"Fuchsia Orchids"

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"Fuchsia Orchids"

9 x 12 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I didn't have to go far to get inspired to paint.  My girlfriends birthday was just the other day and she got a lot of flowers, you can say we have a garden growing by the day.  I wanted to paint this picture using natural light, I'm used to painting in artificial light because it's the way I was trained, although I know there's nothing like painting in natural light.  The only thing I don't like about it is that I have to sit down the whole time.  I paint in my kitchen to get the best natural light and the space is pretty tight so sitting is the best option.  That being said I really enjoyed the whole experience from the beginning to end, as stated before there's nothing like painting from natural light.  Orchids are challenging to say the least.  Their colors are pretty subtle and you have to be aware in the change of values that occur really quick.  I haven't painted orchids in a while and glad I did so, it really pushed me in studying these orchids in depth in every way.

 This is my set up from the kitchen with my pochade box and the model.  

I started the drawing with a bit of raw umber on the brush and no mediums.  Once thats complete I stated the general colors of the orchids and stems.  The colors I used were quinacridone magenta, cerulean blue, and cad. yellow.

Then I stated the background to give the painting more of a whole look.  The colors I used were yellow ochre, cerulean blue, and titanium white.  Once the background was complete I started with the first set of orchids by stating the darkest values with their specific forms.  I start using naphthol red, and ultramarine blue in the mixture.  

Then I add the lighter values with their specific forms, I also start on the other set of orchids by just implying the middle to darker values.  When stating the lighter values I had to slow down and be very subtle with the value shifts, orchids have a delicate and subtle texture to them.  Then I added the darker values with their specific forms to the other set of orchids.  

I finish the painting by adding the lighter values and darkening the cast shadow in the background.  

Here's a look of the finished painting on the pochade box next to the orchids.  I enjoyed this painting to say the least, I did go through some points when I was not gonna finish but glad I stuck through it to the end.  Painting difficult subjects are always a challenge, I've learned if you stick through it you'll benefit so much from it.  I hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!