623 Two Red Camellias

Two Red Camellias

oil on canvas

10x8"

$176

     It looks like flowers will defeat me, and still I attempt to paint them. When I see them in real life, they are so beautiful that I cannot resist the desire to paint them, but so often they end up looking amateurish. I cannot decide if this one is good or not. It seems constrained, uptight. I like the stem in the jar though.

 

595 Jar of Camellias

 Jar of Camellias

oil on canvas

10x8"

$176

     More camellias. Last spring was good for them. Looking forward to next spring, hoping the deer don't get them before I do.

     

572 Pink Camellias

Pink Camellias

oil on canvas

14x11"

$308

     As you may know, flowers give me trouble. Our camellias this year were so beautiful and I love that pretty pink color. I am just always worried that my paintings of flowers will look trite, and they often do.

     I did enjoy composing the canvas though. I am interested in the divine proportion. If you multiply the length and width of the canvas by .618, you arrive at a result that is better than the rule of thirds. I never brag about my math skills, but I find the way the divine ratio works is great fun.

Camellia Surprise Make-over

Happy New Year!

 I begin this new year with a fresh face on an old painting.

Camellia Surprise 2

5x7"

Oil

$70

     Last May I painted a version of this flower that pleased me very much. I had been running into stumbling blocks in my work, and the process of painting one small flower was just what I needed. But then as time went by, I began to see problems with it and thought it was not so good. I finally accepted that it was just not OK, so I gave it a "whitewash" by painting a layer of titanium white over it and letting it dry good and dry. Then I repainted my little flower.

     I suppose some people would think the first one was better than this one. Well, it is too late now. This is the one I have. I think it is more fun to look at, so I am glad I did it. Here is the original:

Flowers #7 Camellia Surprise

Camellia Surprise

5x7"

Oil

$70

DPW $50

     This poor little canvas has been washed down so many times it is getting threadbare. Everything lately has been a disappointment until now. Finally I have one I like and it was easy! After working hours and hours on lousy failed paintings, suddenly I am surprised by the simplicity and ease that produced a success. You just can't figure out some things.

     This flower is from my camellia bush. (Deer don't like them much.) Last year I gave it a good pruning, and this year it is so loaded with blooms that it gave me a pleasant surprise. I really love this flower. It showed up just when I needed it.