Returning with a flower painting

Watercolor painting of pink flowers

Reopening art studio and returning to painting

As you probably know, it isn’t easy to restart anything after a long absence. My health took a big blow, so I am just starting out again. This time, I decided to make my return with a flower painting on Arches cotton paper. As always, it’s quite large since I completely dislike painting tiny art. I have still some issues, therefore, I am limiting my painting activities to 2-3 hours a day. The flower painting took me about 6 days.

 

12 years in making

There’s no doubt, cotton paper is the easiest paper to paint on, yet, it has become extremely expensive. Many of my watercolor paintings are drawing-based. I don’t aim for copying the reality, but I want my subject to be recognizable and having some emotional impact. I had begun this particular painting with a drawing which I did some 12 years ago. The paper is good and why to waste it? While I had no other reference, but only the drawing, I still tried to figure out how to proceed progressing slowly and cautiously.

 

Painting in layers

I usually paint in layers, especially when it comes to complex subject with many parts. Since I don’t have a photo or the actual flowers, the first layers help me understand what and where to place and what colors to use. I make my drawing very light in order the graphite pencil wouldn’t shine through too much. Every subsequent layer will add more vibrance and increase the value intensity wherever necessary.

 

Color temperature and values

Not only flower painting in watercolor, but also any other complex subject we paint, benefits from coordination of color temperature and values. I certainly start out light, just because I don’t know exactly where what should be. In this case, I also leaved the background white for a while. The paper I am using isn’t the bright white, but somewhat off-white. Nevertheless, colors shine and make sense.

 

Choosing warm and cool colors

Beautiful soft colors for attractive flower painting. I used a few red tones and also quite a few yellow shades for the most important areas. The green colors are a combination of blue, Payne’s grey and different shades of yellow and green. I normally allow colors mixing on paper, but sometimes I need strong pure color to add the vibrancy. You probably won’t notice on photos much difference in warm and cold colors, and iPhone doesn’t like light colors making them practically white.

 

Flower painting that soothes

I intentionally kept everything rather calm and soft. I think the slight shades of background help. I am very satisfied with the finished painting and not that much with the photos of it. When viewing art online, you have to always remember that there are numerous devices and apps involved. Also, large painting online looks exactly like the small ones, but in reality, that makes all the difference. I hope this flower painting will make you feel good and calm just like it helped me to overcome pain and health issues.

It’s great to be back!

Original watercolor paintings for sale

Private art lessons

Interpreting your vision when painting

Bluebell forest, acrylic painting

Art and creative side of us relates to our ability to interpret our vision, our perception, our emotions about what we create to a great extent. I personally strongly disagree that everything is art, for the simple reason that it isn’t. Empty frame isn’t art, and a piece of wallpaper, just because it’s in frame isn’t art. Are a few paint blotches and a few unrelated brushstrokes art? Is our vision that poor or our ability that degraded that we are fine with not only animated and undeveloped shapes, but practically nothing?

The ability to draw and paint reflects our ability to interpret the world, our life, the planet, the universe as such. Our universe at that. While modern art tries to convince us that the shapes, forms and interpretation of a five-year-old is all there is what we call art, it isn’t true. When somebody starts learning manual writing, their lines and shapes are never perfect. They are all over the place. Some people never get beyond that. Why? They have no interest in perfecting it, they are simply unable to because their brain doesn’t process multifaceted things in more than one dimension.

What is a normal painting process? We have an idea, maybe view, maybe image and the next step is to figure out how we turn this vision into an image perceivable not only by yourself, but others, as well. That means planning underpainting, background, choosing our personal color palette. That is not what somebody tells you, but how you feel about it. Normal painting process involves composition, the most important part, feature or color which will be dominant, the abstract layers and the well-defined front ground. It also involves volume, contrast, values and all tools which create that: perspective, atmospheric and linear, shadows, direction of light and so forth.

Many art teaching sites say: no experience required. That would be fine, you start somewhere. However, if it is just a painting in one sitting, there’s just way too much information to be absorbed. Secondly, painting greatly relays on our physical ability and knowledge how to move brush, how much paint or water to use, what brush to use and the mostly neglected – brush cleaning step. Don’t clean the brush? All colors will be muted, muddy and not bright. It is an automatic step; we develop it over time.

Therefore, I always advice to start with a simple image which allows developing brushstroke, use of paint and color. One thing about people who just started to paint is – they never use enough paint. So, I repat numerous times, use more paint, use more paint. You cannot paint with empty air or water. The other problematic area is that we paint at first what is behind and underneath. We don’t use the final color, we build it up, layer by layer.

Nobody can learn turning their vision into decent art within a few hours. It’s just not possible. We allow our brain to process all information, and we also have to develop the automatic movements of hand. It takes time we get our hand to do what our brain and vision tell us. Therefore, at first, everybody paints like a small kid. No flowing lines, no great color transitions, it’s all rather very animated, simplified and sort of rough. Do you want to go further than that? It depends on whether you want to create something which says – you, your subject, your vision.

