The Intimate Forest

A Celebration of the Beauty of Nature in Oil Paintings by Harlan

 

 

Parrot Tulips

30x40 2005

 

Or the "I Hate Pink Painting"

I do hate pink. It is one of my least favorite colors and I love color. So why, you might wonder, would I do a painting that is so primarily pink? Because it is a challenge. Previous to Parrot Tulips I had done two paintings that were mostly monochromatic, Blue Hostas and Squash Blossom. I was very frustrated at the end of both those paintings, so why do it again? Because it is a challenge. Such paintings are difficult and test my skills of observation. I have to look past the simple observation that everything is blue as in Blue Hostas or almost everything is green as in Squash Blossom or everything is pink as with these Parrot Tulips. In fact there is quite a variety of color within those pinks. There was a wealth of variation that I found delightful. To my surprise I was not frustrated by the time I completed this painting. I was very pleased. I felt I had overcome the hurdle of working primarily in one color. I'm no fonder of pink than I was before I did this painting but I like this painting very much.