#465 Daisies & Grasses

I wanted a light an airy feel, difficult with light flowers and a fairly light background. Contrasted dark grasses helps with the tonal composition.

#461 Daisies & Peonies

Daisies in Blue Jug 8x8"

I have rather neglected the blog recently having returned from London and my solo exhibition to distributing sold paintings and sorting out framing for people plus getting ready and taking part in the Open Studios its all go!

So here is a combined post of two recent flower paintings.

The Peonies were light in tone plus light background, the fluffy blousy type! A light touch is needed with the paintbrush to convey the soft petals. Someone said to me you should hold it so delicately to describe this sort of thing that you would almost drop the brush!

Cottage Peonies 10x10"

The Daisies are a lot stronger with lights and darks and deliberate brush strokes. I placed the blue-green behind which compliments the yellow-orange centres. The daisy petals in the shadow are an important element to make the lights stand out.

Surrey Open Studios we are on the final weekend 15th, 16th June of being open to the public, with over 100 visitors so far and enjoying it. Had some lovely people visit - one lady came all the way from Hamble a good hour away! Having read this blog - thank you Brenda and it was great to meet you! - It is so nice to meet people who have been following my blog journey and it encourages me to keep going with it :-)
See my exhibitions page on this website for more information if you are free this weekend and fancy a chat a look at paintings and my husbands photographs.
www.clarebowen.co.uk

#344 'Daisies & Sweet Williams' 12x12" & Open Studio!

I am enjoying these still life paintings as you can experiment so much with colour & harmonies, composition, subject...
I tried with no hard line background this time, bigger in size and reflected vase on the table.

I can't write so much today as just preparing for opening the last weekend of our Open Studios, do come if your free, I'm just making homemade scones and I have plenty of paintings still to look at.
Clare

Here is the Invite just in case :-)

#342 'Daisies' 9x10"

Painted yesterday during our Open Studios. A busy day with 21 people coming to visit, I've sold 12 paintings to date - got plenty more!! But exciting to have sales and lovely feed back!

This year there are many wild daisies, great blankets of them, they look lovely and I wanted to try and paint them. I experimented with the background colour, I thought it looked like sky and goes well with the white and yellow, also a darker tone than the white petals.

Order I painted this: Green stems, background blue, yellow centres - green and orange variations, mid tone white of the petals blocked shapes, glass, shadows on table. Thats it mainly blocked in and I went back and added light and darks on the petals, and cutting in a little with the blue background to define the petal shapes.

I like the bold shapes and intense colours, I will have to try another one! Our studios (my husband and I) again today, I wonder what the day will bring.... :-)