International Prize Winners

Gerry Thompson British Columbia, Canada, Allure, oil, 48 x 96"

All the Prize Winners in International Artist magazine Challenge No. 117, Florals & Gardens

Grand Prize is a four-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine

Detailed Observations

Canadian artist Gerry Thompson is often inspired by her own life when painting, which many times reflects the beauty of overlooked or floral objects. Over the past few years, her primary focus has been largescale paintings of peonies. “These have been my most joyous of all of my painting life. I find beauty in life itself, even in difficult times, and I just paint what inspires me,” she says. “There are no political or social messages. The viewers will make their own observations.”

When finding subject matter, she often looks for something that tells a different story and has dramatic light and shadow. “It is why I prefer to photograph possible future paintings around midday on a sunny day. I often prefer a close-up, often magnified, view of the subject. I seem to go through phases as to what subjects appeal to me,” she says, adding, “But throughout all of my painting life my greatest love have been florals from my everyday life, wherever than may be at the time.”

Unless Thompson is painting from life, her paintings are derived from the photographs she takes. They are done from several vantage points, and then when she finds the one she likes it becomes a painting composition. Because of the number of photos, Thompson very rarely has to make any adjustments prior to painting; instead, the composition was done with her camera.

“Although technically my paintings have greatly improved from the beginning of my painting experiences, I have always loved to explore the inner workings of any subject that I painted. Throughout the years I often heard artists say that they wanted to be ‘more painterly.’ I guess that meant that they wanted to be ‘looser’ and that they wanted to create an impression rather than be encumbered with all of the details. I totally understand that point of view,” Thompson explains. “But for me, I want to relive every minute detail of that special moment in time. Although the commercial art industry styles [have changed] since the day that I picked up a brush, I have not wavered in my own passion for detail.”

My Inspiration

Peonies! Oh how I love these gorgeous creations! Some words that speak to me for this flower: beauty, fragrant, sensual, lush, soft, nuanced, classic. Peonies remind me of the freshness of spring…new life…new hope…new dreams. And when those buds burst into glorious blooms I head to the flower shops and buy bundles of every colour and species that I can find. Then comes the fun of photographing them in every possible format, space, location and lighting. The result—hundreds of photos, ready to be developed into paintings. What inspired me to create this image was the whimsical interplay of the fully bloomed peonies, which I had placed randomly into a large glass vase.

The use of a large canvas enhanced the soft drama of these exquisite flowers.

My Design Strategy

Because the style that I have developed over the years is one of detailed realism, my paintings evolve from thousands of photographs, all taken from my own life’s experiences. This image focused on the interplay of its own unique repetitive shapes, the smooth textures and on an overall soft color and value contrast. Only subtle changes were made from the photograph that I chose for this painting.

My Working Process

I started the process of this oil painting by applying two coats of tinted gesso on a 4 by 8 foot canvas. Then with an HB mechanical pencil I drew a detailed line drawing. I began the process of painting every shape with a thin layer of acrylic paint. This helped me to envision the overall colors and values of the painting. Now I was able to use oils with more creativity, knowing that the basic color and design had been established. From there on, I painted layers of each abstract shape, large or small, while continually rotating the canvas on the easel.

Contact Details

» Email: thompsonstudios@shaw.ca

» Website: www.gerrythompson.ca