Hattie's Rake Makes the Flowers Happy: The Inspiration and Process

Hattie's Rake Makes the Flowers Happy
oil on 16 x 20 inch paper

The Inspiration

This past Spring I did a lot of yard work.  I raked every inch of our backyard hoping to aerate the lawn and of course clean out the flowerbeds.  The hard work paid off because the grass became lush and green, and the flowers perked up with joy.  And as if all that raking wasn't enough, I went crazy and performed a brick patio facelift...pulling every brick up and replacing them in a more pleasing way.  Of course all this backyard activity sparked  a sketch in my sketchbook sweetie Moleskin and then ultimately this painting.  A self portrait?  Not really.  But it was very inspired by my own backyard.

 I wish we really could grow sunflowers just off the patio, but it's too shady to do so.
Below are some up-close pictures for you.  I plan to mount this painting to a hard board once it is dry and then it will go to Tessera Fine Art Gallery to hopefully find a new home.

detail

detail

detail

The Process

This has been in the works for quite some time.  It went through many phases and then all of a sudden it looked done.  Just like that.  I had planned to experiment with texture, but somehow getting the composition just right took over my process.  At one point there was a large tree trunk along the left side of the painting, but I painted it out and things just seemed to work from there.   Also, the sunflowers were at first just three circular shapes in a row (very boring), so I changed those to give them various heights and ultimately some movement.

 I used Daler-Rowney Georgian Oil Paper, which comes in pads. It stayed nice and flat the whole time I painted which surprised me because this is not a top-of-the-line brand.  I did not tape the edges down, I just held it in place with a clip at the top of a large wood board. I thought the edges would curl and was pleasantly surprised when they didn't.

Color Palette (various brands):
Ivory Black
Titanium White
Titan Buff
Prussian Blue
Cerulean Blue
Naples Yellow
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna
Vermilion (Hue)

Favorite color combos in this piece:
 Cerulean, titan buff and a touch of ivory black for the sky...I love a moody sky.
Vermilion and titan buff makes the prettiest soft pinks.
Burnt Sienna makes everything look like the earth.

Mediums:
walnut oil
mineral spirits
Gamlin Solvent-Free Gel


Have a beautiful rest of the week.