paint, pastel, paper
I started out with an attempt at doing a realistic succulent in gouache. It just wasn’t there. Then my pastels class came between it and me. And this ode to Audrey (from “Little Shop of Horrors” fame) moved into a sort of abstraction of its own. Normally my gouache tends to be done with thick paint and a stiff brush; here, softer paint and a softer brush. Quite a different experience and one I will need to revisit.
Living in Southern California, we don’t get winter like other parts of the world. Plants are green and living, not in dormant states for the most part. In a botanical garden, one of the real pleasures is seeing the sheer variety of plants! Last Friday, besides trees, I also did a barrel cactus, some red aloe (I think they are aloe), and a huge succulent that I always call “Audrey” from that strange and lovely life form in “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Barrel Cactus . . . these look like a weird squash.
Red Aloe . . . no lines!
Fortunately, these Audreys do not require feeding! Nor do they sing.
Journey by Paper 