A Broad Brush

Amy Brnger 6/1/19 Amy Brnger 6/1/19

A Series of Violets

I try to paint as many violets as I can before they take over my garden and I tire of their populous ways. The paintings are typically tiny, just like the little purple blooms. When they first appear, I am so glad to see their purple faces nestled in with the bright green leaves. They scatter throughout my garden beds, speckling the dark earth with purple and green dots. Here are a few of the images I managed to complete prior to their passing.

Violets and Little Orange Blooms, 8 x 8, oil on panel.

Violets and Bright Orange Light, 10 x 10, oil on panel.

Violets 4, 8 x 8, oil on panel.

Violets 2, 8 x 8, oil on panel.

First Violets, 8 x 8, oil on panel.

Daffodils and Violets, 8 x 8, oil on panel.

Amy Brnger 4/1/19 Amy Brnger 4/1/19

Being Partners Is Fun!

Once in a while my thinking cap is ON. I adore a local florist, Cymbidium Floral, in Exeter, NH. Owner Jess Christoferson makes the most lovely, luscious, elegant bouquets one can imagine. And I can get a little tired of my own flower power vision. A little bit like putting the same outfit on, day after day, because everything is comfortable. Well, she was super up for partnering up, given our mutual love of flowers! She gave me this little beauty, which I spent the weekend working my way around (and around). I love all of the delicate little blooms that she included with the larger ranunculus, anemone, and sweet pea.

Here is what I started with:

First Try. 8 x 8, oil on panel. I like the color and marks, but I think I missed the mark with the neck of the vase.

Day 2: flowers are just as lovely. I decide to go a little larger, and use a vertical format, so I can include all of the flowers, cascading down and curling up!

Day 3: bring out the painting box! My trusty cardboard box helps me mellow things out and soften the edges. Unfortunately, there is so much glare on the image right now, I could only take a picture on an angle. But you get the drift.

Day 3, in the box! It was a very dark, dreary day, which you can’t really get from this photo.

Day 4. I forgot to take a photo! The most delicate blooms had given up, but the larger were still going strong. I changed the vase to glass as I needed a slightly wider neck to hold the expanded flowers. But I sat it on a ledge today and enjoyed the bright afternoon light cascading over the blooms, which created a beautiful purple shadow. This last one was painted in a flash, at the end of the day.

Hopefully we will continue to grow our budding (couldn’t resist that one) partnership and maybe, someday, you will see some of my little paintings if you venture into her lovely shop, right on 144 Water Street in Exeter, NH!

Amy Brnger 3/12/19 Amy Brnger 3/12/19

Ranunculus

I love Ranunculus, with their swirly round bloom heads, and a morphed resemblance to both roses and peonies. They look Sweet all on their own but also special when nestled in with other blooms such as staff.

Amy Brnger 2/13/19 Amy Brnger 2/13/19

Yellow and Purple-Four

I found these yellow and purple flowers and they seemed to become a lot more exciting as they sat in the winter light. Once I got started, I went from one small image to four. They all measure 8 x 8…which is a very satisfying size when you want to express something quickly and succinctly.

Purple and Yellow IV, 8 x 8, oil on panel.

Purple and Yellow II, 8 x 8, oil on panel.

Purple and Yellow I, 8 x 8, oil on panel.

Amy Brnger 2/3/19 Amy Brnger 2/3/19

Big Bunch of Tulips

I’ve been working on some larger flower paintings over the past year. It would seem as though making a loose, painterly flower image would be simpler on a larger surface, but I struggle. Moving paint across an 8 x 8 surface is a lot different than a 30 x 30 panel. This painting has been reworked three times, but now I’m feeling pretty happy with it. It has a loose but structured quality, the color palette earthy, and the strokes loose but purposeful.