Friday, January 01, 2010

"Amaryllis" -- oil on canvas -- 24x12" -- Margie Guyot

A couple weeks ago I splurged on this amaryllis bulb. It'd been years since I'd gotten one, and I'd never tried the bi-color variety. Wow! I really love it! Because I'm not very familiar with amaryllis -- like, how long will it stay like this? -- I quickly painted this view to have for future reference, if nothing else. I'd love to use this flower in a larger still life.

Picasso, one of my little kitties, found it fascinating as well. He batted the leaves down with one swat of his little paw. Whenever I left the studio I had to set this poor plant up high on a shelf. Picasso and Miss America would have the entire plant in tatters, left to their own devices.

Amaryllis has such an odd shape to try to paint! I mean, it's basically very long and skinny. I happened to have this 24x12" canvas, thank goodness. But it was kind of a challenge to figure out how to make it an interesting painting, composition-wise. I look forward to painting this lovely plant again very soon, in a more complex setup. Love the bright red blooms!


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