Water and Colour.

Pansy Fusions

An exercise in studying a subject and loving how water plus colour can create it!.

With a recent move taking place over the last few weeks along with the preparation and organization involved little time has been free to paint as regularly as usual. My daily routine normally involves painting a wide number of subjects and often one main favourite for the day. I often imagine I know exactly what I am going to paint long before I even pick up my brush. But the versatility of watercolour with freedom of flow between pigment and my imagination really suits my personality in that I will happily change direction in a heartbeat.

Yesterday I eagerly  started my painting session after a  walk around my garden. I knew exactly what I was going to paint but a small pansy was showing its face in the  morning light. Its tiny form was almost insignificant amongst the larger shrubs of regal rhodedendrons. It hit me that I have never really  given much thought to these little flowers as subjects to paint. I carried one to my art studio and it became of great interest to me. I really loved the edges of the outer petals  as the uneven  patterns found here created such a pretty challenge.

Working from the outer edge inwards with individual brushstrokes I began to  build up the flower using heavily diluted Cadmiun Yellow. I dropped in  small amounts of French Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson to create a beautiful violet shade.These three pigmens merged naturally and I could just sit back and watch  what happened whilst the paper turned from wet to dry. I loved what was happening.

Why dilute the shade so much when the flower itself is such a strong solid yellow? I find if I  paint heavy bold  blocks of colour the delicacy of a flower can be completely lost . So I exaggerate a translucent effect by deliberately keeping my shades heavily diluted at times. This will give the petals a feeling of being transparent and light to touch which they are.

The centres are fascinating and I am choosing to allow watermarks to create these minus my help.

This is a wonderful way to spend time relaxing with such  beautiful results.

Maybe,just maybe I will be giving pansies a little more attention from now on!

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