Fun Flowers - whimsy on canvas

 
Fun Flowers #6 - Rose Bowl

Fun Flowers #6 - Rose Bowl

 

Since beginning my painting journey I have travelled back and forth between acrylics and watercolours, throwing in watercolour pencils and markers, as well as some pen & ink.

My latest paintings are whimsical, brightly coloured, and fun - acrylic once more! These paintings (the Fun Flowers series) start with a background of multiple colours produced by splashing paint on canvas followed by a spray of water and then throwing rubbing alcohol onto the canvas to disperse the paint into lovely textures. Once the paint is dry I look at the result and "see what I see", drawing the outlines of flower, stems, leaves, vase or what have you, with a charcoal pencil or watercolour pencil. Making the decision of what to outline is fun, and once the background paint is applied in a negative painting application, it all starts to come together. These paintings make me smile, and hopefully they make the viewers smile as well.

The differences between the two mediums is amazing to me! Although I find I can have fun manipulating acrylic to suit my application, I love the way watercolour has a mind of it's own, and that I cannot really control it. Watching watercolour react with water on paper is fascinating - and it has taught me patience far beyond my natural impulse, and as I have heard all my life "patience is a virtue" which, in the case of watercolour painting, is so true.

Because I have been a gardener all of my adult life, I have enjoyed growing many different types of flora - and have used my memories of flowers come alive on the canvas without striving or even attempting to give them a realistic look - and this is why they are so much fun and happy.

I hope you enjoy my paintings as much as I have enjoyed painting them, both acrylic and watercolour. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing any of the paintings on my website, or if you have questions.