Title and Medium
"Passion" by Patricia Jessup. Acrylic on Canvas. Size approx 2" x 24".
Artist's Statement
My sister's friend, who is a keen nature lover, had several gladioli growing in the garden of his previous home in summer, and this painting is based on a photograph taken of these beautiful flowers. I must admit I was also largely influenced by the exquisite floral paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe, especially after viewing a show of her life and works on television recently. The shape and form of the petals and leaves lent themselves to easy flowing brush strokes.
I first applied a base coat of light grey, then painted the petals, using varying shades of napthol crimson, vermilion red, and yellow and white for the petals and a blend of ultramarine blue and yellow for the leaves.
What I'd Do Differently
- Probably everything! I almost discarded this painting after dismissing it as being too realistic for this assignment. I would also have liked to work a bit more on the background, and a few other details. On the whole, though, I was fairly satisfied with the general effect, and decided to submit it, regardless.
Marion Boddy-Evans, Painting Guide, says:
In terms of this project, I think your painting is too realistic overall. When I first saw the overall photo, it immediately said "flowers", rather than providing a visual puzzle which then worked out to be based on a flower. The detail photo, however did this. For me this reinforces that abstraction is about careful selection, which is what Georgia O'Keeffe did so fabulously to create her intriguing and mysterious flower paintings.
