Hollyhock by Fiona Phipps

This is lovely Fiona. I really like the soft diffused look and the wet into wet bud at the back is spot on. So you did this 'en plain air' - and you say it is only your second flower painting!! I think we had all better watch out!

I agree - it's lovely. It's one of those pictures that instantly make you feel better. I particulary like the change of colours in the wet-in-wet areas - wish I could do that!

Stood up? A great sketch - so spontaneous

beautiful :-) relaxed and loose :-) really lovely :-)

Love the watery running of colour, a beautiful painting Fiona.

Fiona, I love this! It so beautifully captures the ephemeral moment of the flower and the flow of your washes is just superb!

A lovely spontaneous painting Fiona, love the colours!

Thank you Julie for your very generous words....but I don't think you need to worry about me taking over the flower painting postings!!Lol

Thank you Christine, Michael for your comments. Michael, I can't paint sat down, can't paint stood up either but the ones I do stood up are marginally better than the sat down ones! Lol.

Rebecca, Seok, Carole, Christine, many thanks for your lovely and kind comments.

So loose and free and so full of light it's a joy to look at. I've tried a sample of that paper but wasn't very impressed, but then I wasn't very impressed with the painting I did on it either :)

It works very well Fiona. Good lively brush strokes!

You're going from strength to strength or somesuch expression! Great painting; beautiful colours and flow. I have not done drawing or painting since last week, but I hope toddler, which is now transfixed by a story CD, will continue to be so now and again so I can get the paints out. I feel twitchy ....

I think you have achieved a most beautiful little watercolour here Fiona. Very interesting to read about the rough paper because last Tuesday somebody in our painting group brought in a boxful of handmade watercolour paper from Jackson's. To be rough it was that all right! Thick, beutiful and rough. Two members gave it a try and found it to be quite a challenge but in a positive way.Not good for detailed work but very good for flowers, landscapes and such. Your paper looks machine made but it's rough enough to show the pattern through the painting and gives it something very special. I hope that the weather has improved up there. We have been very lucky here in Berkshire, nice hot weather since early August.

Hi Val, the paper certainly isn't any good for fine detail, or polished results but it does allow you to slosh lots of water at it. The heavy texture could probably be of help depending on your chosen subject. Thanks very much for stopping by!

Many thanks Louise. I know what you mean Gudrun, you start to get itchy fingers but don't have the time. I find the worse time when I have visitors and all I want to do is paint but can't really sneak off. Hope you get the time to put pen/paint to paper soon. Thanks again.

Fiona - your comments above brought a big grin to my face - lucky I was sat down.

Thank you Satu. I must admit, I quite like it, the texture makes for some interesting grainy effects. You're right it isn't the hand made one, I haven't tried that one.....yet! No the weather hasn't improved....still gale force winds and heavy rain, more of the same tomorrow according to the forecast. Along with high tides tonight and in the morning ( I live on the coast) this could be my last posting!!!!

Michael, I can't be the only one not able to paint sat down?! Can I? We ought to have a pole, not to sit on......but for research purposes. Might even make a good cartoon, go on, I dare you! Lol.

I am afraid I am different - I can't paint stooded up and now the challenge is laid I will darest to thunk up a cartoon - watch this space.

Fiona you should change your name to Fiona Versatile! Is there no limit to what you can do? This is lovely, and all this talk about standing up and sitting down is interesting: I've had my watercolours out for the last few days and everything has gone into the bin. I was sitting down and it all felt so wrong - now you've pinpointed part of the problem, I shall try tomorrow standing up. Might be a marginal improvement to what happens...

Michael, does this paint a picture for you; sketch book on floor, water container on floor, paint box in left hand, paint brush in right hand, me bent double over sketch book painting, with my left foot on corner of book to stop the wind blowing the pages everywhere? Not a pretty sight but not a bad sketch of a beautiful birch tree. The contortions were worth it!!Lol I look forward to the cartoon I could do with a giggle at the moment, the weather is awful here.

Jane I'm so glad I'm not the only one that finds sitting down to paint, awkward!! I've tried sitting down but like you, everything ends up in the bin. Let me know how you get on tomorrow, it will be interesting to compare results. Thank you for your comments Jane very much appreciated.

Nice one Fiona, never tried painting standing up, on a recent art course, the tutor said I should experiment more, instead of sticking to the detail. It certainly must make you look more and loosen up. If I ever get round to it I will post the results.

Thankyou !!!!!! There you go - you painted a beauty and look at all the comment ! Lovely painting :)

Thank you very much Peter, I look forward to seeing the results if you give it a try!

I'm so glad you like it Beverley.......you may have persuaded me to do a few more!!! If I have any garden left after the high winds today!Lol Thanks again.

Love how you have used wet in wet & your choice of colours & texture to produce this pleasing painting Fiona !

Thank you very much James.

Love this Fiona !

Hi Denise, thanks very much.

I always paint standing up! My poor back knows all about it.

Hoorah!!! Someone else for the 'stood up' brigade! That's two of us then lol.

I looked up your gallery after you posted a very kind comment for one of my paintings - I think yours are absolutely lovely and wish I could manage a similar loose style, which is most effective, instead of being so 'tight'! Many thanks Heather

Heather you are very kind, thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.

Lovely fresh and colouful.I like the combination of 3 colours you mention.