A Medley Of Pansies by Southern California Artist Marian Fortunati

A Medley Of Pansies © Marian Fortunati 8" x 16" Oil on RayMar Canvas Panel

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I don't know what it is about them, but pansies have always been among my favorite flowers.  They're not the kind of flowers that go in bouquets...  They go in your yard.  They are small, perky and have a wonderful variety of colors.  They sort of remind me of lion faces, but I really can't tell you why.

Anyhow I didn't paint outside this week... for lots of reasons.. but I still painted.  I decided to visit my local nursury to buy a flat a pansies so I could plant them along the entrance to my house.  But rather than plant them immediately, I wanted to paint them first.

the start

After I arranged the pansies in a way that pleased me, I put a wash of cad red and ultramarine

close up

on the canvas and began to rub out areas of light the way I had seen David do several weeks earlier when he demoed a still life.

I began adding paint and soon lost myself in playing with values, colors and texture.

another close up