Love is like a Glass Rose

I finished the painting today. Painting bigger than full sheet certainly has its challenges but the finished painting, 34 inches by 22 inches, definitely has impact.

so it is...

 

 Our love for each other is a glass rose. If you don't handle it with care and compassion it will break. The thorns and shafts of glass may wound you just as the hurt can wound you in a broken relationship. If you drop it, it will never be the same. A piece is broken and the glass rose will never be whole again.

Ona

Love is like a glass rose WIP 3

I still find it magic when with just a couple of washes something can magically appear out of the paper. This is how it felt with the rose today. The gilt thorns were exciting to paint too. Life just feels better when you have a paintbrush in your hand.

 usually I wait between glazes for the paint to dry naturally but sometimes when you want to control the wash a little more its handy to use a hairdryer.

Time to apply the final glaze on two of the frosted glass petals. 

 ... enough for today I think. It's slowly taking shape.

Ona

Love is like a glass rose WIP 2

I've continued to take some photos as I develop this painting. Excuse colour variations. There was no one around to take some of the photos for me and it's hard to take a photo with your left hand while you paint with your right.

Once I removed the masking fluid which was protecting the rose and leaves while I painted the background I then used a pencil to draw in lines to help me see where the light and dark shapes were on the broken leaf. Painting glass is really just painting shapes and my pencil lines just help me to see where those shapes are.

Then I painted in the darkest areas first and gradually built up the leaf with a succession of glazes.

with the broken leaf completed I can now turn my attention to the glass rose. I am really pleased with the high key effect that is developing.

Ona

Love is like a glass rose WIP 1

It's been slow going glazing in the washes for the background. James took some photos of me this morning as I was doing the final couple of glazes. You don't often get to see me in action (I'm a bit camera shy) but they give you a good idea of the size of the painting.

I don't really paint at this angle. James was just having some fun.

This afternoon I have been on the shadows cast by the broken rose on the background helping to ground the rose without needing to add any extraneous table details.

I'm pleased with the simple uncluttered look that this gives. It should set the broken rose off nicely.

Ona

Love is a Glass Rose

Remember those glass roses?

They are so simple and yet so beautiful, so full of symbolic meaning and yet so delicate and fragile.

Roses have held meaning for us since the dawn of time. Their petals and fragrance almost seem intertwined with our history.  No other flower has been so affectionately held in our hearts.  It is the flower of love and is used to convey the many emotions we have for each other.

so to the glass roses...

I couldn't help but draw a parallel between these stunning and yet fragile glass roses and our relationships with each other. Both are so beautiful when intact and healthy and yet both can so easily be broken by a simple mistake. Our love for each other is a glass rose. If you don't handle it with care and compassion it may break. The thorns and shafts of glass may wound you just as the hurt can wound you in a broken relationship. If you drop it, it will never be the same. A piece is broken and will never be whole again. This is the idea behind my next painting.

I wanted to keep this really simple... the less is more approach, using lighting and colour to create mood. It's going to be a big painting, 22 by 34 inches. For the first time I have stretched the paper and taped it to the board while wet. Hoepfully this will avoid buckling as I glaze in the background washes so I can create a smoother effect. Today I have masked the rose itself and the broken leaf so I can work on the background without worry. Now to begin the first few washes.

Ona

Canadian Portrait Exhibition! Where are the watercolourists???

Hi everyone,

Sorry i've been so quiet over the last couple of weeks. I've been battling yet another  infection and had to go into hospital for a while. I had some good news yesterday though. My painting of a very dear friend Denis Keegan has been juried into the Portrait society of Canada on line exhibition. Hope you take the time to look at all the wonderful paintings in the exhibition. You can even vote for your favourite.

Another friend of mine Ellen Catherwood has also got two of her paintings juried into the show. Congratulations Ellen!!

Both of us were shocked though to see that we are the only two watercolourists in the whole show!!! Only 3 paintings out of 91 paintings juried in are watercolours!!! Why don't watercolours get chosen?  Anyone have any thoughts???

Ona