Fabulous Flowers with Acrylics, Paint 22 Blooms from Delphiniums to Dandelions
Ruth Alice Kosnick
Schiffer Craft
Only twenty two when there are so many flowers out there….I said to myself quietly. Wouldn’t it have been nicer to have a bigger more page ridden bible of a book, filled with all the flowers one can imagine?
Actually no. Thank goodness she chose only twenty two.
Let me explain why…..
The set up
Through a chapter to flower type methodology, Kosnick shows us not only how to shape the flowers (which was what I was imagining), she shows us how to build up the whole canvas in order to get to that stage in the first place. I particularly loved the textures she creates, take for example the Wisteria with bubblewrap. So we are not always taking expensive tools here, we are talking about the postage supplies which fall through your doors most mornings.
The style of the flowers
This painter, like all true artists has her own style. We will too, so it’s not about a copy, rather it’s taking our take on a flower - not an exact photo or still life to create a real life representation. But why would we want that anyway?
Colour
You know when you look back at a childhood beach day and think how sunny it was, when in reality it probably was not like that all the time? The colour narration has a loud voice here. No not all flowers will be bright and bold, but this artist has sang them their best tune and they are buoyant and beautiful.
The processes explained
The set up of the book is such that each flower is creatively developed from scratch in stages, generally each flower has been “shot” as it were in seven stills or less; eventually revealing the final finished painting. There are enough pauses through the guided process to comprehend how to develop your paintings.
Her personal comments
I feel a joy coming from the artist throughout, I think this comes from the fact she has tapped into the correct source for sustained inner joy - nature. In the Foreword, the explains to us as the readers how her time looking at the flowers, fruits provide magic and enchantment. That can spark our creativity - so let it ignite yours.
Final notes
As I touched upon earlier, this book is reminiscent of a summers day, the type you look back on as so perfect, without all the whoops moments. It is a vital reminder for all of us that we have natural sources of lighter and brighter mental days on our doorstep - at no cost, simply your consideration.
Lastly, the book’s content is very much applicable to our own nature formal interpretation - no follow along - but guidance.