Pansies go big! So much fun!

Untitled (work in progress)

Acrylic ink and marker on canvas

18 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2020

A big thank you to Flora Doehler -- yes I know I thank her a lot.
With good reason.  She is a mover and shaker in mine, and
in her local art world.  She's an amazing artist, and wonderful
friend.  Flora is the one who turned me on to acrylic ink.
These magical inks go over, and under acrylic, and the colours
are vibrant and glorious.

When you're painting flowers, one of the issues is trying to
in any way replicate the intensity of their colours.  It is
nearly impossible.  And pansies, which I've been painting
as long as I've been an artist probably, are a particular
case.  Their colours are so rich, they defy capture.

Last year I was so excited about discovering acrylic ink
that I did a whole series of pansy paintings.  These
were on watercolour paper, and the lovely thing about
the ink is that it flows like watercolour.

For this painting, I gessoed a canvas three times, to get
a smoother surface, and of course the ink behaved in a
completely different way.  But it is still intense, and I am
excited about taking one of my smaller paintings, and translating
it onto canvas.  Turns out it doesn't matter how you use
the ink, it is a treat.  This is a work in progress, because the
canvas requires more ink to get a similar intensity -- so
there will be more to show you.

Have a loving what you do day.