Doc Magruder's Garden: Calla Lilly
Well, not life and death...sorry for the alarm.
I just finished two new watercolors that feature flowers from Dr. Herbert Magruder's fantastic garden at Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.
Doc Magruder has the most incredible garden of wild flowers, native American plants, waterfalls and walking paths...it is a mini-botanical garden that is absolutely wonderful. Whenever I see him (Doc is a patron of mine) he always tells me what is blooming this morning or what is about to bloom next week or even in mid-April. And each time, I have to say, "Doc, I'm really not a flower painter."
The painting above is, of course, a Calla Lilly. While day lilies are in abundance in our area, the Calla comes from Africa and is not really suited to the cold weather at Grandfather Mountain, so Doc says. Here is my dilemma.
I love to contrast the white-whites of watercolor paper with dark-darks, in this case a mixture of Lamp Black and Sap Green, to reach a deep dark rich green. And, as you can see, when I, an amateur photographer at best, try to capture the finished painting, the green/black background shows reflections of light that are not apparent when you see the painting in person.
I just finished two new watercolors that feature flowers from Dr. Herbert Magruder's fantastic garden at Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.
Doc Magruder has the most incredible garden of wild flowers, native American plants, waterfalls and walking paths...it is a mini-botanical garden that is absolutely wonderful. Whenever I see him (Doc is a patron of mine) he always tells me what is blooming this morning or what is about to bloom next week or even in mid-April. And each time, I have to say, "Doc, I'm really not a flower painter."
The painting above is, of course, a Calla Lilly. While day lilies are in abundance in our area, the Calla comes from Africa and is not really suited to the cold weather at Grandfather Mountain, so Doc says. Here is my dilemma.
I love to contrast the white-whites of watercolor paper with dark-darks, in this case a mixture of Lamp Black and Sap Green, to reach a deep dark rich green. And, as you can see, when I, an amateur photographer at best, try to capture the finished painting, the green/black background shows reflections of light that are not apparent when you see the painting in person.
Doc Magruder's Garden: Jerusalem Artichoke
Likewise, the Jerusalem Artichoke (helianthus tuberose) a native American wildflower, photographs even worse...believe me, out of twenty attempts with various tilts and lights and contortions of the photographer...this is the best representation I could do. In person, the background is a very rich green-black which contrasts and highlights the Cadmium Yellow Pale petals of these wildflowers found along the roadside as well as Doc's manicured Eden.
Like I told Doc when I started this project...I really don't paint flowers...what I should have said was...and I'll need a professional photographer to help me display the results. Somebody call 9-1-1, please.
Like I told Doc when I started this project...I really don't paint flowers...what I should have said was...and I'll need a professional photographer to help me display the results. Somebody call 9-1-1, please.
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