Wow can you believe I am only on #4? Going to take a lot of tenacity and perseverance, so let’s plow forward ~
Orange Flower (7×5), an oil pastel painted on artist canvas board – this is not the greatest surface for oil pastels, as the OPs tend to glide and bleed rather than stick but it gave me the look at I was after. Mainly Senneliers and Holbein oil pasetels were used. No underpainting with this painting, just straight oil pastels using the OPs sticks, clay shapers and pieces of foam insulation. A razor blade was used to get some of the texture in the background. You’d laugh today, the temperature outside is around 80 and the OPs are melting in my fingers faster than I can hold onto them ~ my fingers are very colorful!
The reference image was taken by me of a flower from one of our gardens last year. Onto #5 – click onto image for a larger view, the details show a bit better.
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Oil Pastels by Mary 
The flower is excellent, of course. But what I like more here is the bottle, please do not ask me why because i don’t know, it’s simply like this!
And the colors, flower and background are such a brilliant idea…
robert
Hi Robert, thank you so much – I really enjoyed your feedback. Interesting about the bottle, it was such a simple object and I thought it would fit well with the flower. Glad you enjoyed the background colors – starting with greens, and then infused turquoise and indigo blues which then began to create a little energy in the scene. Thanks again ~ have a wonderful weekend.
Wonderful composition. I’m forever centering things, and they look so much better offset!
Hi Brenda, thank you very much appreciate it. Many times “centering” creeps up in my paintings, I’ve got to be really conscious of it when composing the scene – so I hear you on this one. Thanks and hope you have a wonderful week ahead.
You, too!!
I really like those fine little cross-hairish-type markings on the larger version … Don’t even know why !
Thanks M.R. – using a straight-edged razor blade helps getting some interesting patterns and textures. Glad you enjoyed this one. Hope you are doing well – not sure which blog I should be visiting these days, I haven’t seen anything loaded in my Reader.
Adjusting my Background is the only ‘live’ blog I have, now, Mary; and you’d need to follow to get anything in your (ugh !) Reader. [grin]
Okay, done! I’m not sure why I wasn’t following this one – but all set M.R.!
Hope it’s worth the trouble …
Beautifully done Mary… so lovely… 🙂
You’ve made my day, thank you Maniparna for your beautiful comment.
Really nice texture and colours!
Thanks so much Marick! Have a wonderful weekend.
Hello Mary,
This is so pretty! I love the golden-yellow-orange colours of the petals 🙂
Best wishes,
Takami
Hi Takami, nice to see you! Thank you for your lovely comment – the colors were fun to develop, blending and scraping back brought out some nice surprises.
This is so pretty!
Thank you Fiona!
Another beautiful flower, Mary! The orange really pops off the canvas. I also like the way you can see the wall through the vase. As for 80 degrees and melting paint, I’m jealous!
And now it’s 54 – Texas in the Spring is a dicey time weather-wise for storms (they rumbled through last evening). We’ll be touching low 70’s today. Can’t complain about the temperatures though.
54 sounds lovely! Low 70s even better. It’s been a long, rough winter in the Northeast but I saw some Spring flowers pushing their way up in my garden.
Thank you so much for your thoughts on this study!
I’d like to take an art appreciation class some day. I don’t know anything about art except “I like it.” 🙂 Appreciate you taking us through your process!
Perfect for spring …plus I’m a big fan of orange-blue combinations.
Thanks Frank, glad you enjoyed the painting! Don’t worry, Spring is on its way to you!
OOh I really love this Mary ! Those contrasting colours are perfect they just bounce off the screen 🙂 Joy !!
Hi Poppy, thank you so much. I’m so happy that you enjoyed this little painting – it was a fun one that got me back in the game. It was fun watching the colors and textures develop in this piece. Thanks again ~
Hello Sunshine! This is cheerful, happy, just as Spring! Love the effect of this technique, love how your flower challenge is shaping to be more and more beautiful, insightful, sensitive, delicate with the most gorgeous colors. On this particular one you showcased the most unbelievable color palette! This is going to be quite a collection and looking forward to see what you holding on for the next 11 to go!
Thanks Eva – exactly it’s Spring and it should be celebrated with bold, vibrant color. Scraping the blues over green was a last minute decision because I felt the painting needed something that added a visual interest that would support the flower. The flower was one of the first that opened in our gardens last year. It was a fun painting to do and I’m starting to feel better about the challenge, flowers (as I mentioned to someone else) is a mental mind-game more than anything else. Thank you for always encouraging me to keep on, keeping on! Have a wonderful evening.
This time, I’m going to comment on your writing…….you seem like you’re so surprised by this challenge taking so much to get through and perhaps that you’re still feeling a bit overwhelmed by working outside your natural element for such a long series, but I have to tell you, these paintings have been so enjoyable on this end. I very much enjoyed the portraits which you also said weren’t your forte, but these paintings, with their brilliant colours, etc. are I think the PERFECT thing to be doing as we’re heading into spring……very uplifting out here, Mary…..you’re bringing spring to WordPress!
Hi A!, flowers are a mental challenge for me – it’s not that I don’t see the technicals, values, hues, etc., but I’ve always had a mind block on being able to paint what I see in them. My goal – peonies and roses, when you see me freely paint these two you’ll know that I’ve worked past my inhibitions. Loved your feedback and comment – this challenge is getting me into flowers and I can see a few landscapes with flowers coming soon as well!
So lovely, Mary. I can just imagine your colourful fingers. Does it wash off easily?
Hi Sylvia, thanks very much! The painting had the deepest greens and indigo blues – my fingers liked like they were black and blue. It took a bit of scrubbing to wash the paint off, actually I wash my hands frequently while painting, they were starting to look a bit weathered!
I’ve tried wearing thin plastic gloves, but I don’t like the feel. 🙂
I’m right with you on that – my hands would be itching. Washing my hands so much has aged them, does that sound vain or what?! I’m stopping while I’m ahead ~
Winsor and Newton make an ‘Artguard Barrier Cream’, which gets good reviews. 🙂 I think I might try it.
I’ve heard of that and have never tried it, but maybe I should. I’d be interested to hear if you do get it.
I look for some next time I go to the art store. 🙂
LOVE!!! Oh my Mary, this one is perfect! I love the composition and the complimentary palette. The flower is delightful and delicate. This painting invokes complete joy. Bravo!
Thanks Rhonda – I don’t even know the name of the flower. But I remember last year it was the cutest flower in the garden, glad I cut it for a photograph. I’ve been undecided to paint this, a little drab w/o the textured wall and colors. Thanks for your description, was great to read.
Love the contrasting colors! The flower seems to pop out at you.
Hi Jess, thanks so much! It was a fun single flower to paint – shows a bit more texture and depth in person, I’m thrilled that you saw the forward motion.
Beautiful!
Thank you so much!
Keep it up, Mary! You’re doing great. I love the colors.
Thanks Jill for your support and generous comment!
I like the complimentary colors in this one Mary! ~Rita
Thank you Rita – my experiment worked on this one. Thanks for noticing!
Gorgeous, Mary. I love the dramatic effect of the blue background. 🙂
Thanks Marina, so glad you noticed the blue background. I was hoping by scraping down blue over the green background it would create a nice effect against the flower – Love your description – hope you’re having a nice day, the weekend is almost here..
Yes, the weekend…. Have a beautiful Friday and weekend ahead! 🙂
Beautiful painting. Love your colors.
Thanks Janell!!
Good luck with the challenge. So far, beautiful:)
Thanks Janet!