Auction: Two Roses

About this painting:

These beautiful roses called to me as soon as I saw them in the flower shop. It was the subtlety of the colour I think.

I often start paintings in a state of near panic, convinced they won’t work out. About half way through this one, something very calming happened and I completed it in a state of gentle, relaxed and complete concentration. That’s the ideal state of painting, but rarely achieved I find! Maybe the Indian classical music as I was listening to (or rather, not listening to, even though it was playing) had a subtle effect too.

Although the roses appear white and pink, the colours I had on palette by the time I’d finished mixing the colours were primarily green and orange. Very light, very low chroma oranges appear pink-ish in roses, and the white parts were much more yellow-green than they look, again very light and very low chroma.

Mixing those colours and getting them right took almost as long as the painting itself, reminding me again how tricky colour can be - especially when it’s very subtle. I kept the background colours very low chroma - almost grey - to allow those subtle oranges and yellow greens to show.

The little silver vase is an old friend that has appeared in a few paintings now, and no doubt will again, picked up for a song from a junk shop some time ago. It seems to go well with roses.

Starting bid is $99

Payment is by PayPal - you’ll need an PayPal account to pay.

How to bid: Click on the “Bid Here” link above and add your name, email address and your bid.

You’ll be notified of any other bids and whether you’ve won the auction by email automatically. If you win the auction, you’ll be sent an email with a link to pay by PayPal.

Shipping: International shipping is by UK Royal Mail International (tracked) and can takes a few days to get to you. I'll let you know by email as soon as I send the painting, and give you the tracking number. I may need to allow some time for the painting to dry thoroughly before I send it to you.

Returns: If for any reason reason you’re not happy with your painting, you can return it to me within 14 days for a full refund. Buyer pays return shipping.