Competition

In my last entry I said that the "pair of pears" would probably be my next painting but things have changed. There is a call for entries to the Dogwood Arts Festival here in Knoxville so...I will be working on a full sheet painting  of a gorgeous, pink peony. The photo was taken by Diahn who is not only a fantastic artist but is also a great photographer AND she was nice enough to give me permission to paint from her photo. Thanks Diahn! 

I rarely add shading to my line drawings after they are on the watercolor paper but this one is a doozy! All the delicate curls and flips of the petals. Yes, they are a part of what drew me to the photo in the first place but they are already proving to be quite a challenge. So, I added some shading just to be able to distinguish one from the other. My next step will be to erase most of the graphite leaving only faint lines as my guide. After this I will be choosing my pinks and putting paint to paper. 

The deadline for the competition is February 20, 2009. Four weeks plus a week for framing, let's see if I can pull this one off!

Zelma