Art in bloom - 4 floral paintings that celebrate spring and tips for painting flowers yourself
Every day I take my dog for a nice long walk (ok, sometimes a nice short walk) and right now I’m enjoying all of the beautiful spring blooms. The azaleas are popping, the birds are chirping and the lingering floral scent in the air goes a long way towards lowering my blood pressure.
The other day I was thinking about how much flowers, and spring blooms, inspire us artists. How so many of us see flowers as the ultimate muse.
Here are works by four artists embracing the joy and interest that flowers bring to our creative work. Notice how each of these artists has their own unique style for capturing flowers in bloom. And note the tips sprinkled throughout the post that will help you create your own floral paintings Enjoy!
This piece is created using finger painting over collage. Seriously! I love the bright bold colors in this piece and all the gorgeous layers. I’m a total sucker for paintings with lots of yummy texture. Laly teaches a variety of online art courses, visit her website for more information.
TIP: Try finger painting, as Laly has in this piece, or experiment with different tools to see how they add movement and interest to your floral artwork.
I love how this painting captures a scene from the garden. I can almost picture my self standing there, looking up at the house from among the beautiful blooms. The brush strokes and movement in this piece are a testament to Caitlin’s talent and what is possible when working with oils. Caitlin sells paintings and a variety of products on her website.
TIP: If you are painting a flowers in a landscape scene pay careful attention to light. Where is the light coming from in your painting? What part of the scene is more shaded?
And now the beautiful blooms come inside, and find a home in an eye-catching vase. The shape of the blooms and how they gather and fall is so beautiful in this piece. And I love how the shiny, smooth texture of the vase stand out from the rough, almost terra cotta, wall. And don’t even get my started on the color palette. Visit Alicia’s website to view her latest work.
TIP: Do research into the type of flowers that you want to fill your vase. What shape are the petals? How do the leaves curl? Which flowers have thicker stems? Which flowers will flow down the side of the vase?
This watercolor, mixed media piece has so much going on. I feel like I could stare at it for hours. I love the lines, the dots, and how each bloom leads into the next in such a natural, organic way. It is a festive, energetic piece that reflects what is possible when you push the boundaries of watercolor painting. Amy has an Etsy site where she sells her paintings.
TIP: Play around with how the watercolor bleeds and then add in unique shapes and details using a variety of mediums to make it your own.