#11 of 30

"Harbinger of Spring"

10" x 8" - Oil on Canvas

SOLD

We have a great Green Grocer here in Victoria called the "Root Cellar" and the other day while I was there picking up a few things, I spotted these daffodils.  Two bunches for $7.    They were the first I've seen this year and it made me think that spring can't be far off...... at least Victoria's spring which usually arrives somewhere about the second week in February.

I love the smell of daffodils!!!  Next door to where we lived when I was really little,  was a house (an acreage really), that had daffodils that were naturalized and they popped up everywhere in the spring.  I also recall how wonderful the air smelled when we went to visit my mom's friend for tea.  She had a stream running beside her house and there were all sorts of spring bulbs; crocuses, tulips, hyacinths, english daisies and of course daffodils.  It smelled heavenly!

This was another challenge! The colour shift in the top left corner is much more subtle and gradual than it appears in this photograph.  What I did find interesting was that in various places there was a bit of a reddish tint to things;  in some of the petals on the daffodils and also along the top and bottom of the orange.  Looking at it now, I think I may deepen the colour of the stems tomorrow for a bit more contrast in the centre.  I have found that again, dioxazine purple in very small amounts is wonderful for creating shadows on yellows.  It's ever so subtle if used sparingly!

Yup!!  There's that linen cloth with the green stripes again!