Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Hibiscus and Palm, WIP

 
Untitled as of Now, acrylic/printmaking, 40 x 30
by Elizabeth W. Seaver


I still have work to do on this to separate the foreground and the back ground and to bring back some more life to the palm branches.  I also need to brighten up the coconuts.

I began with an under painting of naphthol red and printed spirals of all sizes over the canvas.

 

Then, I saw the palm tree trunk in the patterning of the prints.  I began adding the tree and a foreground undergrowth of hibiscus flowers, centering them over some of the bolder spirals.


20 comments:

Elizabeth Seaver said...

Thank you so much. I'm glad you like it. Welcome to my blog!

Susan said...

Hi Elizabeth, thanks very much for your visit and kind comments for my little otter guy!

I'm glad you posted your work in progress, it's always so interesting to see other artist's creative process. I love the bold, bright colors you use and the spirals are so cool in the background! I don't think I would've thought of that, great work!

Elizabeth Seaver said...

Hi, Susan. What a nice comment. Thanks for stopping by!

Saundra Lane Galloway said...

Elizabeth...LOVE seeing the process of the beautiful palm!! You are a genius! I LOOKED AND LOOKED and I didn't see the tree until you put it there...brilliant! It gave me the most wonderful idea...we pick a subject and everyone interpret it the way they do...FUN!! Wish I had time to start a new blog for just that purpose!!:)

Unknown said...

This is huge, Elizabeth! The colors are so tropical that I can almost smell the flowers.

Michelle said...

This is nice! You must have a huge studio to accommodate you large paintings.

Jeanette Jobson said...

I love the heat in this. I need to come hang out here and get away from the grey skies and fog!

Deborah Younglao, Silk Painter said...

I love the sky! Another happy painting being born.

Kerri Settle said...

Wow. I just love those hibiscus flowers. Warm and summery; I like it!

Andrew Finnie said...

Thanks for the process description. The pattern really ties the work together. I quite like the reduced tonal range of the top picture. It adds harmony and means you can have saturated colours that don't clash.

Blue Sky Dreaming said...

I feel I'm in the Tropics and love the scent of Hibiscus! Great seeing your progression...amazing how you have kept the glow of the red underneath!

Incognito said...

As if I weren't already missing Hawai'i; this painting really captures the essence of the Islands. Another one I can't wait to see up close and personal. Beautiful!

Linda G said...

This is just beautiful - I'm so glad I got to see it "in person". I love the hibiscus in the foreground

Celeste Bergin said...

well, you've hooked me with this one for sure--I was born in Florida and I have a love affair with palm trees. This is a real beauty! Thanks for the step by step..fun!

Elizabeth Seaver said...

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful and kind remarks. I really appreciate the time it takes to read a blog and leave a comment.

I love to read all of your blogs and am always interested in hearing about your process because that is where the spark of the lives in an artist's work--right there in the messiest part of the painting or clay or collage.

I have finally decided there might be a little magic in there, too!

Cheers, y'all!

Elizabeth Seaver said...

Oops. I meant to say "spark of the creative spirit" lives...

Or, you could fill in the words of your choice!

Kelley Carey MacDonald said...

I am blown away by how you 'saw' the design in the pattern of swirls, Elizabeth. You are inspiring me at every step! I would have loved this even without the patterns - I love palm trees! - but the swirls just 'make it'.

Elizabeth Seaver said...

Hi, Kelley--Thanks so much for your enthusiasm about this work. I appreciate your visit and your remarks.

KaHolly said...

This is a fantastic painting. I enjoyed the process description, learning how an artist's brain sees things. Not too different from a quilters in some respects. ~karen

Elizabeth Seaver said...

Thanks, Ka. I actually do love the repetitiveness of the prints which remind me of cloth. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.