Tulips

This is my most recent painting. And by recent, I mean, just completed yesterday. It now hangs up in my bedroom.

Reasons behind this painting are multiple. I've always loved flower paintings. My favourite of this variety by far are those by Georgia O'Keefe, although hers tend to focus inward on one flower, rather than a bunch together as I have. My apartment is littered with postcards of works by O'Keefe, so I thought it was time to add my own work. And we all know that tulips are my absolute favourite flower. Given that spring is over and summer is here, having a tulip painting would allow me to have tulips until next spring, and beyond.

Secondly, I mentioned before a need to have a painting just for myself. I often give art as gifts, but now my desire is to build a collection for myself to display in my home, but also maybe one day in my own gallery! I might as well dream, and I thought I might as well begin with something I want to keep - something lively and colourful that complements some of my other decor, and will inspire me to continue to create.

And third, I just love these colours. I normally opt for bold and bright colours rather than the subdued. Here I use only shades of the primary and secondary colours - no mixing beyond the basic colour wheel. The dark shades you see are just because the photography doesn't catch it right. There is no black at all - just dark greens and blues, achieved by mixing with their complementary colours (red and orange respectively).