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Thursday, November 28, 2013

Seeing Beauty in the Ordinary

'Fair Ladies in the Meadow'            8x10         pastel          ©Karen Margulis
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 "Are you painting the weeds again?" my husband likes to say when I am working on a Queen Anne's Lace painting.

Weeds? Maybe. But they are glorious.  Have you ever really looked at a patch of Queen Anne's Lace?  I mean really look carefully at them.  The way they gracefully sway and nod in a breeze.  The complexity of a bloom which rivals the finest piece of lace. The beauty of the various stages of bloom from the tight bird nest stage to the wonderful colors of a spent bloom. And the colors ....greens and peach and lavenders and sometimes a delicate pink....heavenly.

Queen Annes Lace is  often overlooked. It is so common and ordinary.  They fill the roadsides and we hardly notice them as we speed by.  Not if you are an artist. Or anyone with a sensitive eye. We are able to see the beauty in the ordinary. We are fortunate to be able to see something interesting in the most common overlooked places. We are able to see and appreciate light and how it creates beauty.

I am thankful for being able to see the beauty that surrounds us. To really see it. To take it all in and then express it in a painting. It is my privilege to share this vision. In my paintings and by pointing it out to those who might not notice. And when they do start to notice.... it is wonderful.  I have done my job.


About this painting:  This is 8x10 on Uart 500. I have done a watercolor underpainting and used a mix of Diane Townsend pastels and Terry Ludwig greens.

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4 comments:

Unknown said...

I have heard that name once before, but in the UK we tend to call it cow parsley - definitely not as romantic a name as you have given it. Think I might adopt your name for them! Actually it is a lovely subject and I see loads of this plant out on the dog walk every day. Love painting them. As you say, artists see the beauty in things that others pass by.

robertsloan2art said...

This one is so beautiful! I love all of the wildflowers I've seen throughout my life. They're often better than the gardens ... but very hard to paint compared to some garden flowers!

Tim Moore said...

i love to lie down on the ground and look at all the little flowers..ALL plants,even weeds, have flowers..some of them are just lovely, but so small...wonderful painting..

BJR said...

Love...oh, love! your "weeds"! Some of the littlest weeds have the prettiest flowers! But you do the queen anne's lace beautifully!!