How a Series Starts...Painting Hollyhocks

'Old Town Hollyhocks'            12 x 12     acrylic on canvas            ©Karen Margulis sold

I didn't know what I wanted to paint today. I didn't even know if I was going to paint. I had some errands to run but then I came home and went down into my studio trying to decide what to do next.  Then it caught my eye. The photo I had printed out for the 'Paint New Mexico' Challenge blog. It was a photo of the hollyhocks that grow in front of one of the store in Old Town Albuquerque. I have lots of photos of these flowers since they are always blooming when I am in Albuquerque for the IAPS convention in June.

The hollyhocks wanted to be painted today. I decided to paint them in acrylics and after I blocked in the background it occurred to me that I could use the acrylic paint for an underpainting for a pastel version of the hollyhocks. I got out a piece of Wallis sanded paper and did a quick underpainting with the leftover background paint.

Now I am fired up!  A series is born!  I am excited to get back to the acrylic painting. Why did I wait so long to paint hollyhocks? They are so much fun!  So much fun that after I am done with the acrylic I cut some leftover scraps of Diane Townsend which is nice and thick and painted three mini Hollyhock paintings with the leftover paint. I also did an acrylic close-up of a hollyhock to which I will add ink lines.  I am not one to waste a drop of paint!  I will post the other paintings this week and I plan to do a demo of the pastel version tomorrow.

The results of an inspired afternoon of painting hollyhocks

So that is how a new series is born. Sometimes you have to just go into the studio with an open mind and inspiration will strike. The fun part of being an artist is to see where it leads you!  Come back for more of my hollyhock series this week!
Be sure to see all of the wonderful paintings on the Let's Paint New Mexico Blog here.