Extravagance - Oil Painting

40" x 40"
Oil on canvas

This is my favorite rose to date. The inspiration for this piece was the rose itself! It's a multi-colored rose, and I haven't really put forth much effort in doing one before, so I'm pleased with this one. I worked somewhat more loosely than I normally do with roses, focusing more on contrast between light and dark and the colors themselves and not so much on details.

Why do I paint roses so much?
I feel that, as I draw and paint them on canvas, they're like puzzles. The petals have to fit together perfectly or the flower looks completely wrong. I think this differs from other flowers because many of them can have petals added or detracted without anyone noticing something wrong. As I paint the rose, I paint in a way that feels most natural to me, beginning in the center and radiating outward, similar to how the rose opens.

If you have any questions, please ask!