Anyone who loves flowers usually plants many varieties of them in their yards. After I stopped painting people’s portraits, I turned to painting nature’s beauty, particularly flowers.
I want to document them as much as I can through my paintings.
I had never painted flowers in pastel except for a painting of Princess Diana’s in which I combined a yellow rose and her portrait. That painting was later included in a coffee table book in the UK.
That was my first time painting a rose. I didn’t have any training on how to paint flowers in pastel prior to this. I never imagined that I would be painting flowers seriously someday.
Also, I’ve never given full attention to flowers before. Well, people’s faces fascinated me the most.
As a self taught artist, I’ve been painting portraits for over a decade through trial and error. Though I started learning how to use pastel and its techniques through observation, I continued mastering my favorite medium by making new paintings and along the way, discovered new techniques on my own. So with this confidence, I tackled every floral painting with utmost care, just like I did with painting people’s portraits.
Imagine our world without flowers. Everything would be dull. Flowers wilt, so that’s where the artists who take the photos and create paintings come into play.
My goal is to paint a portrait of a flower that showcases it up close. Instead of painting people’s portraits, I now paint portraits of flowers. This way, I can paint one flower at a time with my full, undivided attention. Because I didn’t have training to paint flowers I had to learn how to look at flowers really closely.
The first time I painted a flower in a larger size, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to paint it well. I had to learn to look at the petals by examining the texture on each petal and figuring out how to recreate them with pastel.
But just like portraits, I decided to treat my flower paintings like precious subjects. In between paintings, I took breaks and stepped out of my office. When I’d come back and if the painting wowed me (colors, shapes and everything were on point) then I knew I had hit it out of the park.
There’s something magical about water beads and I love painting them on flower petals. I named this painting Dazzling Rose because I was intrigued by its shape and the two buds accompanying it.
I usually photograph my subjects in their natural habitat to capture how I first got excited when I discovered them. On top of that, the water beads on the petals added fun elements to paint on this rose too!
I’m so glad that I dedicated myself to painting flowers. I feel I have gained a lot from painting this beautiful subject. Painting flowers makes me happy and brings me inner peace. I want the same for my collectors when they hang my paintings on their walls.
FINE ART PRINTS
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Here’s an idea on how to decorate your home with this beautiful print.
What story would you tell with this flower print? Let me know in the comments!
Stay kreatif,
Siti
