Getting Into Roses

Choosing a subject based on what’s in bloom at the time of our painting sessions led us to several weeks of roses in the summer. Until then, I’d never noticed how rose thorns are positioned, where buds form, how leaf colors and shapes vary.

For me, there’s a constant struggle between painting precisely what I see/what is real and giving the piece a sense of spontaneity, even a sense of humor. If all we wanted to do was create an exact replica, we’d be photographing the subjects, or using another painting style.