CLEOME AND LARKSPUR
Nancy Herman
oil on canvas board
9" x 12"
Today's painting is the one that had me bogged down for so long. All the intricacies of the Cleome taught me several lessons that I should have learned by this time. One is not to tackle such a complicated subject in such a small space. Two, use a separate brush for each color - I am naturally rather parsimonious but the various shades of pink and purple in these petals had me constantly washing my brush and interrupted the flow. I am off to purchase many brushes of my preferred size. Three, mix a new batch of colors every day. The difference between paint that is freshly mixed and a pile that sits for even one day is the difference between happy sailing in a light breeze and sitting in a row boat without an oar.
I was dimly aware of all these things for some time, but it was only after suffering through this painting that simply would not move along that I vowed to act on this awareness. Nice to know that I am not too old to learn something, even if I am a very slow learner.
I like one of the nicknames for this flower, Grandfather's whiskers. It could as easily be called Grandmother's whiskers I might add. The many, many seed pods carried on its long "hairs" makes it a constant uninvited guest in all parts of the garden.
$300.00
Posts
3 comments:
Goodness, but this is just gorgeous! That light! Wow!
Good tips too on the fresh paint and brushes. I wish I could remember myself not to tackle a complex subject in a small space. Perhaps I am not too old to learn either...:)
I am smiling because there is such skill in painting such intricate detail so beautifully. I can almost smell those flowers. But what really interested me about your post Nancy is the awareness of the process of learning. I could go on for pages about this because it is the main core of the work I am involved in in Ethiopia. The first steps to becoming a better learner (and therefore better at anything we choose to do in life) is to become aware of our processes and then act on that awareness. Good for you!
An interesting insight. Too bad that kind of awareness of process is not taught in school.
Post a Comment