Lovely Faces, Lovely Flowers Reflect Each Others Glow

It is lovely and I'm sure your parents are pleased with it, I haven't been on for a while , driven away by multiple postings and photographs! Congratulations on making the top ten galleries, Well deserved.

Very, very nice, Ping! I love the colors - it is so tasteful; and not the obligatory garish red of every other lunar new year card.

I love your work, it's so delicate and I also love the colours that you use. Can I just say after reading Williams comment how much I agree with him. Why would anyone post photographs here ? If I say anything they just erase it and re-post, minus comments. At the moment we have photos of cats on here ! I do think though that if people are new to the site they dont realise the frustration that multiple postings cause. Like William, I'm having a break and sorry Ping for having a grumble here but I feel better for it ! Louise

Thank you for good wishes, I like your romantic impressionistic painting. The blossoms are painted beautifully.

What a delicate and pretty painting. Such soft colours and as Carole says, very romantic.

I agree 100% with the above comments: this is again beautiful. I especially agree with Louise: those multiple postings (not only photographs!) are driving the regulars away!!! Anyway: Happy Lunar New Year to you too!!

Can't see what you mean about the flowers going wrong at this scale. It looks like a lovely composition to me. Very sentimental/romantic, but I don;t mean soppy.

Well, thanks for all your comments and encouragement. I truly appreciate that, but just for the record, I would like to do some dissecting of this painting. One of the problems I face these days is trying to introduce more colour contrast into my paintings. I have come up with two ways to do this: (1) use strong tones or (2) use complementary colours with similar tones. I am not comfortable using the first method, because I do not want to erode the feeling of natural softness by introducing strong tones. I have been trying to use the second method, but I have not yet found the best approach. For the flowers in this painting, I resorted to gouache to bring the flowers closer to the viewer, but somehow, the white does not look natural. Maybe I will improve with the next struggle.

William, Louise and Mia: thanks so much for your comments on my Lunar New Year card. Concerning the issue of multiple simultaneous postings, I was for a while upset by the inability to retrieve and view the paintings of artists I want to follow. For example, when travelling, I do not always have access to high speed internet connections, so sometimes it takes me forever to comb through all the recent postings to find works of particular artists. I recognized that low connection speeds are not caused by this website or multiple postings to it, so I resolved to search for specific artists. The disadvantage of this approach is that I do not always remember exact spellings of names. Lately, I have thought of an alternative approach: whenever any of us posts a new work, then that artist might also post an “invitation to view”, with a link to the new work, on the General Discussion – Exhibitions, Competitions & Your Work forum. In that way, people who want to follow your work can instantly access it and give comments. (For convenience, I have also copied this message to a comment page for a recent work in each of your galleries.)

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to contact me. Your idea is good if you want to follow a specific artist but does't solve the problem of having your work pushed back because someone has posted so many before you. ( The last offender posted 29 but he did apologise as he was new to the site and didn't realise the effect this would have on the rest of us !) Anyway, I've calmed down now. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your lovely work here and I've resolved not to complain too much ! Also, I must add that this is a pretty good place to see works that would otherwise end up piled in drawers and never be seen by anyone ! We can reach so many people whos opinions are much appreciated. That can't be bad ! Many thanks, Louise

All your work is so beautiful.I Iove the softness of the colours that you use and the ideas that you have . Looking forward to seeing more of your postings.

I just saw on one of Thea's last postings that I got your name all wrong. I thought your first name was Eddy, because that was the most familiar to me. So I thought you were a man, but after reading your explanation to Thea, I realise you are a lady and we should call you "Ping". Thanks for telling us and sorry about the mistake!

Ping, did you realise that this painting was chosen for the Top Ten most viewed on the gallery. I thought they had stopped doing this list as I couldn't find the link, but it is on the forum front page under Top Ten Forums. Anyway congrats for that - a nice recognition of your talent.

Congrats on making the Top Ten for the second time running, Ping! So well deserved!

I agree with Thea and Seok: congratulations on your Top Ten election! You certainly deserve it!!!

Ping, thank you for your congrats left on my still life. I read your note about whites in watercolour with interest. I find white watercolour almost useless and have only used the opaque titanium white in an absolute emergency and only in very small bits (i.e. if I have lost a white highlight on something). The white I use is the white paper as nothing is better. When you did this painting you had a huge problem to overcome with lots of white flowers. Some people would have painstakingly masked them out with masking fluid. Another approach is to paint the background and then spray masking fluid over the area and leave it so that it shows as white spatter, which can then be developed into flowers in a loose way. Negative painting would work but what a task with so many small flowers! I think you were very brave to attempt this painting and it is in recognition how well you did that it was chosen for the Top Ten. I think it is perfectly lovely.

I loved this painting when it was first posted and after reading the technical difficulties you had to overcome my admiration is boundless , congratulations Ping.

Thanks Sarah, for your kind words. I really appreciate that.

Thank you, Thea, Seok Yam, Mia and William for your congrats..

Congratulations Yu Ping. You totally deserved coming first in the top ten with this beautiful painting. :)

Thank you, Sarah. I appreciate your congrats very much...

Gorgeous work in this painting Yu Ping, your flowers frame the couple beautifully!