On my art table…a still life, abstract floral and magnified floral
My Floral Expressions art class is underway. We have painted an abstract floral, a still life and finally a magnified floral inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe.
The class was offered to beginning artists through The Bemis Art School on ZOOM and let me say we are having so much fun painting for a solid two hours. That is not enough time to completely finish our work but the “bones” are laid down and a good foundation for students to finish on their own. This is a very ambitious group of artists, willing to tackle some difficult subject matter with gusto.
The floral abstract was inspired by Daniel Phillip. I had the image from a vintage Collectors Edition publication that I picked up in Santa Fe several years ago. Those little magazines are priceless and filled with amazing art. Also Dora’s Dahlias was the painting we used for the still life inspiration. Once again, I hold onto vintage magazines, especially my Victoria magazines form the 90’s. They are rich in imagery, writing, style, art, photography and things I love to look mull over through this season of my life. Not that I have any Victorian home decor to speak of, but the classics draw me in, the celebration of tea, and the beauty of a well curated magazine dedicated to quality. Even to this day I will purchase the French edition since I covet all things French!
Do you have any inclinations toward saving items from the past? Books, magazines, greeting cards, letters, photographs…all of the above? LOL Perhaps there is a longing for nostalgia and the tactile experience of holding something in our hands, something real, in our digital techno laden world of 2021.
Creating art…using our hands to express beauty by brushing paint on a surface, now this is something very REAL. Discovering the nuance of color, the satisfaction of bringing imagery to life that pleases our eye…this is living to the fullest. Take an art class with me or from the numerous options available these days, you will not regret it. And you might just discover how wonderful painting can be. It is the best therapy in the world, letting go, facing your fear, enjoying the FLOW that ensues when a brush is in hand and an array of color awaits. I have a hunch this is the time!
Here is a look at my process… First I painted a demo on 300lb. watercolor paper. Previously I had painted some florals which were not very special, during a workshop I took many years back on this amazing watercolor paper. It was on the supply list for the class and I decided to upcycle, re-purpose, you name it, and paint the demos for my Floral Expressions class. I added a coat of white gesso to cover the image, tore the papers in half and then I had 4 different surfaces to paint on. New life to old work….
Floral Expressions Still Life on paper
Floral Expressions Abstract Demo on paper
Both of these works were inspired by other artists. The abstract by a Daniel Phillip, and the Still Life by Dora Carrington’s painting entitled. “Dora’s Dahlias”. Here are pictures of their work.
Painting by Dora Carrington
My still life painted in class…
New eyes on my painting the next morning prompted some adjustments. First I changed the background leaves by top dahlia, got rid of the straight line…yuck. Then added some leaves below white blossom, worked on the background, left shadow by vessel, and leaves on left of vessel.
Painting anything with blossoms is a great love of mine and a simple still life is very fulfilling. Thinking this is good for now. After a couple of weeks and letting it be, coming back to it, perhaps I will make a few more changes, but for now…voila…it is done.
Student work pictured above, you can see how these students achieved success with their creative process. Great job!
Happy painting friends…looking forward to our next class together.
