Did you ever paint something that you just couldn't get right? I was so excited to paint from the beautiful garden photo my friend sent me. It was a garden filled with poppies. I imagined how I would paint them . I even had a title for the painting. I would call it Garden Party. But it turned out to be a party pooper. It was probably the busiest painting I ever did! I had fun creating the profusion of flowers but it was just too much.
The more I added the worse it got. I kept thinking if I added more it would improve. It didn't. I became frustrated. I walked away from the easel. Today with fresh eyes I saw that the only choice was to wipe it off and start over. But I realized something very important.
While I loved the photo my friend sent me I wasn't invested in it. I was not there when she took the photo. I didn't experience the garden with all of my senses. I couldn't interpret it with my heart and soul because it was just a pretty photo that someone else experienced.
I still wanted to paint poppies but I had to paint poppies I knew. I pulled out a photo of a poppy field I saw in France. My heart began being faster. I felt the connection. I remembered the day I took the photos and the emotions rushed in. I painted and this time it was from my heart.
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| The first version was a wiper |
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| My new reference. I wiped out the painting and used alcohol to do a wash. I also applied some Diane Townsend dry ground to add back some tooth. |
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