Dear readers,
This past week in the studio, I have spent my time staging & modeling subjects for my next few paintings. As we travel ever further into summer, I've selected pink roses as my next focus; there's something appealing about roses at their peak, perhaps due to summer nostalgia.
Now, it's not too much of a departure from my peony craze; I think I'm still drawn to the challenge of mastering blooms on canvas. But roses have their own qualities, unique from peonies. A bit more structure in their petal pattern, and in this bouquet, more consistent coloring throughout—as opposed to the pops of red in my previous subject.
I'm also playing with a lighter background this time—it lets me work on my shadows and how they fall across different surfaces.
I have to say, though, the more I work with flowers, the more I come to realize how particular they are in the ways they stand, sit, and fall. I've heard on many occasions from other creatives working with flowers (artists, photographers, florists and designers) that they have a mind of their own, and sometimes you just have to work with what they give you.
But I am naïve, I thought I could overcome that. There were several iterations I went through, fluffing, adjusting, and catching these roses, and yet they stubbornly oriented themselves in front of my camera however they pleased (in not as appealing directions, I should specify).
I'm convinced this is my fault. There is a lesson to be learned here: I can admire the image they present to me, or at least get to know them better, before coaxing them into poses we're both satisfied with.
I think I'll stick to the latter for now. I have a feeling there are many, many more flowers I have yet to meet and appreciate through the lens of a painting. My hope is that the collaboration will only become fonder and more familiar.
Unfortunately, these roses did not last long. They are already long gone; some of them refused water from the day I bought them at my local market. So I had to be quick—maybe that's why they were so disagreeable during modeling, they just wanted to wither undisturbed.
I'll be sure to remember them kindly as I spend my next few canvases immortalizing them.
I look forward to sharing more with you. Until then, make sure to sign up for my email list for early access to newly created pieces.
I'll see you next week.
— M.E.