Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Teasels

With all the world around me covered in snow, there was not much chance of finding the odd flower in the garden to bring indoors, although there are Camellias out and the Rhododendrons and Hellebores are almost there. So if I was to start a painting it was a choice of either use a photo or paint something from the studio. I have a pot of dried seed heads, including a couple of Teasels which I thought might do, although they did not look too inspiring in the pot before I started!!


I chose a block of rough Fabriano Artistico Extra white, and did a quite free sketch of a bunch of teasels, and using masking fluid, covered the sharp needles around the head of each one, together with the longer dried leaves which went into the background.
This meant that I could freely and confidently wash in the background with as many colours as I needed without having to be careful about the seed heads.



This painting was to be all about colour, as free as possible and very little concern about getting them botanically accurate. As you can see from the initial washes I chose lots of Blue/green colours together with some of the earth colour I proposed using for the seed heads.

 For all of us, there hopefully comes a time when the beginnings of a painting really excite us. What a glorious feeling! As the colours went down on the paper, it was enough to really excite me and I could hardly control my impatience to get on with it BUT I had added plenty of granulation fluid and areas of sea salt to give the background texture, so I had to wait until it was completely dry so that I could remove the masking fluid without smudging the background texture.
When the paint and salt were dry, and I had carefully removed them, together with the masking fluid around the seed heads ( I left the long dried leaves at this stage so that once again the heads could be painted with abandon) I painted each of the heads, using Yellow Ochre, Quinachridone Rust, Translucent Orange, Indian Yellow and Burnt Umber. Where necessary I added a little Moonglow or Ultramarine Blue in the darks.

I removed the rest of the masking fluid and painted in the needles and the dried leaves, using a little White Acrylic Gouache for the detail. I darkened parts of the stems, then gave the painting a good but delicate splatter with Burnt Umber, Translucent Orange and White Acrylic Gouache.


All that I have done to the painting since taking the photo is to soften the divide between the half painted teasel on the left and its background. I just felt the line was a bit harsh. Apart from that it is as I painted it without a break, and without too much else other than instinct. I know art is subjective and this image might not be to everyone's taste, but just for once I an totally delighted with the result and think it is my most  successful painting for month. I now have to come down off the high and get ready for the Club exercise tomorrow which I am sure will, by comparison be a total disaster!

24 comments:

  1. Extremely nice. Lots of them about 20 miles from me, growing on waste ground.

    I believe they were used in the Flax/Linen industry in the 1700s and into the 1800s for teasing!

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    1. Thanks Sean. I am sure you are right about the Flax fibres. They grew fairly plentifully on our verges around here as well. Glad you like the painting.

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  2. It is beautiful, Yvonne, and you have every reason to be pleased with your teasels.

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  3. Thanks, Kathryn. I am glad you like it too!

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  4. This is stunning Yvonne, you are right to be so pleased!!

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    1. Thank you for the lovely comment. Success can be so elusive. Its great when one gets it right!

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  5. Absolutely you should be pleased, I love it too

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    1. Thank you Lorraine. I am so glad that you have enjoyed looking!

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  6. I like it! I felt as though I was painting along with you, I could almost feel your pleasure. I also love using salt and charging in colors.

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    1. Thank you Laura. Its lovely to get so many comments which reflect my own joy in the painting. As you use salt yourself, do you ever think about the archival nature of the painting....salt rots concrete, so what will it do to the painting over time? Any ideas?

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  7. This is superb. A very difficult subject too.

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    1. Thanks Peter. If I remember I will bring the original to club next week so you can see it.

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  8. This painting is gorgeous. You are so talented.

    Patti

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  9. Thanks Patti, thank goodness for lots of happy accidents. With lots of water you can never be sure of the outcome. Glad you enjoy looking at the blog.

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  10. Have had the pleasure of seeing it in a mount and framed and it is a truly lovely painting.

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  11. Thank you for the lovely comment.

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  12. Hi Yvvone,

    I can't see your last post. Is it coffee pot?

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  13. Sorry, removed it to edit it.....it will be back in a few days. Hope you enjoyed 'Teasels'

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  14. Wow, you really glamorized those weeds, I mean teasels. Beautiful work!

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  15. Thanks Linda, I am delighted that you like the painting. Weeds are only plants in the wrong place. I have painted lots of daisies, buttercups, dandelion clocks and weedy seed heads. They all have their own special beauty, even though we may not want them in our gardens!

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  16. Das Bild ist absolut fantastisch;-)

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  17. Thank you so much, Janina, for the lovely comment.

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  18. I know you posted this several years ago, just ran across it on Pinterest. So lovely, inspires me to paint something new today...Thank you��

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