Roses in different mediums and styles.

[This post contains 11 images] I was one of those artists who avoided painting roses for many years. The first few miserable attempts I made, I found myself drowning in petals. It was all too confusing to say the least – the way the petals slip in behind each other – the gentle tapering curves of the edges – rows and rows of petals! I almost gave up! BUT then I challenged myself to DO THIS! I persevered and did it!

Bed of Roses. Oil. Circa 2006.

‘Bed of Roses’ is my first kind-of-okay rose painting. I never liked this painting because the difficulty to paint it shows. My thought process could just not get around those petals. I was surprised that someone liked this enough to buy it.

Poetry of Roses. Oil. Circa 2011.

The next rose painting I attempted was ‘Poetry of Roses’. This was five years after my first attempt. This painting is an obvious improvement on the first as in the five year period, I found myself studying and visualizing roses. This set-up is realistic, but I did not paint the original roses that were in the glass vase. It just did not work for me. I visualized these roses – each petal with its depth and curve. This was the only way I could paint them.

Black Rose. Gouache. Circa 2012.

‘Black Rose’. This was a gift; so mysterious I had to capture it on paper. A unique rose because of it’s color. In fact, black roses are not black but a very dark shade of red, purple or maroon.

Blushing Rose. Oils. Circa 2013.

I was starting to show real improvement when I painted ‘Blushing Rose’, as this turned into a realistic piece of art. This flower was still on the rose bush which I found on a trip to Johannesburg in a town called Dullstroom. I did not pick it, but captured it in oils instead.

Roses at Summerfields. Acrylic. Circa 2015.

I found ‘Roses at Summerfields’ at a beautiful place with the same name. The whole property was covered in rose bushes. At the restaurant roses were placed on the tables in vintage vases and delightful old jugs. The visit to Summerfields was a Mother’s Day surprise and I could not think of a better way to remember the occasion than with a painting.

Tiffany Roses. Gouache. Circa 2017.

‘Tiffany Roses’. I visited an antique shop and saw a beautiful Tiffany Lamp. I wished I could have purchased this lamp, however they are expensive items. I did the next best thing and took a few photos of the lamp which I reproduced on paper.

Red Roses in Blue Vase. Circa 2017.

I did a very colorful set of six paintings of flowers in contemporary vases. ‘Red Roses in Blue Vase’ is one of them. What is interesting about this set of flowers was that I decided not to do any drawings and just painted straight onto the paper. Whatever I produced I would accept, mistakes and all. Luckily all the art turned out well and these four paintings are firm favorites of mine. You can view the full set here: Art without forethought.

Bird on a Rose. Colored Pen and Pencil. Circa 2018.

A colorful, happy painting, ‘Bird on a Rose’. I enjoyed playing around with design in this drawing. The roses are stylistic rather than realistic, a style I find relaxing. I did most of this art on a road trip in the car. Creating art in a moving vehicle.

Blue Rose. Digital Art. Circa 2018.

‘Blue Roses’, is my first attempt at drawing roses digitally. I did the petals first and then outlined the flowers with light yellow. This is a contemporary piece and the colors are exciting. A fellow artist said this would look good printed on a silk scarf. Hmm, I do agree with her.

White Roses in Teal Vase. Digital Art. Circa 2018.

‘White Roses in Teal Vase’. For me this art was an exciting step-up from traditional art. The roses here are also stylistic with a touch of detail. The colors in this are pleasing, especially the teal and the white against the brown.

Midnight Rose. Digital Art. Circa 2018.

‘Midnight Rose’ is another digital art piece. Here I was trying out some different textures. The drawing I found difficult on my small iPad instead of a large piece of paper, but once I started the coloring process everything came together nicely. The dark and light is quite effective and this is one of my favorite digital drawings. From traditional art to digital art.

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Copyright © Caroline Street. Art, Poetry and Photography. All rights reserved.

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