Monday 29 March 2010

Playing With Primroses

Playing with Primroses.

How wonderful to take a walk wiht my four legged family and see so many wild flowers growing in their natural  habitat. It is the time of year when so many gorgeous flowers start forming glowing carpets of glorious colour in the countryside. Primroses are everywhere at the moment.

For me the challenge isn't so much in capturing their shapes or the way they always seem to appear in beautiful clusters. It is in gaining the exact milky lemon shade of their petals. While I work I often wonder what colour other artists use to depict this sweet spring flower.

A little while ago early primroses appeared in our cottage garden.They were in well protected positions under gold coloured hedging and peeping through old autumn leaves on the ground  from last years fall. The difference in  painting them now on location en plein air is evident in the light and freshness of my small study. I can easily see the way these flowers should look as I am painting from life.

Aiming to capture this moment in time in my work with a sense of freshness and spontaneity is sheer joy as an artist.

It is going to be yet another wonderful week!

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2 comments:

JANE MINTER said...

delightful jean ... the yellow of the petals looks very delicate here ..... i want to try naples yellow

Jean Haines SWA, SFP said...

Hello Jane, naples is quite milky. I have a few yellows and lemons I am working with and this really is a fabulous challenge to get the colour just right!