Abstract Flower Painting

Amy's Flowers
12" x 16"
Acrylic on canvas
Click here to purchase a print of this painting.
Few months ago my neighbor went on vacation a few days after her birthday, so she was kind enough to let me enjoy her flowers while she was gone, since at her come back they would be wilted.
How tempting they were to paint, so I did. At midnight. With no planning. The result was a stiff composition, totally uninspiring.

I left the painting alone for a while, with the intention one day to paint over it, but right as I was going to erase it and paint over, I did an experiment.
I got some of my favorite colors out, including my beloved bright blue, big brushes, and I pumped up the music and started swishing my brush around with joy.
Since I meant to erase the painting, I was not afraid to ruin it, no pressure. I could go wild and make anything I wanted.
Then I realized that what was a very stiff composition became more fluid, the flowers became abstract and unrecognizable - they were all astroemerias, and some became roses - but I liked it much better, so I decided to save it and keep working on it.

 I don't know if it's a good painting or not, but I love that I followed my instinct, I let the music and the good humor guide me. I look at those blue brushstrokes and they make me smile.
I finished it up with some splattered paint drops, even more fun. :)

Only when he no longer knows what he is doing
does the painter do good things.
Edgar Degas



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