Monday, December 8, 2014

Knight Star, The Amaryllis




"Knight Star"
Watercolor, 9" x 12"
©Carmella Tuliszewski

Many festive varieties of amaryllis pop up this time of year, some with stories that can be associated with Christmas themes. 
A hybrid amaryllis, 'St. Joseph's Staff,' was introduced in the 16th century, according to an online resource, The African Garden. 
St. Joseph's Staff is a reference to the legend that St. Joseph was chosen to become husband to the Virgin Mary after his staff sprouted amaryllis flowers during the selection process conducted by a high priest. 
The name, amaryllis, is derived from the Greek word that means "to sparkle," and its botanical name, Hippeastrum, is Greek for "knight star."

Flowers are my go to subject for truly relaxing painting.
And the vibrant coloring is always an added bonus.
In this case the delicate fine lines were completed by first wetting a single pedal, giving it a few seconds to try a bit and then dragging a very thin, loaded brush across the surface.
This creates a beautiful modeled first glaze.

I rarely leave a white background but thought I would try to se how I like it.
I do love the botanical paintings I see at the flower show every year.
And it is a simple, clean look.
The verdict is out however because I'm finding it difficult not to brush in a luscious rich background!

I would love to paint another one but I have to start 
my family Christmas card this week.

Here's a look at last years card.
This year I have the happy task of adding a mother to be daughter-in-law
(Our first grandchild!), a future son-in-law and a new
little adopted puppy.

Yikes, I better get started :)


4 comments:

  1. Gorgeous work Carmella, I love the delicate line work! Thank you for sharing your process, have you ever considered filming yourself as you paint? Well maybe later...it sounds like you have a LOT on your plate. Congratulations to the future Grandma,cannot wait to see your growing family in your holiday card!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Celia! Yes I have thought about filming a work in progress. But I am
    a very slow painter and afraid I would bore my audience! I could speed things up a bit but I enjoy the process so much.
    Working on a black and white drawing for the next few days will be a nice change.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Knight Star is beautiful Carmella! I understand your feeling about the white background. I always want to add colour to mine as well. In this case though, it really showcases the amaryllis!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now that I've tried the dark background on this I really do prefer the white better.
      I will definitely try this botanical look again and see where it takes me. thanks!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...