Transformations

Two bunches of daffodils appeared on Saturday - tight green buds with a promise of Spring.  By Monday, the warmth of the house had coaxed them to bloom, bringing some much-needed cheer.

I found some oil pastels on the table and decided to give them a go. I soon discovered that I needed to be much more confident with my mark making and that layers of colour had to be built up slowly.  I was definitely out of my comfort zone!  The most surprising thing was the transformative power of grey in this mix.  It added shade and definition to the yellow blooms and toned-down the vibrant green stems.

But when I moved my sketch book to the window in order to photograph my work something very strange happened.  The drawing came to life - the flowers had real depth and a luminosity that was unforeseen.