ANNE-MARIE BUTLIN shows how using warm grounds,
energetic brushwork and subtle colour shifts can bring
tranquillity and life to a simple garden compositionI
live fairly near to the National Trust’s
Fenton House in Hampstead and
frequently visit its tranquil walled garden- an oasis in this busy part of north London.
One particularly bright morning towards the
end of last summer, I noticed little patches
of sunlight dancing on to a dense patch
of flowers through the branches of the tree
overhead.
The flowers were Japanese anemones
which I have painted numerous times. I am
fascinated by the tall, architectural shape of
the stems and the simple, archetypal flower
structure which gives them a timeless quality.
To many people flowers symbolise the
rhythm and continuity of the natural world,
but also its transience. My painting, Sunlight
on Japanese Anemones, aimed to capture
some of this joyous but fleeting presence.
I also wanted to capture the feeling of
movement in the flowers and the shadows,
the beautiful variety of grey and white
shades and the rhythm of light across them.
http://www.anne-mariebutlin.comShades
of grey
MASTERCLASSTop tip
Use old, out-of-shape
brushes to scumble
and create softer
edges to passages
of paint^materials
Anne-Marie’s
•Paint
Alizarin Crimson, Burnt
Sienna, Naples Yellow,
Naples Yellow Light,
Cadmium Yellow, Lemon
Yellow Hue, Yellow Ochre,
Prussian Green, Sap Green,
Olive Green, Indigo, French
Ultramarine, Turquoise, Raw
Umber, Davy’s Gray, Payne’s
Gray and Titanium White, all
Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil
Colours; Violet-Grey, Old
Holland Classic Oil Colour
•Brushes
Pro-Arte Series 32 Polar
White Nylon brushes,
sizes 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2”,
3/4” and 1”
•Support
Bird & Davis primed linen
stretcher, 90x90cm
•Gesso primer
•Zest-It Oil Paint
Dilutant>1 Compose and prep
My 90x90cm canvas was ideal for the
flowers to be painted life-size with the right
amount of space around them. I added a
layer of acrylic gesso to the primed surface to
give the linen a bit of bite and texture, as well
as ensuring that the brush marks were visible.
Having already done some quick drawings
in the garden, I drew a few rough thumbnail
sketches to work out the best way to fill the
canvas. I wanted to emphasise the sense of
space and give room to the dancing light.2 Add a warm ground
I used a mix of Burnt Sienna and Cadmium Yellow
thinned with Zest-It to create a deliberately patchy,
uneven ground across the support. I always leave tiny
areas of ground showing through in my paintings to
create a rhythm and feeling of cohesion; this colour
gave the work a warm atmosphere from the outset.
I drew the composition using a less dilute mix of
the same colours, working straight from the digital
photo I had taken. I find that it’s really important to
draw freehand as I’m continually adapting and
changing shapes to make the composition stronger.