“NO SKETCH” PAINTING

For this masterclass, I painted an assortment of flowers and vegetation from the garden, including alliums, ivy and epimediums, which I love for their slightly other-worldly air. It was mostly an arrangement in green, and I wanted to show what you can do with ready-made greens, modified with blues and yellows. I used three greens – Green Gold, Perylene Green and St Petersburg’s Green – and modified them by dropping in Cadmium Yellow and Cerulean Blue.

I often leave out the background for the sake of being more expressive with the main subject, so I decided to introduce blue into the vase instead. I’ve also introduced yellow by adding a couple of narcissi at the centre to give it a focus. I have played very fast and loose with the various elements in general, not worrying about