PRACTICAL OILS
It is widely believed that roses are one of the most challenging subjects to paint. It can be daunting to know where to start and how to tackle their complex forms without over modelling them and making them appear stiff and lifeless. This article will demonstrate the approach I have developed to paint roses loosely and with a sense of light and life.
REFERENCE PHOTO
Right is a photo of some roses I worked on in a garden last summer. The picture was taken in bright sunshine against a deep blue sky, casting a strong warm light over the flowers. I tried to emulate this light quality in the painting I made under studio conditions, keeping myof light and contrast against the blue. The roses would be painted loosely but my values and colours would be used in a systematic way to accommodate this painterly and more gestural approach. I began by studying the values and hues so that I would be able to select the correct palette of colours. The roses were a pale pink/white hue, backlit against the sky. They were most saturated or chromatic in the centre of the rose (1), becoming less chromatic in the half tones as the petals rolled out towards the light (2), and even more neutral/light in the lights (3).
