It’s been awhile since I finished Denise’s Bridal Bouquet. It was such a romantic surprise by a newlywed husband in Northern Ireland who wanted to surprise his wife on their 1 year anniversary in October last year.  Because this was a surprise, I only shared a couple of teasers on social media during the process so let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

This was a different shape of the bouquet that I was used to, with different flowers than I normally paint. It was such a delight to dive into but I needed to make sure I proportioned it right on the canvas since it was longer than wide.

Once the sketching was done I added the first layer of various paint colors – always adding one block of paint first, until the first layer is done and then repeat.

I keep telling my students during Cocktails & Canvases that a painting just never looks pretty in the beginning and you just have to keep layering. Layering is your friend. Once I had a good handle on the flowers and the colors, I added a bolder yellow/orange background but I quickly realized it needed something much calmer.

I had free range to pick what I wanted and liked the more beige/off-gold type background and I know both my client and Denise were very happy with them.  Can you imagine that even this beige color is a blend of 3? Here are a few detailed shots.

You know I love adding the details. The latter half of working on a piece is definitely my favorite part but that’s probably true for all painters. You can see the finish line and the flowers are coming alive right.

It’s not often I take a photo with the painting like this but I really should do it more often. It’s a nice keepsake for me and I actually printed this one out and have it hanging above my desk.

And here’s an up-close view of the finished details. You can view more photos of the finished painting here.

I received a lovely handwritten thank you note in the mail from Denise once she had received it and of course this is also hanging above my desk with the other handwritten notes I’ve received from clients. It warms my heart when I receive wonderful feedback of what the piece means to them etc.

I still have to pitch myself that I have original paintings on three different continents! Eek.