Vintage Roses

"Vintage Roses"

Work in progress

My joy in painting has always been in accepting the fact that there isn't always only one way to do things. In fact this is a life lesson because I always take time to consider if I have options available when approaching a task no matter what it is. I consider if there is a better way to achieve a better result.  And so it is with my paintings of roses in watercolour.

I have been experimenting on scraps of paper recently. I like how I currently paint roses in watercolour which is a style that has evolved over the years. But I often think of my Shangainese mentor who taught me to "see" what I want to paint long before I put brush to paper or the antique silk I used to work on at that time.

When painting roses, in my mind I can see the form of the flower and I can even visualise touching each soft petal. And from playing with experiments when painting flowers I have now discovered a gorgeous new way to create petals from puddles of water and pigment dropped into each one. The above image shows the upper rose created in this way whilst the lower rose shape is waiting to have the petals added. I hope this technique works because it would make painting roses so simple for everyone who wants to follow working on them in a loose style. So I hope to share more about this idea on my blog soon.

For now I will keep experimenting and having fun. Keeping the inner child in me very much alive when creating.  I want to know more, learn more and have more to share!

Constantly.

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