Hydrangeas in Fall, A Work in Progress

Hydrangeas in Fall, Oil on Panel, 18"x36"

Trying to find a green to represent the drying blossoms that isn't too chromatic yet does not appear so gray that image falls flat.  Is everything to heavy on the right, especially the big green leaf?  We'll see.  I really need to think about balance and movement before too much time is put into the details.  

 

Hydrangeas in the Fall, A Work In Progress

 

Hydrangeas in Fall, Oil on Panel, 18" x 36"

Just some grinding detail work.  I still like the pink that pops up here and there.  

Hydrangeas in the Fall

Hydrangeas in the Fall, Oil on Panel, 18"x36"

I have moved from pink blossoms to blue and green just because I think it is a more pleasing color.  I will probably include some pink as a sort of pop to the piece.  I've also added leaves and blossoms to the left side.  I like the idea of the eye being consumed by the plant without a spatial escape.  That large yellow-green leaf pointing to the left offers possibilities of a compositional device.

Oranges on Turquoise Plate

 

Oranges on Turquoise Plate, 2021, Oil on Panel, 18"x36"

I wish I could find a poem about oranges

or even the oranges of my palette.

This makes me wonder, 

what claim was first.

Of course it was the hue 

which rules supreme.

No WB no Emily no Walt to

Satisfy my thirst.

So I will just have to say

to orange in my simple way,

You grand and glorious secondary, thanks.

Hydrangeas, Fall Transition

 

Hydrangeas in the Fall, 2021, Oil on Panel, 18"x36"

I love painting flowers.  I love the intricate detail of each petal; its color, texture, form.  I also love the way the flowers sit in their surroundings submerged in verdant greens.  This is a large painting which will occupy my time, but provide a challenge that I am in need of.  Hydrangea blooms, if left on the bush, toward fall will turn pink and green as they dry.  Looking at this composition I see a need for more activity to the left.  

Oranges with Green Plate. A Work in Process

 

Oil on Panel, 18"x36"

This work is back on the easel after a month.  Each time I start a new session, I see the cloth differently.  I believe that taking the photo from above the table has created a problem with the way the oranges seem to float on the cloth.  They even appear a bit flat to me.  

Meanwhile, Seasonal Changes

 

Left: Cranberry Bog, Spring, Right: Cranberry Bog, Fall
Oil on Panel, 16"x12"

Both paintings will be submitted to the Copley Society's juried member show, Seasonal Changes. In this thematic show, to be held July 29 through August 29, artists are asked to depict various interpretations of seasonal changes and variations. The cranberry bogs immediately came to mind for me as a perfect visual for seasonal change. When spring arrives the brown winter bogs turn a deep alizarin red.  Then, as the berries form and ripen and ready for harvest in the fall, the color becomes more pink and crimson.