Rose Reflections

After painting roses for the last month I can see the universal appeal of the subject often said to be the world's favourite flower.  People have been painting roses since ancient times with roses even being found in ancient Egyptian frescoes.  

Henri Matisse perhaps summed up the popularity of rose painting when he said:

"There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted".

The rose as a subject has endless possibilities with it's vast array of colours from pink to mauve, coffee to caramel, palest iceberg white to deep crimson and all the colours in between, and such variety of forms with single, semi-double, double and English style blooms, floribuna, hybrid tea roses, miniatures, climbers and ramblers and on and on it goes.

The structure of a rose invites you in as a painter.  The centre of the rose where the petals intersect presents an intellectual challenge of working out how it all fits together.  The shadow areas between the petals reflect deep colours which often fade out to paleness at the edges offering the opportunity for seamless blending of colours.  And then there are the petal shapes which although once again show so much variation they are distinctive as only rose petals can be.

Edgar Degas said "one must do the same subject over again ten times, a hundred times" and for me if this subject was roses I would be very happy to do so.

Painting in the Open Air

Painting in the open air or as the French say "en plein air" is an exhilarating experience.  It gives you a chance to really absorb the scene that is in front of you as you aim to capture an impression of your experience.  Plein Air painting can really get your adrenalin flowing as you contend with amongst other things, changing weather conditions, unexpected wind gusts and curious onlookers.

 A little bit of preparation can enhance your experience so here are a few tips which my painting friends have shared with me which just might make things more fun when you are out in the elements!

First of all what to paint on.  For plein air sketches like the one I have done today at Peterborough down on the Great Ocean Road, I have used canvas covered boards which I painted at home in a warm beige.  Painting the background first makes your canvas not so thirsty so it is easier to paint on and you can let some of this colour show through on your finished painting.  Using a warm tone also intensifies your colours a bit and I think makes your painting more inviting.

 Next I tape round my edges with masking tape.  This provides a nice border when you have finished and also makes it easier to tape the board to your easel if it is windy.  You also don't need to be tidy with your edges as you just peel off the tape when the painting is finished.

 Next I sketch out the outline on a tiny sketchbook.  If you can't do a thumbnail sketch of the scene you will have trouble when you come to paint it on the canvas.  If the scene doesn't work you may have to search for another one to paint.  I spend most of my time trying to find the right scene.  It sometimes helps to photograph it with a digital camera or use a viewfinder to compose the scene.

I then transfer my outline onto the canvas.  You will see that I have divided my canvas into thirds horizontally and vertically.  This not only helps you transfer your image but also it makes for a good composition if you include a point of interest at one of the intersecting points.

Here is my easel set up on location - I have taped my canvas board and my disposable palette to the easel with masking tape as it is a bit windy up here!

You are now ready to start painting.  I try to use a limited palette of colours usually a red, blue, yellow, white and a couple of darks like raw umber and burnt sienna.  I start by blocking in the major shapes and then add in more detail.

 
Keep working on the whole canvas quite quickly and democratically as you never know when you may have to pack up in a hurry!

And here's the finished sketch and what a beautiful time I had out in the fresh air surrounded by the beauty of Nature!

Why I Picked Up The Paint Brush

It all started a few years back on a return trip from South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. I'd picked up a brochure for an art gallery in Kapunda called Salon Rouge – the glossy brochure had some lovely flowers on it, but that didn't prepare for what I was about to encounter. Kapunda is situated between the Barossa and Clare Valleys and has a strong mining heritage – but the hidden gem is indeed artist Jacqueline Coates and her art gallery. Walking into the gallery for the first time could only be described as a life changing experience for me. The gallery was filled with an abundance of breath taking florals – large canvases overflowing with voluptuous and vibrant blooms. I had never experienced anything like it. Whereas I had always been inspired by the beauty of Nature I had never been inspired to pick up a paint brush.

I joined Jacqueline's mailing list and bought a packet of exquisite greetings cards and left the gallery not realising seeds had been planted for the future. Months later I bought one of Jacqueline's painting kits and set about having a go at painting a frangipani – I don't even remember painting anything at school so this was definitely a new experience for me. When I heard that Jacqueline was coming over to Melbourne to run a workshop I signed up for a 3 and half day journey of self discovery. We painted on what seemed to be huge (actually 1.2m x 90cm) canvases and at the end I took home a bold painting of Just Joey roses.

Passing through Kapunda 6 months later I was back at the gallery and lucky enough to spend a whole day with Jacqueline – we stood out in the Barossa vineyards on a perfect Autumn morning and painted a landscape, lunched at Maggie Beer's and then headed back to the studio for an afternoon painting quinces from life – I couldn't believe that this was happening to me! On heading home Jacqueline said to me “Try to paint something once a week and you will really see things change with your art”.

So I started painting – I painted fruit, I painted from photos, I painted from books and DVDS, I painted family pets and I bought an easel and painted nervously in the open air in rain, wind and ant nests with strangers looking on. And I did start to notice things – not so much about my paintings but about me, about how I was changing – how I now had a need to paint, if I didn't paint for a while I became restless and had feelings of self doubt, and with most paintings I would go through stages when I thought “this is a disaster” and “should I pull out?” just to find that if I kept pushing on some magic would happen and I would be satisfied with my painting and the whole experience.

And then Jacqueline ran another workshop in Melbourne – this time painting fruit and flowers from life in thick oil paints and this time the experience wasn't so daunting, I felt more confident and relaxed. It was then Jacqueline mentioned about her programs she was thinking of running and once again I didn't really think I would be doing them – yet here I am in my second month of a year long transformational course learning not only how to paint but how to become an artist. Where I was happy plodding along doing my little paintings I now feel like I have woken up and that the whole world has expanded in front of me.