Tulip Tea Tryouts

The sun broke through just long enough to shoot tulips in a teacup today.

Tulip Tea Reference - Marie Cameron 2015

 

Tulip Tea Reference 6 - Marie Cameron 2015

 

Tulip Tea Reference 5 - Marie Cameron 2015

 

Tulip Tea Reference 3 - Marie Cameron 2015

 

Tulip Tea Reference 7 - Marie Cameron 2015

 

Tulip Tea Reference 4 - Marie Cameron 2015

I love these little teacups made in Occupied Japan, they’re hand painted with such vibrant colors and the flowers are so playfully stylized. Look for more coming up (when their flowers are finally in season).

Now what kind of bird?  Here are some from my archives, though I don’t know…

4 birds - Marie Cameron

Does it help to know that the tulip symbolizes “perfect lover” and “fame”? Perhaps not, I’ll have to think on it.

 

Bluebirds (black on white)

Nothing blue about these bluebirds… silhouetted against a winter white you have to imagine their blue feathers and rust colored breast. Imagine the rose pepperberries, the green palm fronds, the brown acacia pods. Imagine they’ll be sun soon and a bright blue sky! Meanwhile there is a poetry in form that is revealed when color is removed from the equation.

Bluebird Silhouette black on white - Marie Cameron 2014 1

Bluebird Silhouette black on white - Marie Cameron 2014 2

Bluebird Silhouette black on white - Marie Cameron 2014 7

Bluebird Silhouette black on white - Marie Cameron 2014 4

Bluebird Silhouette black on white - Marie Cameron 2014 3

Bluebird Silhouette black on white - Marie Cameron 2014 5

Bluebird Silhouette black on white - Marie Cameron 2014 6

Bluebirds (black on lavender)

Imagine my delight discovering the flock of birds overhead were actually bluebirds!  It may be hard to tell silhouetted against the sky like this but I swear that’s what they were and I’ll prove it in upcoming posts (I plan to stalk this pepper berry tree in better light)!  In fifteen years of living in California I’ve only had two previous sightings, so this was a real surprise and a wonderful chance to take some reference shots for my paintings (especially helpful if my palette is only black and lavender)!

Bluebird Silhouette Lavender - Marie Cameron 2014 1

Bluebird Silhouette Lavender - Marie Cameron 2014 2

Bluebird Silhouette Lavender - Marie Cameron 2014 3

Bluebird Silhouette Lavender - Marie Cameron 2014 4

Bluebird Silhouette Lavender - Marie Cameron 2014 5

Forget-me-not Tea and Feathers WIP

A little birdie told me to get out my tea cups again! This time it’s a bluebird of happiness alighting upon the forget-me-nots plucked from my garden and an art deco teacup I found at a local antique shop.

Forget Me Not Tea and Feathers WIP - Marie Cameron 2014 1

I began sketching with my brush and thinned oils directly on the 12 x 12″ canvas.

Forget Me Not Tea and Feathers WIP - Marie Cameron 2014 2

Sadly, my sweet little drawing was off center and it’s important to me that the tea cup remains dead center in this series of little square paintings, so I wiped it out with a cloth and began again – this time measuring out my center point with a little dot.

Forget Me Not Tea and Feathers WIP - Marie Cameron 2014 3

Happy that I had my tea cup centered, I began to develop its volume using warm and cool hues and light and dark values.

Forget Me Not Tea and Feathers WIP - Marie Cameron 2014 4

Next I wanted to make sure my bird was going in a good direction, and blocked the blues. I started to work in bits of the background and flowers, working the composition and color story.

Forget Me Not Tea and Feathers WIP - Marie Cameron 2014 5

Not forgetting the forget-me-nots, I began layering them in behind and over he bird and draped over the edge of the saucer. This helps to develop the illusion of a depth of space.  It’s pretty and light with bits of white showing through.

Forget Me Not Tea and Feathers WIP - Marie Cameron 2014 6

But I want to sculpt the image with shadows, anchoring the objects with a sense of gravity, so I layered in some darks. Tomorrow, more highlights!

Oh I’ll be thinking of a title too – I have the working title of Forget-me not Tea and Feathers, but maybe I’m also thinking along the lines of  Souvenir of Happiness, or Remember me Blue….

Forget-me-not Tea WIP Marie Cameron 2014 7

OK, I didn’t see this coming yesterday!  Today I woke up and wondered what my bluebird would look like with the rust breast of the male. It was a brave decision to make as I was pretty in love with the very simple color palette going on, but I thought this color break in a sea of blue might add a focal point and help the bird pop. Maybe I’m not so brave – it’s only paint after all!