Twist and Turn

Twisting and Turning in the breeze.

Twisting and turning, these flowers are dancing in the gentle breeze. As the last flowers of summer, they proudly remain strong on their long stalks.

Twist and Turn is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) acrylic painting on a 5x5" gallery wrapped canvas. A glossy varnish brightens the colours. The sides are painted blue and are 1.5" deep.

The flowers, somewhat like the purple coneflower (Echinacea), are enhanced by the streaks of coppery sheen I added in the background.

To achieve this effect, I used an old plastic credit card to apply the copper paint. The background has other colours such as blue, turquoise, yellow, and green.

Colour swatching and documenting palettes

Beginning with a limited palette of three primary colours, I blended until I had golds, greens, pinks and a blue. I have a watercolour notebook that I keep for colour swatches. This is something new that I started this year.  How else could I remember the colours used in any painting? Now, I am able to reproduce a specific palette in the future. Does anyone else keep a swatch book?  How do you remember your favourite mixes of colours?

Below, I have added a few work in progress photos. I used a Dollar Store plastic shelf liner to stamp the yellow into the background. As usual, I played with different possibilities before I was satisfied with the results.

A few surprises along the way

There are the expected and sometimes unexpected surprises in the process. I thought the painting was unbalanced so I added another coneflower on the left. I experimented with Neocolors II in the background, but I didn't like the effect. In the end, the Neocolors were all washed away. After I had added the flower which was turned to the side, I thought of the title, Twist and Turn,

This small canvas is ready to be shipped. Please visit my online store for more information.  Contact me if you have any questions. I would be most pleased to answer!