The Gifts of Spring - Wildflowers for Aleksa's First

"I will not ever attempt to be another flower, leaning toward someone else's light. I will not incline my ear to covet the praises of her colors, nor envy the gazes her beauty brings. No, I will be the wildness I was created to be. I will set the world around me on fire with shades that can't easily be found. I will set my roots in improbable places, and I will flourish where gardener's hands have not dug. I will drink the rain, taste the wind, and meet the light exactly where I am, and I will bloom where I am planted."

            Sweet Aleksa turned one in April. From the beginning, Kassandra (Aleksa's mom) knew that she wanted a canvas that had some spunk and energy to it, just like her daughter's personality. We talked a jungle theme at first, but then the vision evolved... and wildflowers appeared! 

Kassandra loved the quote, "In a field of roses, she's a wildflower." Nobody knows a daughter like her mom, right?

The vibrant color palette was certainly a departure from the typical blues and metallics that I had gotten comfortable falling back on, but this was exactly the type of challenge I was looking for when I originally posted this Spring project. Keeping in mind that Aleksa's nursery had a lot of peach tones in it, I chose warmer, more intense colors (pinks, orange, and aubergine) as the main event and accented with hints of green and blue, and specks of light yellow. And of course, some gold. Looking back, I wish I would have used more blue for contrast, but I was just too entranced by the warmth to think blue.

I stumbled upon a technique on YouTube that resulted in these gorgeous floral shapes, and I was hooked. I often say that these paintings beget other paints, and that was even more so the case here. I haven't stopped painting flowers since.

Prepping for lettering

 One of the difficulties I had with these colors, oddly enough, is that they are difficult to photograph in detail! In some light, the painting can look predominantly pink, and peach or orange in others, but there is so much more to it! Below is a high contrast, lightened picture of the finished product to show some of the other colors.

The lettering is a mix of copper and gold, and has a bit of a gold halo effect around it. 

This particular canvas challenged me in the best kind of way. I am continuing to break out of my comfort zone and learn to embrace the vibrant side of the color spectrum. It's a color education and I'm loving it! 

Kassandra & Jon, thank you for the opportunity to meet and create for your family! I so appreciate it.

Wildflowers for a wildflower- Canvas at Aleksa's first birthday party