My Latest Flower PaintingMy Latest Flower PaintingI have been working on my latest flower painting. I had a few moments of
abstraction lately, but I have come back to my original idea of continuing
the idea of flowers and orchids until I get to the 100th painting. It’s a
strange goal, but there it is.
Whenever I set out to create a new drawing I need to organize my working
space. It is important to make sure I have all of the materials needed. If
there is some color missing, it will require a trip to the art supply
store. When I get to the art store I am in deep trouble because for me, it
is like a high end candy store. There are so many goodies to look at and
choose that I get diverted from my original quest and come back to my
studio with a lot more stuff than I intended to buy. This is probably one
of the reasons it is hard to earn anything in the art business. I spend
more on supplies than I earn in sales.
There are so many different kinds of watercolor paper to look at. Hot
pressed and cold pressed and anything in between. Watercolor blocks are
great. The paper is sized and stretched and glued into a block all ready to
use. Of course, this is the best choice for me because I often take paint,
brushes, and a watercolor block with me when I travel. I used to carry a
box of colored pencils in a tin, but this always causes my suitcase to be
opened by “security” so I usually just take a bunch of pencils
and a pencil sharpener in a plastic bag.
After my studio space is organized and everything is laid out where I
can see the colors, I usually draw in ink. I like to use ink
because of the nice black line. I try to use strong lines and somehow if I use ink it the drawing begins to develop. After the ink drawing is composed, I decide on the color scheme by coloring in the shapes. When I have an idea of the colors I want to use, I start to paint. This is where the art work takes its form and comes to life.
I know when the painting is finished when I can’t add or subtract
anything. It has to look “right” to me. It does happen that I may
set something aside and go back to it later at which time it may need
revision. This often happens to my drawings after some time passes or if I have been to see an art exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago and have been inspired by what I see. This was First published on Qassia but has been revised here. All Rights Reserved.
