". . . a brush with nature"

Inspiration comes in many ways and I have learned to listen when it does. A glimpse of a small woodland creature scurrying along the forest floor may serve as an impetus for a wildlife painting somewhere down the road or the brilliant sunlight falling across a field of sunflowers might be the spark for a large landscape painting or an intimate still life. Sunflowers have certainly touched the imaginations of artists for centuries. Perhaps some of the most recognizable paintings today are two pieces by Vincent Van Gogh, “Four Sunflowers Gone to Seed" (1887) and “Sunflowers” (1889).  All these years later the breathtakingly brilliant color of the blooms still speak to painters and photographers alike, inspiring them each to create something unique unto themselves.

Often, I find my inspiration in dreams. When this happens, I listen. The idea may start as a small seed that will eventually grow into a fully transformed composition under the bright lights of morning. But more often than not the entire painting appears to me fully developed under to cloak of darkness. How wonderful to awake in the morning to a complete painting! All that needs to be done is transfer that vision to canvas or paper.

I don’t often paint florals so I was greatly surprised when I recently dreamt of a beautiful bird of paradise plant. It was a horizontal piece set against a dark background (certainly not black!) There was another element to the painting - a winged creature (no surprise here) with similar coloring. The tiny visitor was a Rufous Hummingbird, playfully interacting with the flower’s bloom.

Join me in the process as I paint my dream – “A Perfect Pairing”.

I started out with a background using most of the other colors

I planned on using throughout the painting. Then I roughed in the

beginning stages of the bird of paradise plant.

I have added more pops of color to the background and am 

beginning to apply multiple layers of washes to the plant

itself. My goal is to have the blooms of the flower

"glow" against the dark background.

Here is the finished painting. I added my tiny visitor last - a touch of whimsy

in my dream and in my painting as well. The hummingbird is painted with many

of  the colors of the bird of paradise making it "A Perfect Pairing" indeed!

In Conclusion . . .

Oddly enough just a few miles south of my studio there were vast fields of sunflowers this summer. My husband and I were awestruck by their beauty. Although I am not a landscape painter either I was inspired by those rolling seas of yellows and gold to try my hand at yet another painting based on a floral theme. Stay tuned to see what happens.