Should florals be painted during the Winter



It's been cold outside and we just had a snow storm. I know that Winter has just started. OK, so officially it starts on Dec 21, but nevertheless when it's minus 20 C outside I call this Winter.

Last week, I was already fed up with the cold and I felt like painting some florals to escape. When I went to NYC last Spring I took some photos of some type of flowering trees in bloom - probably some crab apple or cherry trees. I've been wanting to paint something from these photos for months but have been on a roll with various landscapes.

My husband thought I should be painting some Winter landscapes because it's Winter. Florals should be reserved for Spring and Summer, he argued.

Following that discussion, I was rotating the paintings around the house, including the one in my office. When I put up the painting in my office that I created last year, I wasn't all that thrilled with it. The cottage was attractive, but I knew I could have done better job with the large evergreen on the left. Yes, we are our worst critics.

Therefore, I decided to paint a winter landscape to replace that painting.

Here it is through the various stages. First I painted the background. Then came the trees on the right hand side. This next step was unusual for me - I added the darks of the water and shadows. Normally the darks are applied last. I felt the need to add them at this stage to act as an anchor.

Here it is with the birch trees starting to be painted. The large middle tree needed more work. I wasn't pleased with the number of dark markings. So off some of them came.  The little cabin was added because I felt something was missing.

Here is the finished product. This painting will be hanging in my office till I see signs of Spring or someone buys it.

I've taken some time off during the Christmas season and will be painting those florals I've been holding off on - regardless of what my husband thinks ;-)

Danielle