Water Lilies
The following post is from Preserved! artist Susan Rose. You can see more of her work on her website at susanmrosefineart.com. Learn more about the Preserved! art program and purchase tickets to the Grand Rapids gallery opening here.
As one of the artists for the Land Conservancy of West Michigan’s Preserved! project I ventured to Lost Lake unsure of what I was going to be able to see. As I found out later, the lake is really a coastal plain marsh. It looked like a lake to me and I was immediately captivated by the beautiful water lilies. Water lilies are a sign that a lake is healthy. They need clean water that is rich in oxygen.
As an artist I am always looking for the unique aspects of a landscape. When a scene captures my interest I like to take a fair amount of time to absorb everything I can about it. Not only do I notice the light, the colors and the values, I pay particular attention to the smells, sounds and the temperature. All these things factor in to how I will paint the subject. I let these things inform the perspective I choose, how much detail to include and even the color scheme.
The water lily pads are rounded, waxy-coated, floating leaves that are attached to long stalks. I particularly enjoyed how some of the leaves were submerged and yet many were stacked upon each other as if each were trying to gain some sort of advantage. Another thing that impressed me was the many different greens. Some were cool, some were warm and they all went together like a beautifully arranged bouquet. Combine this with the reflected blues of the sky and my motif was complete.
Susan’s artwork along with the work of 12 other artists will be displayed and available for sale this fall. Tickets to our Grand Rapids Gallery Opening on November 1st are on sale now!