Flowers in spring...

Well, it might not be spring yet, but I'm surrounded by flowers.

I've been working on a series for an  April, 2013 group show with some artist friends at the Key City Theatre Gallery in Cranbrook, BC.  We've loosely determined that theme to be Summer in the Kootenays, and flowers abound in my studio right now.  They're a great antidote to our grey skies and moisture of all sorts here in Creston at this time of the year.

I started this floral with a range of glazes in blues to create the sky.

'Blue skies, nothing but blue skies do I see'

 I was looking for a middle ground that would give the illusion of foliage and complement the flowers I'd created for the foreground - testing, testing, testing...

Just some of the green combos I tested.

 I painted in the first layer of 'door number three', and covered it with plastic wrap to create some variegated 'foliage'.

 Then I added some more foliage in certain spots to deepen some areas.

More plastic wrap technique

 It was time to start adding flowers,

and playing with arrangements,

until I finally felt I'd achieved a pleasing arrangement that did not completely obscure the middle ground, and yet tied it all together.

Field of Dreams
2' x 3'  mixed media   2013
© Win Dinn

I made a couple of amazing discoveries during completion of this piece.  Discovery number one is that it is unbelievably difficult for me to take a 'square-on' photo of a larger piece of art (there's a reason they call me photographically challenged).  Discovery number two is that in this lovely home we occupy there is not ONE white wall on which to take photos.