Friday, December 10, 2010

Hydrangea update



My hydrangea painting is basically finished. I may tweak a few things before signing it. I prefer the right-hand side and wonder if I should not crop the painting this way, into a much smaller and square format:
Let me know what you prefer.

What have I learned from this painting?
-from the left to the right, I painted with a much lighter touch with clearer pigments to obtain a much better luminosity.
-my intuitive assessment of the level of wetness of this particular paper improved during the painting process.
 What do I like about this painting:
- the lower right-hand side was so much fun to paint and I like the hint of warm gold against the cool pinks and mauves.
- the highlights and the whites
What insights can I transfer to my next painting initiative?
-you really can't get into much trouble if you add thin layers at a time and if you are patient enough to let each one of these layers dry properly before the next ( I often get too impatient:-)

27 comments:

  1. I really like the whole painting, uncropped. I think the cropped version doesn't tell the whole story. But that's just my opinion. It's really beautiful!

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  2. I agree with Rhonda. I prefer the painting uncropped. You get a better feel for the hydrangea and it seems more balanced. Beautiful piece though! It just sparkles and I love hydrangea.

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  3. This is so beautiful. I love the colors. I also admire how you assessed your progress as an artist. Very inspirational to the rest of us!

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  4. Beautiful painting. I love the whole painting, un-cropped.

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  5. Very nicely finished Christiane. I prefer the cropped one but either way it is beautiful.

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  6. Great WIP.I would not crop, as it takes away the shape of the hydrangea bloom and I like the contrast of tones as one works across from left to right. Gorgeous piece of work.

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  7. My vote: Don't Crop!! You've gotten a beautiful luminous quality...very delicate just like the hydrangea blossom is in real life. I agree with you totally in that when you let an underneath layer completely dry, you can do just about anything with the next one and retain the translucent quality you're after. This is really beautiful, Christiane.

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  8. I enjoyed reading your thoughts about what you learned from this lovely painting. My preference is uncropped.

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  9. Wow, you are really studying this painting! I admire that. I also love that another watercolorist has learned the wonderful art of GLAZING - the patience to let it dry in between - it certainly gives great results! UNcropped, by the way!

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  10. Thank you to all of you for your valued opinion! The majority wins with the uncropped and so it will remain. I really had fun painting this and want to start another floral asap while my lessons learned are still clear and vivid in my mind :-)
    I am always so happy to read your comments...it truly makes me feel connected to a super group of friends.

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  11. Christiane, I really like the uncropped version .. Hydrangeas are not easy to do and I've done a few but loose ... to do this takes a lot of discipline and patience which don't have. Cropping loses some of those beautiful details.
    Its a lovely painting.

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  12. I really like the uncropped version too! Beautiful finish and I enjoyed reading your evaluation of the process.

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  13. Barbra,thank you. I really have a hard time painting "loose" and I probably have more patience than talent:-) This painting was almost like a puzzle:-)

    Hi, Vicki! I am glad that you like it...I was not too sure about how I felt about this painting overall. Writing down the evaluation process will hopefully help me remember the lessons learned:-)

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  14. cropping makes it a diagonal composition and it would be nice...

    but i liked the full version also...
    the flowers and leaves contribute well for the beauty...

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  15. Thank you for stopping by,jyothisethu. It's true that the diagonal composition is quite interesting! Hum...maybe I could paint this again...

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  16. Christiane, very nice painting and I too like the uncropped version best :)

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  17. Hi, Krista! thank you...uncropped it is going to stay!

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  18. I love the un-cropped version too. It is gorgeous and fresh looking. The Hydrangea was my favorite flower when I lived in Canada and your painting brings back lovely memories.

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  19. Thank you very much for taking the time to stop by and to comment, Colleen. The hydrangea is beautiful, but you have such gorgeous flowers in Hawaii to make up for the absence of hydrangeas:-) Everything here is covered by a new blanket of snow and it will be months before we see any hint of flowers. Enjoy your great weather!
    By the way, I really like your hand-made Xmas wreath shown on your blog.

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  20. Christiane, what a wonderful start to your new career. I like both paintings, and I do find the cropped piece a bit more intriguing. If I were you, I would do a second one cropped and have two pieces to sell, because the uncropped image is lovely.

    Your description of your process reminds me of Katherine Alexander, a member of Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society, winner of many awards, and a workshop instructor. Check out her work here: http://www.kathleenalexanderwatercolors.com/

    I've had the pleasure of being in the same society and also seeing her demo her process.

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  21. Mary, painting a second cropped version...what an excellent suggestion!

    As for Katherine Alexander, I have visited her studio blog and find her work absolutely stunning! You are very fortunate to have seen her work...If one day I paint even half as well as her, I will be more than happy!

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  22. Christiane...I may be the most fortunate one of all...I just complete a workshop with Kathleen this past October. She just moved to Hawaii in November. She is a fabulous teacher and her work is truly an inspiration. Lucky us to have had her here in Texas.

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  23. Oh, I remember, Mollie! It was as a result of one of your posts that I discovered Kathleen's work! And your workshop painting was beautiful.
    Not too many well-known artists come to Ottawa to give workshops:-)

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  24. What a beautiful painting Christians, and one of my most favourite flowers..I think both work in their own right...I would let it sit and look at it with fresh eyes, go with your heart as to which you prefer..

    I do love when artist write down their own thoughts, it helps us all when learning.Thank you for that..

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  25. And thank you Stephie for taking the time to stop by and comment. The reference photo is from WetCanvas, by Stephie20, which I think is you...if this is the case, then a huge, huge thank you to you for giving so much gorgeous source of inspiration to WetCanvas artists!

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  26. I prefer the whole piece, uncropped. But either works well, proving that the composition is very good. Greta job!

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  27. It is so nice to hear from you, Kathy! Thank you for letting me know which format you prefer and for leaving such a kind comment. Have great holidays!

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