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Poppy Inspiration
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Message
Posted
I suspect Cadmium Red Light, or Medium - perhaps Cadmium Scarlet? - is the only colour that can really capture poppy-red - I often think, when looking at nature, what on earth gives me the right to suppose that I can replicate those fantastic colours, the sheer depth and richness of them? There are some effects of nature beyond the reach of man-made paint, however skilfully applied: how do you capture the deep, deep purple of a pansy? How to capture the iridescence of a magpie's wing? How to capture the startlingly pure colours of the kingfisher, the greens of a green woodpecker, the blue of a sapphire .... you can drive yourself mad trying to do that, but it's rarely worth it because we just don't have the paints, no matter how fantastic some of them are. So - we place them against duller colours, to allow them to shine forth; we develop these skills over a lifetime of painting; and still some people will tell us how easy it is, or degrade artistic practice to mere "craftsmanship", derived through decades of experience.
Mind you - we can always ignore critics, mindful of the fact that they couldn't paint so much as a green bucket.....
Posted
The poppies were getting very windblown yesterday and were falling apart. I have tried to catch the moment with the petals coming off and falling to the ground. I haven’t quite completed the painting but need to press on with another task I have a deadline for , might come back to it later although I like the half finished painting. I also want to try a painting of Fiona's poppies as the look very delicate and complex as well.
