Way to Complicated?

Deciding what to paint seems to always be a process. I look at all sorts of photos of flowers and try to decide...is that one I can paint or interpret with stain on wood? Or is it too hard? That was the case with this flower...when someone suggested it would be a good subject!

My first thought..."way to complicated!" ...or is it? The petals are all white, I can hardly tell where one ends and one begins and there are so many of them! It looks so delicate..I adore this photo. So...I decided to give it a try!

After tracing the image onto the wood, the hard part begins. Deciding which petal is on top and which underneath, what to shade with (dark vs light). I was reminded that I started this back in February and in between appointments, chores, other projects and framing it has been in the works until December!

The maple plywood is pretty thin, so we (my husband and I, he made the frame) knew it needed a frame. That is when it started to feel like it might actually get done. It is a rather large piece at 4' x 4' and I added epoxy overcoat to protect it from scratches and fading. That was super anxiety provoking...you have about 20 minutes before it turns to a gluey like consistency and ripples set in after that. There are a few, but overall, it went well for the first use other than a table.

Finished! It is actually quite large and finding a place in our home to take a good picture has proven a challenge. We have a lot of windows and it has a very reflective surface! Flowers are pretty amazing and the fact that they decide to come back year after year to grace us with their presence is a gift and being able to paint them...pretty cool!

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