California Poppies

"California Poppies" by Andrew Daniel

12" x 12" oil on canvas

$400 contact artist

Northcoast Open Studios is June 4,5,11,12. Come on by!

This was my first floral for the spring. I did it in response to an invitation to a themed group show made up of Native Wildflowers. Initially, I had trouble finding a wildflower that had the presence and personality I was looking for, but once I came across some photos of California Poppies, I knew I had met my match! 

This painting was the start of a thematic exploration, that I had mentioned in an earlier post. I'm seeing that the demands of the flower's dynamic shape and delicacy is making it necessary for me to approach paint application in a very different manner. 

Ideally I want the shapes to dance like a free form abstraction, which means that I have to be very conscious of how I manipulate the edge of shapes, so that the eye isn't grabbed too strongly. Also, I have to be selective in how heavy I put down the paint, at times using thick impasto to grab the eye, at other times letting the shape trail off into mystery.