One of the many joys of living in the South is the variety of flowers whose fragrances permeate the air riding the warm breezes of the seasons.  My readers know I find joy in painting flowers, so when a loyal client inquired about my painting four Southern flowers for a bedroom, it was like "don't throw me in that briar patch"!  Of course I wanted to help with that task.  

Now, what four flowers to include?  The compositions all needed to be vertical, so that posture created a few limitations.  Another requirement was that all of the blossoms needed to be white or near white with a cool neutral background.  A magnolia was a must!  What would you have included?  Azaleas were chosen next and then camellias.  A dogwood was considered, but that really needed a horizontal composition to feature its gracefulness.  Gardenia!  That was the fourth and last choice and just about as southern as it gets.

Two paintings each were to be placed on either side of a mirror, so orientation of the blossoms to create variety and a sense of balance was the next decision.  I ended up with a single, a double with a bud, a threesome, and a group of azaleas.  That wasn't done intentionally, but just occurred because of the photographic motivations I possessed.  

Painting whites involves using warm and cool tints of most of the colors of the color wheel to give a sense of light and form.  Of course there had to be a small pop of a yellow, orange or magenta in a place or two.  The leaves offered contrast of value to frame the blossoms.

This has been a commission story that ended well.  Let me know if you enjoy hearing about my creative process or if you have any questions or subjects you would enjoy me addressing.

On the Sundays of November 8th and 15th, I will join my friend,  Susan at her Water+Color Gallery at River Lights to welcome visitors from the Parade of Homes tour.  There will be some active artists as well as artists to talk about the paintings and objects featured in the gallery. Looking forward to seeing you from noon to five pm.