"Vintage Poppy"

5" x 5" Pen & Ink over Gouache on Parchment
SOLD

"A Painting A Day"
to Benefit
The Lake County Haven

Poppies are one of my favorite flowers. The elegant stems, the delicate vermillion petals and the captivating center continue to spark my imagination.

"That we find a poppy beautiful

means that we are less alone,

that we are more deeply inserted

into existence than the

course of a single life

would lead us to believe."

- John Berger, English Painter, 1926

This painting is sold framed in a 7.75" square
Renaissance Black frame.

Today, I challenged myself to create a piece that had the feel of a hand-colored, antique, botanical print.

First, I created a drawing that was inspired by early botanical illustration as opposed to real life. I then transferred the drawing to a sheet of tea-stained parchment printed with a digital image of old french handwriting. I used a thin layer of gesso to partially block out the background before I applied the gouache. Finally, I used a very fine tipped pen to apply ink in the same manner as if I were doing an etching.

It was very gratifying to draw on my experience as a graphic designer, as well as my skills as a printmaker and painter for this little piece. Look for more pieces created this way in the near future.