New paintings and regular art updates.
I was asked if I had any more poppy paintings for the shop unit today so I resurrected an old painting.
This was from 2019, it was a Poppy that lacked definition, it was a bit dark and flat. I was never very happy with the leaves so I over painted them too. Acrylic on canvas.
Thinking of trying another idea for a painting. Wheat and poppy. Using red, blue green and yellow with thin black outlines. It would have to be stylized to fit in with the new technique I’m using but I don’t want to overdo it. I love the way poppy petals are shaped and coloured.
Red seems to be the theme of my paintings this week. Red poppies and red steam engine governor. Now I need to try and get the poppies painting finished. I want to work on the petals to make them more realistic. I’d also like to get the leaves and stems right. It’s difficult from imagination so I’m going to try and find some reference photos to work from.
I did a bit of work on this long thin poppy painting too. I need to finish it by next week. I do seem to like putting myself under pressure! I imagine this hung on a narrow section of wall. I want to add a lot of detail and make the poppies stand out against the pale blue background. I hope it has an art nouveau appearance.
Ten years ago I painted this beautiful flower. I think it’s a type of poppy called Shirley, I grew some from seeds. What I like is the pale centre instead of the usual dark, or black pattern in the middle. I deliberately used a pale background to compliment the light reflected on the petals. When poppies unfurl from their buds they look papery but they are quite strong, not delicate, its just a shame they don’t last very long and soon fade.
Red is the colour I loved as a child. Not pink. I had to have a bright red polkadot dress. I remember seeing a red setting sun for the first time when I was small. I liked red sweets, though I don’t remember the flavour. Red roses were beautiful, and red toffee apples were tasty.
Even now I like wearing red, but I’m a bit more adventurous, liking deep reds and maroons and bright reds. I still don’t like pink though.
This brilliant red flower spike broke off a gladiolus that was growing in the yard (there are all sorts of plants out there) decided to bring it into the kitchen o we can enjoy it for a fee more days. It’s also an opportunity to consider painting it. I think I might paint it with texture and in close up. Flowers are amazing aren’t they?
Our apple trees have got a lot of fruit for a change. I think they are finally maturing and as they have had their branches trained along the fence they are bearing more fruit than if they were growing straight up, some of them are already ripening and turning red. I don’t know their variety but they are tasty.
Poppies make me smile
They have real style
If I could put them in order
I love white ones with a red border.
I like himalayan blue
I wonder if you do too?
Welsh poppies are yellow
A colour that’s mellow…
Orange from Californian lands
Red sunshine, might grow on sands
But red are my favourite flower
They seem to have a great power.
To me they are iconic
And I’m not being ironic
The colour of Ruby lips
Red blood and rose hips…..
Yet again I can see faces in this pattern. Like little dogs faces. The pale green patches with black horizontal lines coulsvbe frogs eyes. I got the colours by playing with ‘curves’ on my photo editor on my phone. I like the way the complementary colours of red and green work together. I could see this as a print on a scarf or even a place mat for a coffee cup or a pattern on the actual cup.
Mallaband-Brown