Still lifes with florals are a continuous inspiration for me. I am inspired by the delicate shapes of the flowers and the bright colors. I picked these long-stemmed flowers and shortened them to fit in one of my Fiesta coffee cups. My idea was to combine two very colorful elements together.

Most of the time I do a quick pencil sketch to get my creative juices flowing, and I think about which pigments to use when I begin painting. It is difficult to duplicate the colors with the tube watercolor pigments. I have a variety of artist’s quality paints including Daniel Smith, Winsor Newton, M. Graham, Richeson and others. Sometimes I mix two to get the color I feel is best for the flower.

This piece was done on a quarter sheet piece of Fabriano Artistico cold press paper. I work wet-in-wet, wetting a small section at a time and allowing colors to blend on the paper. Some of the areas blur and blend together, and where the paper is almost dry are the harder edges. I feel that both of the edges contribute interest to the painting.

After the painting dried completely, I re-wet sections of the background to soften the flowers in the back of the bouquet, which makes those blossoms recede a bit. This painting was completed in one sitting. I feel it is successful because it captures the freshness of the flowers and the colors describe the fresh shapes.