Orchid Instructions

Orchid, waterolour, 5.5 x 7.5 inches

  

There's a wonderful purple orchid blooming in my studio right now, and it's a pretty irresistible subject for a painting. I don't think I have my orchid care quite right because the first flower comes out well before the rest of the stem has finished producing buds, but the effect is still lovely. There is so much detail and wonder in one orchid flower that if the plant had given me numerous blossoms to paint at once, I think this painting would have taken me a ridiculously long time. There is also a delight in seeing the flowers in their various stages of development simultaneously. It's a reminder that as much as it would be nice to sometimes just get to the end result that you want, it's the process that makes everything possible.