Painting Glorious Rose Flowers in Watercolor – in 7 Stages – by Lela Stankovic
The four wonderful seasons in Canada offer an abundance of inspiration for an artist. The deep – yet bright – fall colors, the radiant beauty of the Iris flowers in spring, and the many more enchanting faces of nature – Canada is truly an artist’s paradise.
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| “Rose” Watercolor by Lela Stankovic 11 X 15 inches 140lb Arches Hot Pressed Paper |
It is no surprise then, that Nature asserts her presence in Lela Stankovic’s breathtaking works of art. And, flowers – the crown jewels of Nature -have come to occupy a special place in Lela’s heart. “All women love flowers”, says Lela laughing.
But creative souls also loves challenges, and flowers in all their infinite moods, diversity of colors, textures, shapes and sizes truly offer so many exciting possibilities for an artist. In her quest for new subjects to paint, Lela is always seeking out fresh blooms which she can then immortalize in her astonishingly beautiful compositions. Lela says, “I love to paint the dance of light on the flowers – the cheerful and bright morning sunshine, and also the warm glow of colors and spectacular shadows in the mellow evening light. Light transforms a bunch of flowers into irresistible subjects calling to be a part of my composition”.
While, flowers may be the crown jewels of Nature, as an artist, Lela draws inspiration from all walks of life. Food and aromas, colors and cultures – all come together on Lela’s canvas in spellbinding compositions. “I love compositions which tell a story, celebrate a special moment or simply look beautiful”, Lela says.
I asked Lela to share some of her secrets – how she chooses subjects for her paintings and what inspires her as an artist. “Art is all about seeing”, said Lela, “the reflections of tall trees in a puddle of water on the road, the little snail crawling along the sidewalk, the Orchid flowers in Toronto’s famous Allan Gardens – all things big and small have the potential to be elements of a beautiful painting”.
Lela explains that as your observation skills deepen, you get more adept at seeing and common everyday objects appear suffused with beauty, color and light to your eyes. And the tools and techniques of a painting process need not constrain you; instead they can actually set you free. You can capture the drama of light, form and texture in your paintings with such ease and abandon; all you need is some foundational knowledge about color layers, values and commonly used techniques.
In her book, Lela makes learning easy, with clear, practical instructions you need to master every element of her intriguing style – from choosing your color palette to applying the finishing touches in your painting. And you will find inspiration in Lela’s own paintings included in the book and created with her seven stages technique.
Lela’s book is valuable for both beginners as well as advanced artists who want to explore new horizons in their art.
You can purchase Lela’s book from Apple iBook (iTune) or Amazon Kindle stores.
In Conclusion
The paintings by Lela Stankovic are among the finest examples of contemporary realism that we see today. In this, Lela rivals the Old Masters. However, as she says in her introduction, lela loves to explore new elements in art all the time. Lela’s art traverses the worlds of abstract, impressionism and realism as the subject demands.
Visit Lela Stankovic on her website to learn more about her book, paintings and drawings, and the online artist community (Paint and Draw Together): www.lelacreations.com
