STORY BEHIND THE ART OF PATRICIA LUPPINO

24th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art and Garden Center

Vogue

Tulipa cv.

Not merely a dying tulip, but a retreating runway model, wearing a red silk dress, her hair in an elaborate up-do. Very vogue.

This is now the third in my dead tulip series. I find tulips rather boring while fresh with their predictable cup shape. As they begin to dry, the hues become deeper and more saturated, and the shapes so interesting and varied.

I began with my typical approach—using erasable colored pencils to transfer the outline drawing, using watercolor pencils to do an underpainting, and then applying many layers of colored pencil. I usually blend using odorless mineral spirits, but this time I tried mineral oil—a less noxious alternative. The mineral oil also seemed to deepen the colors a bit, which was perfect for the radiant red “dress.”

The challenge for me in this subject was to capture the blue-black anthers and the bits of pollen, which looked almost iridescent when enlarged. I used a slow stippling approach to fill in the anthers, layering grays, blacks, blues, greens, and yellows to achieve the bumpy texture and color variations.

Next Story

Back to List

Read more about this artist's work: 23rd Annual