JuJu Vail

Painting

Watercolour Flower Studies

By Juju VailSeptember 28, 2014Textiles, colour and making
A loose watercolour study of flowers and tangled stems

I had been getting the studio organised and ready for the year, then making quick watercolour studies from whatever flowers came home from Columbia Road Flower Market on Sunday. I love the tangle of them.

Loose watercolour flower study with curling stems
The stems are as important as the blooms: movement holds the page together.
A second watercolour study of market flowers
A quick study keeps the first energy of the arrangement.

Why quick studies matter

A study is not a lesser painting. It gives colour and gesture room to arrive before the subject becomes over-described. Begin with the direction of the stems, the largest gaps and the darkest meeting points. Let individual petals wait.

At the 20/21 British Art Fair I saw Ann Oram's paintings at the Duncan R Miller stand. Up close, they were rich with different textures and materials. That permission to mix marks - transparent colour, opaque body colour, drawn line - stays useful at the worktable.

Paint the tangle first. The flowers can emerge from it.
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