Tulips!

Well I am a bit silly as I meant to post this update ages ago. I can't believe a week flew by without me realising. I guess that shows how busy I am?! I am still rather busy preparing for my little demonstration at the RHS on the 11th and 12th April in London and am pretty focused in getting the garden sorted out for the summer. It's amazing what a bit of sun can do to the British! Everyone seems so much happier now all that rain has stopped. What a winter though hey?! Bring on Spring - it can't come fast enough.

So yes, I am keen to tie up a few baggy ends, starting with these tulips. I mainly did these pieces as a practice run and so they have all been painted using different techniques. To be honest they are not masterpieces, but practice pieces, but rather lovely to see nonetheless. The top one has been done mostly in dry brush, loading up the brush with a lot of paint and trying to be bold about it. I started this after seeing the Rory McEwen show and so I stole a few of his techniques and tried to replicate them. It was easier said than done!

The triptych below was started a while back, when I still lived in Kew and really needs sorting out. This has been painted using my usual style of pale washes with dry brush on top. I have to say it was a little odd trying to complete all three of these on the same day - changing my techniques and styles as I moved from one to the other. It was pretty testing, but very good to do - one had to focus. 

Anyway, I felt like I made quite a bit of progress during my one day of painting last week. I have placed a 'before and after shot' so you can see. So I hope that these will be completed before April. I might even get them framed for a summer show I have up my sleeve.

Three Tulips all in a row (work in progress)

Close up on one of the tulips

Tulips on the drawing board!

This is the third painting of the series which is finished.