Blooming Light
ExhibitionSeptember 2019
Watercolor on Paper 60.96 cm x 45.72 cm Blooming light was inspired by Georgia O'keefe's light iris and her large scale paintings. It seeks to change perspective to the beauty in the world and nature. I used watercolor to recreate the delicacy of the flowers that makes them so graceful and alluring. |
Inspiration
O´keeffe Black Iris (1926 oil on canvas)
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O´keeffe Light Iris (1924 oil on canvas)
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Georgia O'Keeffe experimented with scale and perspective. She once said, ¨I´ll paint what I see what the flower is to me but I ́ll paint it big and they ́ll be surprised into taking time to look at it I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.¨ |
This quote was the main inspiration for my watercolor painting. I wanted to capture the beauty and delicacy O'keeffe was able to in her flower paintings. In modern times, especially with the constant media attention on the worst events in the world, it becomes important to shift the perspective once in a while to something of beauty. O'keefe's ability to capture the attention of the masses and force her perspective by creating massive paintings was revolutionary. I wanted to use her idea with a different technique. I thought watercolor would be able to capture the delicacy of the flowers.
Planning
The planning for this piece was mainly photography based. I had a clear idea for the meaning of it and a plan for the execution. I took photographs of around 20 different flowers from my own garden and in my surrounding area. After that I focused on the four seen above and sketched them out to see which one would best work for my piece. The once to the far right looked most like O´keeffes light iris and had the most detailed sketch so that is why I chose it.
Process
This piece began with photography. I wanted to find a flower with an intriguing shape and details. I photographed several flowers from my garden from a lot of different angles until I got a photo that worked best. I then cropped it adjusted the lighting to bring out the details since it was such a light photo. On a 24 ̈ by 18 ̈ sheet of watercolor paper I sketched the flower. At this point I experimented with the size and proportion of the drawing. I made two different sketches one where the flower took up the entirety of the piece and the other where it was just in the middle with some background space. I concluded in order to keep with O'keeffe's style I would use the sketch that filled the entire paper.
After sketching I layed down an initial water layer. I learned from previous experimentation allows the colors to blend more evenly and leaves a more natural feel. I used artist loft watercolor in the colors; Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Ochre, China White, and Permanent Pink. After the initial water base I went in with Yellow Ochre at the center of each petal then I painted a light wash of permanent pink at the edges and let is feather into the center. I layered permanent pink and the canary yellow. I added a hint of dark cadmium yellow. I added layers of pink and white to the petals until I reached a representational flower that captured the main essence of the flower I saw. I then retraced the edges of the petals with white acrylic paint and filled in the background with a light green. |
Experimentation
I experimented first with the photos I took that would be the inspiration for my flower. I experimented with angles and zoom to see each flower from different perspectives. I also had to do a lot of experimentation with the watercolor itself. I hadn´t used this medium since I was a child. I experimented with layering and the amount of pigment I mixed with the water. I found for my purposes laying down an initial water base allowed for easier blending and the more pigment I mixed with the water the more streaks ended up on the paper.
Compare and Contrast
Compare
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Contrast
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Reflection
The end result turned out ok. This piece was difficult for me due to the extreme inexperience I had with the medium. It was also difficult because the flower I chose to recreate was light and mostly white. If I were to redo this piece I would use a different color paper in order to bring more attention to the highlights. I would also do far more experimentation with the watercolor to get more experience with the medium. I needed to learn more about how to layer the paint and how it changed shades once it dried. If I were to do this piece again I would get heavier paper as to reduce the warping, allow time for more layers to get more detail, and I would make the piece bigger to allow room for more detail. Overall despite the technical flaws of the piece it conveys the meaning well.
ACT
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
The inspiration for this piece can be clearly seen in the style and image recreated in. Georgia O'keeffes large scale flower pieces had a direct influence on the flower chosen and the scale and proportion of the sketch.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
People generally focus on the negative opposed to the positive. O'keeffe was able to force perspective by creating large scale works that drew attention to what she wanted attention on which was the flowers she saw.
That is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspiration was the idea of perspective and changing perspective. I wanted to have a influence on the how people and what people see. I wanted to change the current perspective of negative to slightly more positive.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
People will focus on the negative till you shift the focus to something just as big and attention grabbing to shift their focus. O'keeffe made things big enough and different enough to shift the perspective to her own that is what made her so revolutionary as an artist.
The inspiration for this piece can be clearly seen in the style and image recreated in. Georgia O'keeffes large scale flower pieces had a direct influence on the flower chosen and the scale and proportion of the sketch.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
People generally focus on the negative opposed to the positive. O'keeffe was able to force perspective by creating large scale works that drew attention to what she wanted attention on which was the flowers she saw.
That is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspiration was the idea of perspective and changing perspective. I wanted to have a influence on the how people and what people see. I wanted to change the current perspective of negative to slightly more positive.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
People will focus on the negative till you shift the focus to something just as big and attention grabbing to shift their focus. O'keeffe made things big enough and different enough to shift the perspective to her own that is what made her so revolutionary as an artist.