White Primrose

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6x6", water mixable oil on canvas board, 2/28/15
SOLD

I've been seeing these potted primroses in the stores lately, and I just can't believe it's almost time to be planting flowers again! We've had the mildest winter, and I feel so lucky to have gotten through it with so little discomfort. Still.. I'm definitely looking forward to spring!

This little primrose was a little tricky to paint. I've always found plants difficult to draw or paint--they're just so detailed and intricate... and it's really not clear what they're "supposed" to look like. When I draw a human head, I can clearly see whether it looks right or not--proportions are so obvious in that scenario--but the plant world is a little less uniform, a little less standardized. In ways that's a good thing when you're painting--but for me, it seems I tend to get lost in all the detail and lose my reference point because it's all just more of the same. Anyway, I actually did enjoy painting this little flower, trying to maintain the delicate subtleties of the white against the strongly contrasting dark green. I could definitely use some more practice, but I do kinda like this one (and honestly it usually takes a little while for my paintings to grow on me :)

Also, my husband built these shelves for me today so my paintings can dry safely (instead of haphazardly leaning against windowblinds, etc, ha). I'm loving them already.

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