Fiesta Acrylic painting on panel 36″x 36″
Last spring my sister and I spent four days together at a beach in Northern California. It was a wonderful time. On one of the days we hiked along a cliff overlooking the ocean. I love the rough waters crashing into the rocks below. But what caught my eye were the flowers growing in profusion along the pathway and into the fields. Even on vacation, my eyes don’t stop working. When we got back to the hotel, I couldn’t get those flowers out of my mind. On our last day, we went back to the same area so that I could see them again. I took a bunch of snapshots.
I was compelled to create paintings about these flowers. I have no idea what they are (some are varieties of iceplant, I think). I envisioned each of them as having distinct personalities and didn’t bother with botanical accuracy. It was a fun challenge to switch gears and figure out how to capture what fascinated me.
At the same time that I was working on the flowers, I was continuing to paint water. Plus there were workshops to teach and other business to take care of, as well as the Golden Conference in Miami in December (see previous 3 posts). I worked on the flower paintings off and on for close to six months.
Jim photographed them last week. That means they’re finished.
Flower Fest Acrylic on canvas, 20×60, 2016