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"Rose Posy" (oil, 8" x 10") |
Recently I've received a rather odd commission request to repaint "Rose Posy" much larger in a vertical format with a glass vase against soft yellow/green background. The client also wanted the roses to be coral instead of pink. I said it would be very difficult, but she insisted that it should be done. The result several weeks later is "Coral Roses".
Many things have happened since I accepted the commission: the tragic death in the family, the trip to California to attend the memorial service, the recovery from my cataracts surgeries, and the Hurricane Florence with daily rains. I struggled with the commission in the middle of all the above.
I found the image of the "Fairy" rose, which I believe is what I had originally painted during Danni Dawson's workshop at her house a few years ago. They are tiny roses and I had to blow them up, shift colors to coral, and somehow rearrange individual flowers to make a pleasing composition. It was probably the hardest commission ever!
What did I learn from this project? Don't accept an unreasonable commission? Not sure. Because I am about to accept another totally-out-of-the-comfort-zone commission. I decided to turn it into a learning experience. I usually paint what's in front of me, or from a reference photo. But what if I don't have a good reference? I will have to make up, be creative. I am constantly evolving as an artist, embracing challenges, instead of doing same stuff all over again. So, bring it on!
"Fairy" |