Are Bluebells Blue?

Bluebells 

May 2013

I am happily back in my studio and as I walked around my garden this morning I picked some bluebells. Now here I should be very honest and point out that I was on crutches so the challenge of the day was to for me to pick a flower to paint and I am thrilled I did!  I leant on one crutch and leaned over easily. My recovery from surgery, as far as I can see it, is purely a state of mind. I can sit watching television or get on with getting better! And as an artist there is no finer way to detract from pain than painting.

My dog Bailey followed me with great excitement as we both went on the adventure of my learning to walk further on crutches. He barked excitedly with my every move. I'm doing so well that I even managed to bend down and pick up sticks to throw for him. However , he resented my heading back to my studio as he obviously felt our "stick games" should have gone on for far longer. Sadly my standing time is limited at the moment. but I am getting stronger every single day.

I picked a bluebell and worked on a scrap of paper to capture it as a warm up exercise. Its' amazing but when I place this popular flower on my palette its' true colour leans more towards violet than blue. I can see gorgeous turquoise hints in it as well.  The morning sunshine gave an illuminous effect above the heads of the delicate bells making them seem angelic so the name "bells" reminded me of church bells ringing.

I have loved taking time out to  imagine how to capture them on paper. The familiar questions before painting any subject arose. What colours to use and how to portray the delicacy of the flower ? What colours would you use for painting bluebells? How would you make them feel like bells ringing, moving in the breezes?

For my painting I have opted for Cobalt Blue heavily diluted, with hints of Winsor Violet and touches of Turquoise. For my greens I have mixed Cadmium Yellow with the Cobalt or Turquoise and then with my rigger dropped my violet shade into the foreground greenery.

Isn't it amazing how one tiny flower can lead to so much interesting thoughts in a creative process?

Artist tip of the day : Pick something from nature and capture it in a quick simple study but let your thought process beforehand take longer than the painting itself!  Learn from the thinking process.

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