Kelly’s Rose – “Work in Progress”

My friend, Kelly, a photographer and author of the blog http://www.thesorrygardener.com/ took this beautiful photo a few months back and featured it on her blog. I loved the striking contrasts and perspective so much that I asked Kelly if I could paint it. She was gracious enough to consent, so here I am with another “work in progress.”

I decided to first experiment on a 12x16 art board. I’ve painted on panels with similar surfaces before, but never one as smooth as this art board. At first, I didn’t like the feel of it. I’m used to having more “tooth” on my painting surfaces. You are seeing my first application of paint.

Initially, I laid in the drawing with pencil and then used a brush and burnt umber to set the lines and shapes. To get the texture and highlights I want in this painting, I may have to use several coats of paint and perhaps do some glazing. The objective is to render the glow and feel that Kelly has captured in her photo.

Today’s feature is a photo by Kelly Bell photographer and author of the blog http://www.sorrygardener.com/ Kelly has given me permission to do a painting from her photo. Kelly’s photographs always blow me away!