Magnolia Studies - Garden Blooms Collection- Acrylic on stretched canvas 10” x 12”

Art Musings

Feb. 5

Magnolia Study set of paintings, acrylic on stretched canvas, 10" x 12"

Originally published December 25, 2023

My next paintings is a set of 2 small magnolia studies (part of my Garden Blooms collection) painted with acrylic paint on stretched canvas that I stretched myself, both 10" x 12". The first painting is called "Magnolia Study I", loosely based on a royalty free image. The white flower was painted with acrylic paint and the foliage was painted with a combination of acrylic paint and water-based pastels on a a very dark background. Again, I wanted to do a very detailed, tight, semi-realistic painting. It's very difficult to portray shadows on a white flower, I didn't want to use grey (which is usually the color of shadows for white objects) so I used a combination of yellow ochre and dioxazine purple and titanium white. The result leans more towards a lilac color, which contrasts nicely with the bright white highlights (with some yellow mixed in). Also, the white flower contrasts well with the dark background, which is a combination of black, sap green and pthalo blue, and makes for a moody painting despite the brightness of the flower.

Magnolia Study I, acrylic and water soluble pastels on stretched canvas, 10" x 12"

The second painting, "Magnolia Study II", 10" x 12", is also painted with acrylic paint. It is a much looser painting and took me a mere few days to complete. A pink magnolia flower blossoming on a tree branch with buds and green leaves around it, the second study is a much brighter painting with an almost teal green background. The buds were created with just a few brushstrokes here and there to convey shadows and highlights. The flower and the buds were created with a combination of white and magenta and dioxazine purple for the shadows and a much lighter value for the highlghts.