Deep down, we always paint ourselves. Even when we are painting a landscape, a still life, a floral, a building or portrait. It should be us not only by the choice of subject, color palette or type of brushstroke. Basically, it takes time to learn how you can turn your vision into artwork which is yours, start to finish. My experience says, it’s better to learn from your own errors and achievements than trying to copy somebody else’s work. The only way to be you also in your vision is simply to do things what are close to you and your personal perception of the world.

The attached images are of paintings created over longer time, not like yesterday. I have had hard times posting recently because of my health issues, but I still think these paintings deserve attention and maybe can inspire somebody else to keep trying until it all works. Every painting probably should be the featured image, unfortunately, with so many, I cannot choose just one.

Enjoy!

Acrylic flower paintings in new settings – art never expires

Large flower paintings, art for sale

Flower paintings in acrylic

As an artist, we always have some favorite paintings. Some of them we don’t sell at all, and some we give as gifts to dear people. Since many of my previous posts were about watercolor, I’d love to post this time a few acrylic flower paintings. This post has quite a few images of painted pink and white flowers. Unfortunately, as we get older, there seems to be less time for anything. That refers to painting, posting, sharing and so on. Somebody told me that we feel this way since we spend more time on any task.

Flower paintings, pink and white paintings

Quality over quantity

I suppose with experience, both life and art, we value quality over quantity. Anybody who’s spent decades creating art, can reflect of the process of discovery. Discovering subject, discovering new color palette, discovering adorable things we didn’t like before, discovering new dimensions of the same old story. I love pure and clean colors, and pink color offers so many shades.

Flower paintings, rose painting

My paintings with past

As the time goes by so swiftly, I sort of regret not painting exactly what I prefer. That’s as opposed to subjects I teach in art classes. I’ve mentioned before that an artwork for juried show, artwork for quick sale, commissioned artwork and paintings which I create as demonstrations – they are all very different by nature. Time has been always a factor, but also my health problems. So, you have to be ok when you cannot do anything at all also. I didn’t paint these flower paintings yesterday, but hopefully got better images of them.

Art is more than copy of reality

My taste doesn’t comply with generally preferred art which we see online. That is sunsets, waves, backlit shapes, too sweet nature scenes, as well as very close copies of photos. I always believed art is more than copy of reality. The latter anybody can manage with enough patience, tools and devices. Not everybody can paint spontaneously or draw without any printouts or edited images.

Flower paintings, pink magnolia

Relation to reality

On the other hand, I love that my paintings display things which are recognizable. People frequently tell me; they know that or this place in my painting. Well, such place doesn’t exist, but apparently the painting relates to somebody’s experience. Sometimes, the viewer can feel fragrance of flower. That’s why I avoid painting completely abstract art, but I still have a lot of abstracted paintings, especially, the extra textured ones. Also, my backgrounds are not definite.

Amaryllis, flower paintings

Everything is art, but I disagree

While all artistic genres – music, singing, acting, writing, poetry – have moved on and aimed for higher goals and more mastery, internet has facilitated degradation of classic art. If you want to see what’s for sale and what’s taught on some skill-sharing sites, just google any term. It can be quite awful and total beginners art. I remember how my students 10 and more years ago were so self-critical. Nowadays, that’s a ready-for-sale art. I agree, it’s easier to hang an abstract on the wall, but it becomes a simple decoration, not always art. How long are you going to look at 2 lines or some big blob of one color?

Colorful, large flower paintings

Enjoy!

I always struggled with photos of my paintings because to my sharp artistic eye, the photos have never the exact colors and I usually have to crop off some crucial parts to make the image straight. Nevertheless, let me know if you like some flower or other painting. I don’t think original paintings have ever been so affordable. It’s been a while, and I wish everything was better, but enjoy! With better, I mean mostly the financial side. The creative side is fine, I never have any problem with that.

Rose painting, pansy painting, flower paintings for sale

Shop original acrylic paintings

Art collections by Inese Poga

Pure, transparent watercolor – rose geranium

Watercolor painting, pink geranium, floral watercolor

Geranium is a healing plant, my mom told me to have a geranium plant always at my workspace, window ledge or in living room. Its energy is simply uplifting, and it blocks out bad vibrations and cleans air. How can you not love the geranium blooms? I have two kinds of blooming geranium currently: the pink rose geranium and bright orange-red geranium; besides, the red is more present, altogether looking like one of my most favorite colors. Well, pink color is great for painting. It’s also easier to photograph than, for instance yellow or red.

