TM9279 From Elizabeth’s Garden 20×36 oil on panel

I’ve been rethinking my approach to painting my garden subjects, looking to include more of the mystery and poetry inherent in the subject. With that in mind, perhaps less is more? This new painting leaves more unsaid – I tried to capture the feel and gesture of the flowers but leave the mystery. In some ways. it resembles a series a small monoprint and colored pencil works on paper I did many years ago, also of garden subjects, but somewhat fanciful. The great spiral at work again, revisiting familiar ideas in new and, in this case larger, ways. And thank you Elizabeth!  Details below.

TM9279 From Elizabeth’s Garden – detail from upper right showing evidence of scraping and rolling

TM9279 From Elizabeth’s Garden – detail from lower center

Technical painting notes: I used my soft rubber rollers extensively on this painting, both to lay in the dark base layer (which was then manipulated with rags to suggest highlights and silicone scrapers to “draw” the shapes and forms). Transparent glazes were added later, then refinements were painted using a brush, manipulated with rollers. The layering of brushwork and roller work helped to keep the image suggestive and not too defined. Subtle color effects were a by-product of the wet into wet rolling.