Meet me in the garden

new floral painting!

Meet me in the garden

Hello sweet art-lover!

It's been a while since I created a large painting, and I'm thrilled to have just finished this new piece! I've titled it "Meet me in the garden", as all through its making I've been going back and forth between the garden and the studio, soaking in beauty and inspiration, then bringing it all back to the canvas. What a lovely journey this has been…

Collage, floral patterns and grid paintings are 3 of my favorite things, and they’ve come together in this big (60 x 60 cm / 24”x24”) vintage-inspired floral. It just radiates good vibes: sweetness, joy, love, color and light…

the process

This painting started with an already full canvas, where I had gathered all my paint left-overs while I was filming the lessons of my course Flower Flow! I already loved its energy and color palette, but it was only paint, not mixed media, and so it didn’t really feel like me. I kept it in its unfinished state for about two years (I love to have unfinished canvases around), until finally, the energy of spring gave me the nudge to get back to it and turn it into something new!

Here is the canvas I started with:

I knew from the start I wanted to keep the floral theme going, and I loved the looseness and spontaneity of the marks. But if I was going to be brave and transform it, then I might as well do something radically different. So I used one of my favorite starting points and drew a grid over the whole canvas! I divided it into nine equal squares. I love this simple technique because it automatically gives you great placement for your focal point(s), where the lines intersect.

Next: time for collage! I selected a whole variety of vintage floral patterns: wrapping paper, wallpaper, scrapbooking paper etc. I’m a little obsessed with them and I’ve gathered so many over the years! I started gluing along the lines of my grid. I love that even though you have this very straight, symmetrical structure, the collage process is still very intuitive. And after that, it was time to start blending the papers with paint!

Next up: outlining and enhancing the lines to make the grid structure more visible. I love to do this with water-soluble pencils, which I then activate and smudge with a bit of gel medium on my finger. I also used various acrylic paints and inks to build up the layers more and more:

Layers are my absolute favorite thing about mixed media painting. I just love to combine different techniques and materials: inks, paints, crayons and even writing... And I love love love to play with contrast and translucency. Little by little, the layers build up to create magical depth, while staying fun and loose all along. This is such a forgiving process, because you can always change, cover up or lighten up anything that's not working for you. You can't mess it up (really!) and in fact, sometimes the messier the better!

At this stage, all the elements of the painting are in place, and it's on to finishing touches!

finishing touches

Finishing touches are one of my favorite parts of the process. And one of the most time-consuming too! I will typically spend ten minutes here and there adding a bit of ink, a few marks, a flower, a layer of paint, more collage, some intuitive words… letting the layers dry in-between each step. It suits me well because even if I just spend a short time in the studio, it brightens my day and makes me feel creative.

When I discovered mixed media painting, about 12 years ago, I was a young mom of two, painting on my kitchen table between naps & meals. Being able to work layer by layer, in tiny pockets of time, was truly vital. This is what allowed me to make art a real practice in my life.

One finishing touch I especially love, is to continue the art over the edges of the canvas. I love how much dimension and presence it creates. Again, it does take a bit of time, as you can't really work on more than one side at a time. But it's actually a lovely way to slow down, take a step back and complete the creative journey, both on the canvas and in my heart.

And here is the finished painting!

“Meet me in the Garden” are the words that came intuitively as I was journaling over the canvas. This time of year, every morning at dawn I step outside and into the garden, with a steaming cup of tea in my hands. There I am met by lovely birdsong and the discreet scent of dew-covered roses. Then throughout the day I go back again and again, and every time I am met with new wonder: new shoots and stems coming out, a flower that just bloomed, the now deep smell of roses in the midday sun…

This is also where we meet with my loved ones: a coffee break with my husband, strolling around the place, chatting and watching the cats run around or lazily roll on the grass; after-school tea with the kids on a bench, chatting about their day… This is also where we will soon gather with family to celebrate my birthday!

To me, a garden is a place love, joy, beauty and a magic.

And it is a place to be shared.