This voluptuous bloom was a creative challenge. I began with it's luscious pink centre. Hidden deeply, the heart of this flower is cast in deep shadows.
Everything else in this piece was an exercise in negative painting. The crisp white shapes of this multi petal extravaganza are developed by the shadows.
My approach to making shadows is different than many artists. Because shadows are translucent I work especially hard to allow the white of the paper to glow through.
I wet the area of the shadow and then drop in multiple colours to give the illusion of the blocked light. Once the area dries I repeat the process multiple times, till the depth of both cast and formed shadows are reached. A rather unique way of glazing. Formed shadows indicate the general shape of an object. Cast shadows are created when something (like a petal) blocks the sunlight. This was a study in both.
