Friday, May 23, 2008

Honeysuckle Struggles

We've had an unexpected and very welcome flurry of lovely family visiting so I haven't managed to keep up with posting, not being a great multi-tasker. But I had started trying to paint the Golden Shower honeysuckle creeper that pours over our ramshackle old pergola and makes it look splendiferous in spring and autumn. I was really struggling with portraying the myriad sprays of blossoms, and really wanted to show my best bit of how they drop off their bracts and hang from thin little threads like teardrop earrings, and was getting so caught up in those intricacies that I forgot about the big blank wall below. I have really done a big 'cheat' and Photopainted out a badly-drawn chair that I plonked in the middle, and actually think I'll have to start this all over again and paint the dog before I paint the fleas, a post I very timeously found on Jana Bouc's blog just when I was starting to
gnaw my knuckles in frustration.

I thought it would be simpler to just paint one flower-bract, but still managed to run out of room at the bottom to fit in the teardrops, so will have to do this one all over again too. I think I'll have to go shopping for some pure orange watercolour paint too as my mixtures of Yellow Gamboge, Cadmium Red Light and Winsor Red just aren't quite capturing the radiance. I really want to get this corner of sunshine down to my satisfaction, as I have been thinking about doing it for so very long!
(I wouldn't have posted these until they were better, but it's been a while since my last post, and I thought I'd better put something on in case anyone was wondering where I'd got to.)


5 comments:

Gillian said...

Its beautiful CPG! Ag - Sukkel met die Honeysuckle, nê? The blank wall is inviting artistic license. How about a gargoyle'ish face with water spout - or write something on that space...???!! I saw a Golden Shower type plant a few houses down the road from here - I'm wondering if its the same thing? I must try and find out and PLANT some...! Especially if it flowers in spring AND fall and can cope with our heat and humidity.

Cathy Gatland said...

Ja, I almost wrote honeysukkels as the title but thought people might think I just couldn't spell (which sometimes I can't - hehe). I don't know if they'll take humidity - heat seems fine. The first frost of winter will clobber them too, so I must catch them before they happens - it's very cold today:o(

Anonymous said...

Your honeysuckle is beautiful Cathy!! the colour is absolutely gorgeous! I am "sukkling" with mine, but in the garden..it did well for 5 years and suddenly it is starting to die from the top down..we've had some wet winters, maybe it's that ..
Ronell

Cathy Gatland said...

Thanks Ronell - I saw Laurelines poppies and thought my orange looked insipid in comparison...ja, they don't seem to like too much wet, and we're strangely having some very cold wet weather now so I hope it survives the climate wobbles!

laura said...

These honeysuckles are luscious; I especially like the closeup view--so beautifully drawn and painted. That orange really sings!