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NFS
This is one of those paintings where the painter wishes to express themselves without agonizing over details. I envisioned five Geraniums in a landscape that had visual form and repetition. You'll notice this painting has five background layers: a white foreground of Sweet Alyssum, followed by the Geranium leaves and flowers, then the yellow perennial bushes, then greens (topped with yellow Daisies), and finally blue sky. The five layers repeat the same shape, reflecting the influence of the Geraniums. I felt that the Geraniums carried the significance in this piece, which is why I labored so much on the color and texture of this piece, wanting it to be right while letting it have a playful feel at the same time. I often feel like we can influence our surroundings and relationships more than we give ourselves credit for. Our lives can have a ripple effect on our family, friends, neighbors and community. I often find myself glancing too quickly at small things while ignoring the larger picture. If we don't judge at first glance but look deeper, we'll find our surroundings aren't so bad.
For next week I'll be exploring the Autumn landscapes, trying to capture on canvas the special time of year when the Birches and Maples cover the forest in blazing color while brightening our lives. It is also a time of harvest, rejoicing and thankfulness. I have a 2'x3' canvas, a 16"x16" canvas and several 6"x 6" and even 4"x 4" canvases prepped. I'm thinking I'll build some miniature easels to set the smaller canvases on when they are finished for presentation. Stop back soon, I have a feeling next weeks works will be special. :)
