Poppy Process
This blog post takes you through my artistic process on my new red poppy art. Get a behind the scenes look on my thought process when I paint.
Lots of artists will paint over their art either by reworking sections or even completely painting something new over the canvas. Rembrandt did it. Degas did it. Van Gogh and Monet did it too.. So, I am in good company when I decide that I need to redo a painting.
This particular painting has been hanging on my walls for awhile. I liked it enough that I even had it framed and it was included in some gallery shows; however, it had never connected with a collector and last year I even took it off my website since I didn't feel it fit in with the rest of my artwork. The art had been hanging in my husband's office and was enjoyed by his staff, but I decided I needed to redo it.
For months it sat in my studio in the unfinished canvas pile stacked against a wall ( lots of us artists have those piles) I kind of, sort of, forgot about it and got busy with other work. When I cleaned up my studio for that artist tour - I mean really cleaned as in dusted... which means I move my piles around. That is how us artists clean-- we basically move a pile of junk from one side of the studio to the other. ( Did you miss my art studio tour? You can catch that HERE)
When I found this piece, I hung it up in my bedroom....and that is where the painting started nagging me
Oh you didn't know paintings talk? Yep, they do but only us artists hear them... or maybe everyone can hear them if they listen hard enough. Every time I walked by this painting in the bedroom it nagged me to finish it... so on Saturday I couldn't take the nagging anymore and I did.
I loved the bright colors, the composition and the art deco feel of the gold but I was a bit bored by the background and knew I could make this art more interesting. I didn't even bother taking the painting out of the frame- risking dropping paint, ink or gel medium on the gold crackle frame.
I added layers of patterned paper, piano music, ink and more paint. I make the background more interesting and even added some texture to the flowers but I was sure to use some restraint so as not to make the flowers too busy to maintain balance and harmony in the art. To finish it, I added charcoal details to the flowers and also the edges of the canvas to give it a vintage feeling.
So I hung up the painting back in my bedroom. Now every time I pass the painting it says to me "Thank you"
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| Adding charcoal to the poppies. |
Art history
Lots of artists will paint over their art either by reworking sections or even completely painting something new over the canvas. Rembrandt did it. Degas did it. Van Gogh and Monet did it too.. So, I am in good company when I decide that I need to redo a painting.
This art's history
This particular painting has been hanging on my walls for awhile. I liked it enough that I even had it framed and it was included in some gallery shows; however, it had never connected with a collector and last year I even took it off my website since I didn't feel it fit in with the rest of my artwork. The art had been hanging in my husband's office and was enjoyed by his staff, but I decided I needed to redo it.
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| I loved the bright colors, the composition and the art deco feel of the gold but I was a bit bored by the background and knew I could make this art more interesting.... So, I did! |
For months it sat in my studio in the unfinished canvas pile stacked against a wall ( lots of us artists have those piles) I kind of, sort of, forgot about it and got busy with other work. When I cleaned up my studio for that artist tour - I mean really cleaned as in dusted... which means I move my piles around. That is how us artists clean-- we basically move a pile of junk from one side of the studio to the other. ( Did you miss my art studio tour? You can catch that HERE)
When I found this piece, I hung it up in my bedroom....and that is where the painting started nagging me
Paintings Talk
Oh you didn't know paintings talk? Yep, they do but only us artists hear them... or maybe everyone can hear them if they listen hard enough. Every time I walked by this painting in the bedroom it nagged me to finish it... so on Saturday I couldn't take the nagging anymore and I did.
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| Every inch of the painting now has rich imaginative layered detail. If you like this art you can collect the original mixed media painting or a fine art print. |
What I changed
I loved the bright colors, the composition and the art deco feel of the gold but I was a bit bored by the background and knew I could make this art more interesting. I didn't even bother taking the painting out of the frame- risking dropping paint, ink or gel medium on the gold crackle frame.
I added layers of patterned paper, piano music, ink and more paint. I make the background more interesting and even added some texture to the flowers but I was sure to use some restraint so as not to make the flowers too busy to maintain balance and harmony in the art. To finish it, I added charcoal details to the flowers and also the edges of the canvas to give it a vintage feeling.
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| Does not even look like the same painting, right? I have a few more paintings in my studio I want to do a makeover on... ( us girls love a good makeover. My favorite movies all involve a makeover, I mean that is really the essence of the Cinderella story.) |
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| Want to save on this art right now? let me email you the latest coupon |
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| I actually redid the entire artwork in the frame, but then I took the painting out of the frame so I could scan it to get the best photo to show off the details in my listing and to be able to offer high quality prints. I also use this art for home decor accessories like shower curtains on cafepress. |