Painting Loose and Light-Filled Hollyhocks: A Summer Memory in Winter

Have you ever noticed how nature sometimes presents the most beautiful artistic opportunities when things don't go quite as planned? That's exactly what happened when I spotted these hollyhocks by the waterfront park near my lighthouse. Instead of standing tall and proud as they usually do, these beautiful blooms had become so heavy they'd started to tip over, creating the most enchanting horizontal composition.

Finding Inspiration in the Unexpected

What caught my eye wasn't just the unusual angle of these typically vertical flowers - it was how the summer light played through their delicate petals. Sometimes the best paintings come from these serendipitous moments, tucked away in our memory (or camera roll!) until the perfect moment to paint them arrives. For me, that moment came in the middle of winter, when I could recreate that warm summer feeling on paper.

Breaking Traditional Techniques for Creative Freedom

Here's something unexpected - I reached for my flat brush instead of my usual round brush for flowers. While it might seem counterintuitive for painting such organic shapes, I wanted to carve out these ethereal blooms in a different way. By applying paint in slightly jagged circles and then diffusing the edges, I could create that dreamy, atmospheric quality I was after.

The Magic of a Limited Palette

Sometimes less truly is more. For this piece, I kept things simple with just two colors:

- Rockwell Canada Peach Fairy for the main floral tones

- Daniel Smith Quinacridone Gold to capture that gorgeous summer sunlight

Working with such a limited palette allowed me to focus entirely on shapes and values, letting the flowers' natural beauty shine through without getting lost in color choices.

Creating Depth Through Lost and Found Edges

One of my favorite techniques in this piece was playing with lost and found edges. Some petal edges are crisp and defined, while others softly disappear into the paper. This creates a beautiful sense of depth and keeps the viewer's eye moving through the painting. By connecting some flowers so you can't quite tell where one begins and another ends, we create that dreamy, ethereal quality that makes watercolor so special.

The Final Touches: Less is More

The most important lesson from this piece? Sometimes the tiniest touches of dark make the biggest impact. By strategically placing just a few deep values in the flower centers and select petal edges, we can create stunning contrast without losing that light-filled quality we're after. Remember, you don't need heavy shadows everywhere to create form - just a few thoughtful touches will do the trick.

Tips for Success

- Let your paintings dry naturally to embrace any beautiful textures that develop

- Step away from your work periodically - a fresh eye can make all the difference

- Don't feel bound by your reference photo - let your artistic instincts guide you

- Remember that light needs dark to shine, but use those darks strategically