"Standing True"

 

6" x 8"

oil on linen panel (by Ray Mar)

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Happy Easter, all!   First I need to apologize for the photo quality on this one.  The colors are a bit washed out.  I had the hardest time getting the colors correct.  The blue sky is not as cyan as shown here and the lavender flowers at the bottom have more magenta in them - a deeper purple.  When I get those colors correct the red in the tulip becomes way too saturated.  I don't know why my Canon could not get the colors even.  As for the painting, I probably fussed too much in the details, so it took longer than it should have.  I think I need to start timing myself, so I get more spontaneous brush work.  I wanted to soften the edges in the background, though, to give that out-of-focus effect.  

Reference photo was taken on April 13.  The clouds were so lovely that day, I just had to back up and show them off.  Loved the unique color of these tulips as well. 

"Tickled Pink"

6" x 6"

watercolor on aquaboard (by Ampersand)
$75 + $10 shipping within the US

This painting came easily.  I finally felt more comfortable working on the aquabord again.  Also, you can rarely go wrong getting good contrast when working with complimentary colors.  The pink on the green background was able to pop nicely.

Reference photo was taken on April 13.  The tulips were just amazing.  They'll be ending soon, so if you are local, get to the Gardens!  The color groupings are lovely.  More to come.  They are so tall, too.

"Ruby Awakening"

6" x 8"

oil on linen panel (Ray Mar)

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I was searching for good contrasts to paint and decided on this ruby tulip.  I really like the reflected light on the bottom of the petals.  It's tough to get those colors right.  I feel this was was quite successful.

Reference photo April 10, 2010.  Admittedly this was shot a year ago, but the weather and my schedule were not cooperating.  I knew the tulips were up and anxious to get to the gardens to take many photos.  Luckily I was able to a couple of days ago and got some great shots.  Get ready to see many tulip paintings coming up.  They are just lovely right now.

"Hi ya"

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This is the last of the tulips for a while.  I had fun with the composition on this one.  I felt like the little one was saying "hi" to the larger one - thus the title.  I was also pleased with the contrast of the bright red against the black shaded stone wall.

The reference photo was from that same gorgeous day of the tulips - March 31, 2010. Seeing the stone terrace wall gives you a better sense that this was taken at Duke Gardens.  I may on occasion back away from my intimate moments to give a wider scope of the gardens.  Something to think about for future paintings.

"Sunburst"

 

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Another tulip.  I was very pleased with how the sky peeks through the trees on this one. I'm getting used to the aquaboard and figuring out how best to layer the paint.  Still, I may have to try some on real paper that's been mounted.  Maybe the next one. . .

The reference photo was also taken on March 31.  I just couldn't pull myself away from the tulips on the terrace. Tip toeing??

"Awakening"

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Tulips are so cheerful.  (I know Meg Ryan says daisies are so cheerful in "You've Got Mail," but tulips are a close second.) The luscious oils make it easy to keep things bright, though I had to be careful not to overwork the strokes otherwise it could get muddy fast.  Getting the color right on the shaded yellow of the petals was a bit tricky, but I'm pleased with the result.

The reference photo was taken on March 31.  You really should try to make it to Duke Gardens in the early spring when the bulb flowers come up.  It's lovely.  I even enjoyed it as a child with my sister, Missy.  See the photo on the sidebar.

"Returning Tulips"

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This is the first oil I've done in a number of years and I have to say that it was a lot of fun, but a bit frustrating too.  I have been so used to painting with watercolor or encaustic - both of which dry very fast - that it took a bit of fiddling to get these oils to do what I wanted.  Still it was good to smell the linseed oil and mineral spirits in the studio again.

The reference photo for this was taken on April 4.  The historic terraces at Duke Gardens are just covered with tulips that time of year.  So cheerful.  Hope it warms your cool day.