Saturday 6 February 2010

Primrose Mania

 
Primroses and Catkins  First Stage

Surrounded  by beautiful countryside I know Spring is here as small snowdrops begin to flower along the country lanes. This is my favourite time of year. I feel alive and  find it impossible not to move my brush constantly. I need  forty eight hour days and twelve day weeks to paint all I want to paint. Mme Blanche Odin is on my mind  because her passion for flowers showed in her work and she continually inspires me.

To close my serious painting session  I again played with colourful washes last night. I combined the beautiful catkins I have been painting recently and placed them as a backdrop to a cluster of primroses.

 Catkins in the background.

The shape of these pretty flowers are so appealing to the artist. I have several colour combinations on the go and will decide which I prefer to continue on.
Primrose First Stage Close Up.

It is really interesting looking at the earlier primrose posies I shared on my blog. These were painted inside my studio. Now I am bringing the colours I see from the ground in the woodland into my work which is how you would see primroses in nature. Along country lane banks or in clusters in woods. Light and dark would effect their petals greatly as shafts of light fall through the trees or hedgerows. It is important I create this effect in my paintings to bring a sense of being there when the viewer looks at my work. People who live in the city or in countries where primroses don't grow can be transported to a peaceful rural scene in a heartbeat.

So you may see simply a painting of small flowers. As an artist I am trying to draw you into my world, my home, and my life by the touch of a brush.

Watercolour can create so much magic!

I have been told I start "waves" of paintings of a subject. Dogs, elephants, daffodils.........I wonder if there will be a "wave" of primrose paintings now, I hope so!

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2 comments:

Billie Crain said...

Jean, may I ask what's creating the shine on this painting? Are you using iridescent medium? Either way, it's lovely.

Maybe I should take a page from your book (so to speak)and start playing in the paint w/o a goal in mind just to get the creative juices flowing in the right direction.

Jean Haines SWA, SFP said...

Hello Billie,

I have used cling film in places but have been working on a new technique which leaves a flat sheen on work that gives a really interesting effect. I will be covering some new watercolour techniques in my second book so am playing with all manner of ideas at the moment!

It really helps keep inspiration alive when playing with colour freely, I would love to see what you come up with!