"Passion Rose" (watercolor; 7" x 5")

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A hot, red rose is the embodiment of passion, isn't it!

"Scarlet Beauty" (oil on linen; 8" x 6")

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I decided to paint another red rose, this time against a yellow/mauve background.  I am happy to report that the second rose painting went a little faster.  As they say, practice makes perfect!

"Regal Rose" (oil on linen; 8" x 8")

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I don't usually paint red roses.  Getting the velvety feel of the red petals feels like too much trouble, especially when the intense red color seems to absorb light and doesn't offer much value differences to go by.  But since I am in the middle of a rose fest, I decided to challenge myself to paint some.  Challenge it was.  After much work, the regal rose emerged!

"Red Rose" (oil on linen; 7" x 5")

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Still life setup

I have been living off my photographs for months and have finally had enough!  I decided instead to paint more from life.  As I don't seem to be eager to go outside to paint, I figured that simple still lifes would work better for my indolent self.  I ordered a shadow box contraption advertised in Carole Marine's blog, got fabrics to block the ambient light, and bought a red rose for my own still life setup.  So far so good.

Painting the darned rose was not as easy as it appeared.  I first tried it lying on a beige drape.  After a wipe-off and an indifferent painting, I gave up.  Yesterday the flower looked exactly the same as the day before (!), so I decided to have another go.  This time I put the rose in a crystal vase with a striped green fabric as the backdrop.  The vase didn't make into the small painting; the fabric became a neutral green environment.  Doesn't "Red Rose" look like a garden scene instead of a still life?