Hydrangea Series - mostly leaves

Hydrangea IX

oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches

As I've worked through this series I've found myself drawn more and more to the twisted, dried up leaves so decided to devote at least one of the series to a study of the leaves (although a couple of flower bracts crept in). As the series has progressed I've moved increasingly towards a subdued palette and this one is possibly the most muted of all the paintings.

Hydrangea Series

Hydrangea VIII

oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches

Another small painting in the series. With this one I chose to use a very restricted colour scheme in order to create quite a sombre, subdued mood.

Hydrangea VII

Hydrangea VII - finished painting

oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches

Detail

Hydrangea VII - Stage One

Hydrangea VII - Finished Underpainting

Just an update on the underpainting stage. Once this is dry I'll start to add colour, which I'm intending to keep quite subtle. I'm not sure whether to keep the skeleton flower in the foreground, I think maybe the composition is stronger without it, so that may change in the final painting.

Hydrangea VII

Hydrangea VII - Work in Progress

This will be my second large (24 x 36 inches) painting in my Hydrangea series. I'm enjoying the change of scale having just completed three small paintings. I want this one to really capture the faded flowers with their bent stems and twisted leaves. I'm trying to include a little bit of the flower that has so deteriorated that all that remains is a skeleton of the flower, with only the supporting structure of the veins left behind. If I can manage to get that right, I think it will really add to the fragile feeling I'm trying create.

I started with a simple outline drawing then mixed ultramarine and burt sienna with varying quantities of white paint to produce a range of tones. I'm quite a way on with the tonal underpainting and will post the finished underpainting once it's completed.