Thursday, November 26, 2009

Sunflower Watercolor-A Progression



What you see above is a series of photographs that I took of my latest adventure in floral watercolors.
It portrays a sunflower blossom in the process of opening up.
Sunflowers always bring a smile to my face with their bright yellow sunshiny faces!

Using a technique commonly used by European Impressionist painters like Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, I chose a background rich with purples since purple is the complementary (opposite) color of yellow. Placing complementary colors side by side increases the apparent intensity of each individual color.

I don't believe it's finished yet. I think I would like to see some more development and refining happening in the petals and leaves. Or shall I leave it very loose? Maybe go darker still in the background.

What do YOU think? Please share your thoughts on this by clicking "comments" below. Thanks. I would greatly appreciate feedback on this.

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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:42 PM

    i like the darkness in bottom of second..but the last one is a very nice..i once read that Di Vinci said that his Mona Lisa was never finished. to me the artist decide if a work is done, but then i also feel none of them will ever be complete..for as we grow our taste do also..

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  2. Hmmm, good point about never being done. My mom who was a very good painter, would say that about almost every piece she did! (Of course, often, she would have several pieces going at one time, so it was often very true.) One of the mast challenging decisions I have to make as an artist is often exactly that question: Is it finished yet?

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  3. Anonymous9:08 AM

    Jeanne, I think its beautiful exactly the way it is. I wouldn't change a thing! I love how the blues and purples go with the greens, and they're all just the right shade. If you do anything else to the leaves, it might change that balance. And, if you make the background too dark, then it distracts from the flower, which is the main focus of the painting. Hope this helps! -Jean

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  4. Jean, sure, it helps! The more feedback I get the better I can learn about what others see in this piece. I will certainly consider your opinion in my final decision about what to do. Also, thank you for the compliment!

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  5. It looks balanced in color and depth which lends it a peaceful quality, interesting texture, and sense of movement. Leave it.

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  6. Yes, Terry. I think I will leave it as it is. Thanks so much for the feedback!

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