#1 in a series of ten oil paintings called “The Northwestern Flowers in Bottles Series.”
This was my first attempt at painting something white, so it was a great learning experience. I undercoated the flower with lots of different colors, including white, then let it dry for several weeks. Once it was dry, I came back and put a thin wash of white over the entire flower. That seemed to work really well. I still prefer to paint bright colors, but I do like the serene feeling this piece has.
While the painting was still drying and only half done, Tim and I stumbled upon an incredible bouquet of white lilies in the lobby of a hotel we stayed at this fall. I spent a lot of time staring at the arrangment while he went to get the car to pick me up. I’m sure the security guard wondered what in the world was so interesting about some white flowers. But I was captivated (not only by it’s beauty, but by the strong fragrance) and made some observations that day which I think helped to make this painting a success.
My favorite thing about this painting is the Ball Jar which holds the white lily. It came from my mother-in-law many years ago. We were planning to make several of these jars into latterns as pictured in the Martha Stewart Living magazine, but I think they looked so nice holding bouquets that our plans went by the wayside. Back then I had a gorgeous pink peony bush — those soft pink petals were such a nice complement to this striking clear blue jar.
