Flowers #2

Flowers #2

6x6"

Oil 

$72

DPW Auction $50. 

     When I saw these hot red Gerbers against the green drapery, I said, "Wow!" But when I began painting, I was in for a surprise. I thought I was seeing a dark object against a lighter background, but I was not. I put the red acetate sheet up and saw clearly that the red was a much lighter value than the green. My problem was to make the red still a "wow" without losing the value contrast and turning the red a washed-out pink. I stayed on the warm end of the palette and used yellows, not white, to lighten the red. I had to sacrifice some intensity, but the flowers still convince me that they are red.