24" x 18", oil on panel
My friend, Brenda, often brings me flowers from her garden in generous, bug bunches. This time she brought these lilies of the valley and put a crow's feather in the middle that she found on her run. It struck me as just the right metaphor. It is very much like the daffodils with the black square in the upper center. Color and form are especially important in this painting. I really like the form of the leaves with the vertical of the feather, its split, curling top and wavy edges. The flowers were tricky to paint, as it is easy to get too fussy with frilly details. I decided not to include a table and to increase the amount of reflection in the glass so as to make the image more airy and give emphasis to the flowers and feather. It has been awhile since I have done a straight forward still life and I'm not sure how it stands next to the latest minimalist things I have done.
Some flower painters I like:
John La Farge (known for his stained glass work, but he painted as well)
Van Gogh, Irises nice close-up (of a different Iris painting)
I found a neat BBC site about a program they had, "Painting Flowers" with many examples of specific kinds like lilies, sunflowers, tulips, and roses. Check out the Sargent I adore, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose.
