.

Magnolias
11" x 15" watercolour and acrylic ink on paper

The background is quite fluid and loose, but the flowers themselves much stiffer and well-defined.

Now the irises, much more delicate with ruffled petals which move easily in the breeze. Strong colours and lots of movement work really well, mostly wet-in-wet for exciting lost edges.

Iris Carnival
11" x 15", watercolours on paper

Finally poppies - loose, delicate washes for papery petals, wet-in-wet for soft edges and movement, soft colours for summer.

Summer Days
12" x 10", watercolours on paper

All three completed in the last week, but totally different.

3 comments:

laura said...

That's very true about different approaches! I love your irises (the flower I perpetually struggle with!), and the magnolias too (which are hit-or-miss for me!)

Meera Rao said...

I agree -- different subjects seem to demand different approaches! And you do justice to your different flowers :)

Unknown said...

Thank you Laura, we all have flowers that seem to be beyond us, my nemesis is the rose!

Meera, I try, but I do have failures sometimes! Thank you :)