During time away from the Highlands I’m sometimes asked to paint subjects, and in mediums, rather outside of my comfort zone. I enjoy a challenge, however, and painting the Northwest when you’re in the Southeast, or overseas, simply isn’t the same. I’ve tried.
A couple for whom I was cat-sitting, with a small, bright conservatory with nothing on the walls, wanted to emphasise the warm, tropical feel they had already created with their indoor plant collection. Neither they, nor I, knew exactly where this painting was going, other than its size (1 metre squared) and medium (acrylics). I used their existing plants for inspiration, along with my love and knowledge of tropical rainforests, and the lessons I learned while painting a leafy mural in the Atherton Tablelands. That was a much greater undertaking, but the successful result emboldened me, and while painting tropical foliage in the middle of December felt a little surreal, and the lack of daylight quite an obstacle, the project helped to lift the midwinter gloom. Hopefully the result did, too.
I’d be happy to do more of this kind of thing, so if you have a blank wall that needs a focal point, contact me with your ideas (nature subjects only).
