Having experienced the moment in the wild, there are always challenges when trying to render a subject as you remember it. The pohutukawa flowers here in this painting are such a rich red colour that any reference I have from images taken with my camera gear just don’t work in the painting. This is an important lesson that I have learned many years ago and the reason my artwork is based on direct experience and observation. I alway reach an interesting stage when the painting starts to pull you away from reference material and into what you have experienced. The flow state some call it I think. At this stage in this painting I discard any reference images and proceed with my time tested experience from many years of painting itself but also from all the days walking in mud and sand at the beach observing remembering learning and drawing from direct observation. This for me is the exciting stage when a painting takes on the life of its own. The personal touch goes a long way in an original piece of artwork. I love painting from a position of knowing the subject really well. For me this personal experience is priceless and shows through in a painting. You can see the added depth going in on the flowers from my own experience.
This image is before the image above, if you look carefully you can see the added depth in the shadows of the flowers in the above image.
