Painting the patterns of poppies (and mustard, and springtime flowers generally)

by Karen Lynn Ingalls

(NOTE: This is from last week's email to my students.)

​I hope this finds you happy and healthy, and having a great week. If you have gotten out and about, you probably haven't missed nature’s celebration of springtime, in the form of flowers in the fields. The mustard is amazing, and the poppies are delightful. Did you ever think of painting them?

California Poppies in a Field • 8" x 10" • Acrylics on canvas • © Karen Lynn Ingalls

One of the things I enjoy about teaching is that it pushes me, or gives me permission, to paint in ways, or using colors, or of subjects that I might not otherwise, or to approach them using methods I wouldn't ordinarily, for the purposes of demonstration. (Everything, these days, becomes a time-lapse demonstration video.)

Pattern of Poppies • 8" x 10" • Acrylics on canvas • © Karen Lynn Ingalls

And that allows me to play! Have you given yourself permission to play with your painting lately? To try something new? To experiment? It is a lot of fun, especially when you give yourself plenty of latitude and forgiveness, and send your inner critic out for a long walk to enjoy the flowers. (Send a camera along with it!)

Field of California Poppies • 8" x 10" • Acrylics on canvas • © Karen Lynn Ingalls

I’m just getting started with the California poppies. The mustard paintings are next!

By the way, these are currently being offered at auction in March by my Napa gallery, Jessel Gallery, which helps Jessel keep the doors open during the pandemic, too. Here's the link (up though the end of March), if you'd like to take a look — and also see some of the other abstract landscape demonstration paintings I've been creating lately: https://www.jesselgallery.com/​