Every year San Francisco hosts a wonderful orchid show at Fort Mason Center, and it was last weekend for this year. I go there ritualistically, purchase some of the potted exotic beauty, take tons of reference photos, in the vain hope that I would be able to paint them all one day... Never once did the orchids I purchase survive, despite of the fact that the weather in San Francisco -- mild and humid with ample indirect, fog-filtered sunlight -- is extraordinarily suitable for orchids to grow, despite my effort in following the instructions sheets for how to care for the flowers, which came with the orchids for free. I have started to believe that I am one of those blessed with "black thumb". This year, I am taking a different approach -- I am acknowledging their inevitable death at some point in the near future, and to commemorate their eternal beauty and liveliness at this moment, I am painting them when they are still healthy and flowering on my window sill...
Edge of Summer, Watercolor on Arches 140# Cold Press Paper , 5"h x 7"w, WIP 1
I am also trying out a painting technique that's different from my usual approach -- the one I learned by watching the fabulously informative dvd by the amazing master artist Ann Pember. In short, each shape in the painting is wet in advance and the colors are flooded in and mingled in the wet area. Each area is finished in one go with possible minor adjustments by glazing or wetting the area very carefully, and repaint wet-in-wet. There is no road map by underpainting, so it's a bid of a scary game for me, keeping me constantly on my toes. However, it's also greatly exciting... I'm also trying to see and exaggerate color from the most grey shadow shapes of the flower, imaging a harmonic color scheme out of a limited palette of Permanent Rose, New Gamboge and Antwerp Blue.
I also did a bit more work on the tulip painting, "A Blush of Spring", keeping on darkening the background areas and adding more colors wet in wet...
A Blush of Spring, Watercolor on Arches 140# Rough Paper , 7"h x 5"w, WIP 2
Hello,Arena!I love Ann Pember...and her mingling flower,but I think,in my experience ,that does not fit in the small sizes.I follow your work and I saw a big change in the last tulip,on Szabo paper.I think you found your own style which is not confused with that of others.I myself I struggle to understand my work, but I can see clearly that of the other!I am from Italy,sorry for any english mistake.I congratulate you for your hard work and great watercolor florals!
ReplyDeleteHi Arena. I love Ann Pember's work, too. And it looks like her technique is working very well for your orchid!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathryn -- I'm struggling to see more color in the grey reference photo, and Ann Pember's work is so colorful!!! Even though a lot of her reference photo are white or very pale colored flowers... I find learning the technique is not easy, but what is even harder is to learn the vision...
DeleteHello,Arena and "Studio at the farm" !I see that I am unable to use certain techniques (as mingling colors)in small sizes!Arena is able to use many techniques even in small sizes and I really admire her work!Translate what I think is not always easy:I wanted congratulate Arena for his beautiful watercolors
ReplyDeleteand tell her that he achieved a his own personal style!!!
Hi Rita! Thank you for your kind words! I find mingling color extraordinarily hard in small scale as well since wet colors have such a tendency of flowing out! It's much easier on a quarter sheet that a 5x7, and I may paint this one again on a larger size just to see how it works comparably!
DeleteI am still searching for my own style and my own voice by trying to learn from many wonderful, more experienced artists, and I'm struggling everyday to incorporate what I have learned into an coherent voice of my own. I guess for each of us this would be a never-ending pursuit, but I'm enjoying the view along the road!
Looking soft and beautiful so far!
ReplyDeleteHi,Arena.I wrote something because I realized we have similar ways of studying watercolor. Sometimes I stop on the techniques to learn and I forget who I am...A problem in Italy is that the galleries are full of oil paintings and acrylic but it is rare to see exhibitions of watercolor! So sometimes I have the impression of not having a valid method of comparison .Some words of a different person when they are sincere about my work can be revealing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at my work ... must be a long time to understand and self-evaluate!
Good Watercolor Journey!
Hi Arena, sounds like painting orchids is easier than growing them. Nice to see the progress of these paintings.
ReplyDelete