I've been painting calendar covers with acrylics, which I can't show you yet because they're Christmas gifts. And since I finally got out those acrylics, along with different brushes and a different palette, I decided to work with them a bit more. This painting is a warm-up to start with.
I can't paint from imagination. I have to see real object, which I then transfer to paper. Sometimes, however, I get tired of this literalism and try to stray from realism, for example in my color choices, as in the case of the background in this painting.
I asked my husband to buy three chrysanthemums for a vase. "But you don't like chrysanthemums," he replied, genuinely astonished. He was right—partially. I don't like small-flowered chrysanthemums, that's true. But the showy ones, with their double blooms and petals carefully shaped into a spherical lantern, are a completely different story. I don't like that they're associated solely with cemeteries. To me, they're flowers from Chinese fairy tales and Chinese paintings—I've been raving about them for two weeks now (because my husband bought them, of course).
That doesn't mean I've been to the seaside just now. I'm just browsing through photos, looking for inspiration and challenges to paint waves.
Our patchwork pillowcases were getting pretty worn out. So I made some new ones. Here's the first one, in shades of green.
This cover was created quite a while ago, but I only just took a photo of it. And somehow, it looks autumnal.
I dug out an ancient watercolor pad from the depths of my dresser. I remembered something was wrong with it, but I still decided I could use it for another exercise from the "waves and rocks" series. And then I remembered how difficult it was to paint on, how the paint slipped, and how difficult it was to achieve a satisfactory effect. I'll probably use it for some acrylic paintings in the future, as it's not suitable for watercolors.
As part of my exercises and experiments, I created this image. Now, when I look at it, I see more sky than water. So, an island in the sky?
First, I practiced painting dahlia petals, and then chiaroscuro on rocks and a mountain stream.
For me, painting roses without a preliminary sketch is stepping outside my comfort zone. It's useful, though not easy.
