Calla Lilies II

I thought about painting the same lilies again, but this time over a warm background. The flowers themselves are pretty warm, so I quickly realized I needed more contrasting elements than the ones used on the last project. Interestingly enough, it wasn't until I started to use bright warm colors when the whole bouquet started to come together. I tried very hard not to paint too many details, but I guess that won't always work ;)...

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Calla Lilies I

I tried to do a composition with predominantly cold tones. The flowers are "warmed up" with just a little bit of yellow and ochre tones. It became clear to me that more warm colors were needed to finish the painting, so I added yellow leaves. Over all, I think it was a pretty nice exercise. I particularly like the "unfinished" look of the background.

I've always liked these flowers. They look very elegant.

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Ground Rules.

I haven't painted in a while, so I'm very rusty. I can't dedicate too much time to paint and so far that was the main reason why I kept pushing it back. So, I'm going to ditch the details and start very raw and organic, and pick up the pace as I go.

My main goal is to go back to my contemporary realistic work with my chops in check. But for now, these are the rules:

1. Color is the subject. Everything else is secondary.
2. These paintings must be done in one sitting. No dragging. No putting stuff away for later.
3. I must restrain myself from painting too many details.
4. I'll keep reference materials to a minimum. Memory and past experience will dictate what goes on the canvas.

I've decided I'll start painting floral arrangements. Back in high school, this was a very successful theme for me. I think I'm seasoned enough to pull it off without models or pictures. And if I need some reference pictures, I won't spend too much time looking at them. I'm going for overall feel, resemblance will come later.