I started this painting not only because I adore the fluffy, colorful blooms and well-shaped leaves of geranium plants, but also because I wanted to create support material for art classes. Most students who’d love to learn painting, cannot really draw. Therefore, they normally trace photos or print-outs. It must be tough, and, thanks to my early devotion to drawing, I can draw anything on the spot. I created outline drawing of a large bloom and added a few leaves. As it appears, the drawing paper (it was actually some kind of newsprint I think, large sheets) was a bit smaller than my watercolor paper.

My painting composition looked fine as outline sketch, but after a few first layers I could see that something is missing, so I got a reference leaf and drew it in the upper right part. I kept adding layers, and the flower which actually consists of numerous small blooms came more and more to life. Around layer 5 I think, I discovered that the bottom part needs something more, so I added half of a leaf and small corner of as if leaf.

While it is step 1, step 2 and so forth, each step took quite a few hours, and the entire painting – about 8 full days. I hadn’t counted on all parts requiring so many layers. The paper isn’t Arches again, it is Strathmore 400 series which comes in this size I like 24 x 18 inches (61 x 46 cm) and which I had available. You cannot create very attractive washes on this paper, therefore, I intentionally left the background white. Certainly, if you want washes in your painting, you have to use cotton paper. There is no comparison how wash looks on Strathmore paper which is still very thick and firm, and on Arches which is at least 140 lb.

I do most parts of painting with my number 14 brush. I’m so happy it has still the fine tip, but it has started to wear down. Well, I have 3 of the same brushes, and two are useable. Not only it is faster, it is a lot easier, too, to cover an area with paint and add some other color to it. I do not like a few things with watercolor – using masking fluid and using very dark colors. I never use black in watercolor. For that case, there’s Payne’s grey, we can use Sepia, purple, indigo and so on. That allows creating gradual transparent color which looks almost black, but shaded black.

I love the transparency of watercolor, and I do aim for flowing lines, as well as colors which do not hurt, but have a soothing quality. I didn’t have Opera pink color which is extra bright and can be used for such flower paintings, I simply couldn’t find it, therefore, I used what I had, many shades of dark red and Carmine, plus some purple and blue, although, it isn’t well visible on photos.

It’s beauty which always touches me, the elegant shape of leaves, the fragile softness of petals. If you paint, add some heart onto your painting. Don’t worry always about the technical aspects and perfection. Having heart in art is already enough and that feature makes it shine and stand out among others.

Pansies, click on image for article

Yellow pansies, watercolor

Garden rose, click on image for article

Painting rose in watercolor

Group art classes

Thanks for reading! I hope your September has started off on the right foot!

Summer garden for the soul

Painting rose in watercolor

Summer makes one a believer in better things ahead of us. The stage is set, nature unfolds all it has to offer. No doubt, we have to enjoy everything from short walks to distant trips, from simple garden chores to breathtaking adventures. My choices are not that many at the moment, but I make my garden a place where everything is as it should be in the real world: healthy, relaxing, soothing and rewarding.

I don’t mind having flowers between vegetables, roses next to zucchinis, green peas and marigolds friendly sharing their spot under the sun: they all make my place look more magic. I have to intentionally find time for painting because it’s always so much to do in the summer if you have a garden. July 1st is the first day of World watercolor month. I’m very sure I cannot get done a painting a day since my paintings usually take more like a week or two weeks each, but I will try to present more of my most recent watercolor paintings.

Value drawing for watercolor painting
Drawing for garden rose

The garden rose sort of asked to be painted. After rain, every bloom was covered with shiny water pearls and I cut a few small branches and took inside. As I was sitting there and looking at the well-defined and artistic shapes of petals, I started to draw what I saw. For watercolor painting, I actually would need only outlines, but pencil just kept moving and I got a value drawing on my transfer paper.

Drawing and watercolor painting of rose
I placed drawing and painting side by side

Next day, I transferred outline drawing onto watercolor paper which happened to be quite large in size: 24 x 18 inches, or 61 x 46 cm. If you have read my art blog, you probably know that whenever possible, I paint and draw large.

This painting organically developed itself while my model flower stayed fresh and lovely. It changed shape slightly, but for adjustment, I could use my drawing.

If you could ever see this watercolor painting of garden rose in person, you most likely would find that water drops feel like you can touch them and the size is such that the rose bloom literally takes one’s full attention not only with its colors, but also size and composition.

Watercolor, pink garden rose
My pretty garden rose with rain drops

As soon as get the second dose of vaccine and 2 weeks pass, I could restart the live art classes. However, for materials and demo paintings, I will create more garden paintings. Subjects are right here, and they are all kinds of! Summer days are long, but, nevertheless, they simply disappear. I can say my garden provides me with everything: models for my art, opportunity to recharge, colorful dreams and it also is a rewarding experience for my soul. Small place with everything which my universe consists of.

Watercolor, garden rose
Garden rose with rain drops, full size

For now, please, love, share and enjoy the pink garden rose painting! I wish you a happy and adventurous summer!!

For art prints, please, check out this page:

Art collections by Inese Poga