Violets & Poppies!! Who doesn’t love the vibrant reds and mystical purples of these majestic flowers? These small floral canvases were my very first attempts at working with a palette knife & acrylic paints. Let me explain a little about the symbolism of violets & poppies, and how I created the artworks.
Violets
Violets are linked to mystic awareness, meditation and spirituality. Their symbolism reflects the Virgin Mary’s humble and modest qualities. Victorians included these blooms in bouquets, to convey faithfulness and everlasting love.
Creating ‘Violets’
Violets, 2019, Starry-eyed Mermaid, acrylics on box canvas, 15x15cm
Creating ‘Violets‘ involved a loose and liberal paint technique. Yellows and blues were swirled into a rough background layer of white paint, using the palette knife to create texture. The blues and violets were applied in single strokes, scraping the palette knife into the canvas. The paint was teased and blended into an impressionistic floral. Once the paint had dried, I added scrapes of gold.
Poppies
Poppies have been used as a symbol of sleep, as the opium extracted from the flower is a sedative. The blood-red bloom has been a symbol of remembrance of war for over a hundred years. It also embodies the wish for hope and peace in the aftermath of the First World War. John McCrae was a Lieutenant Colonel during the First World War. He wrote ‘Flanders Fields’. It is read at the Remembrance Ceremony every year. Here is the poem and its backstory.
Creating ‘Two Poppies‘
Two Poppies, 2019, Starry-eyed Mermaid, acrylics on box canvas, 15x15cm
Creating ‘Two Poppies‘ involved a slightly different painting process. A small palette knife was used on the white background to create a subtle texture. It was left until the background was completely dry. I then used the palettes knife to create each petal, in a single, broad swish of scarlet acrylic. The movement is butter lavished on a slice of bread! The secret is to load the knife with the correct amount of paint. Too little will create a sparse effect, too much will be difficult to work with. When the scarlet had dried, glints of gold added a hint of regality. The stems were trails of green paint using the side of the palette knife.
Over to you…
What is your preferred painting medium? Have you got any techniques you enjoy? Have YOU created any palette knife art?
Would love to hear your ideas and inspirations. Have a great day! Hope it’s full of paint, mess and artistic abandon!
the starry-eyed mermaid 