FINISHED PAINTING

Daffodils, Bluebells and Peony Shoots, oil, 12312in (30.5330.5cm).

At this point I returned my attention to the background to ensure the colours and tones were complementary to the flowers. I felt that the frame around the window could be darker, so that the pale daffodils would stand forward from it even more. I mixed ultramarine blue, burnt umber and titanium white for the deepest shadows, but also added some warm tones to these areas using burnt sienna and cadmium yellow – an echo of the colour in the centre of the daffodils. I took care to retain distinct brush marks across the background, seeking to create a visual blend, rather than an actual one, by using consistent tonal values but varied colours, which helped to retain the lively feel of the work. The peony leaves were further developed using a mix of burnt sienna, ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson, and I added titanium white to this mix for the pale pink highlights on the leaves.

I enhanced the light in the background with generous strokes and dabs of a golden yellow made from cadmium yellow, yellow ochre and titanium white, adding this to the jar and between the flowers, and creating a good foil for the darker daffodil petals. More titanium white was added to this mix to give warmth to the areas of the cloth in sunlight and to provide a contrast to the pale greys and lilacs in the shadows. Finally, I used a pale mix of phthalocyanine blue and titanium white and added strokes of this with a No. 2 Egbert brush to create the reflections of the sky on the jar and, like putting the gleam in the eye of a portrait, the painting now had life and a twinkle