Mixed-Media painting
One summer, in my Botanical Illustration class, I was inspired to create this large lotus flower from a black and white picture we were given. I was fascinated with it and decided to turn it into a full-fledge painting instead of a study to see what it would look like.
I must have spend a number of hours (too many for sure) on this piece as I was learning how to apply watercolor on flowers from a book I'd borrowed from the library. I wish I'd written down the name of that book because the result was wonderful.
I'd never created a watercolor of this size before. It took a long time to paint because I was applying layers upon layers of thin watercolor to build up the colors. I wanted to get to the right juxtaposition of transparency and light vs opaqueness and shadows.
I can't say that in those early days I knew how to hit the mark quite yet in a reasonable amount of time. Funnily, it almost didn't really matter how long it took me to make this painting. In the end, the final artwork was just as stunning as I wanted it to be - for a newb.
The final size of the original was about 18" x 24". It sold at the popular annual MCAD Art Sale, shrink-wrapped and unframed for a very modest price maybe around $50 to $75 [recommended student prices at the time].
Thank God I made a high quality scan of it to remind myself of that first success. These days, I'm forever toying with the idea of turning it into a greeting card, a surface design pattern for a fabric/bamboo shower curtain or develop coordinates for an inspiring bed set with some really luxuriously soft fabric.
Alternatively, I might just turn it into a much needed long jacket. If only I could source this sustainably! Maybe over the summer, I might have a chance to continue the series or paint a second one.
I've called this series "Dimensional Flowers" (because of their 18" x 24" size. Fortunately, I already finished a second one so its legit the beginning of a series.
This time my inspiration was a bird-of paradise from a photo I took at the remote UNESCO World Heritage site of Tierra Dentro, Colombia.
Questions about licensing or the art? Contact me HERE.
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Public Announcement: This blog post is part of a collection of 354+ posts from my original Wordpress blog "Dreaming Into Being" library. I've now retired and migrated it to “Wander & Paint,” my new blog posts at the United Wanderlust art shop. As time allows, I will be reviewing, editing, condensing, updating and releasing a number of these blog posts but not all of them.
Some posts require more precision surgery than others. I'll also probably be publishing new posts as the muse wills it and father time allows. This whole process may take a while but I think these blog post serve as great documentation of my process and reminds me of certain milestones. So, most of them will be made available again- at some point.
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