Picture Profile: Dahlia: Bishop of Llandaff et al. Artist Code 2204.
Artist Code 2204. Started 7 September 2021, completed 3rd March 2022. Reworked June–July 2024. ORIGINAL Water colour on Aquarelle Arches 100% Cotton Rag, 140lbs 12” x 16”
SOLD: Cambridge and District Art Circle August 2024. I took this out of its lovely hand made gun metal frame and sold it as a browser piece (mounted only!).
The original artwork (see below) came about when I attended a botanical art refresher course at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens in September 2021 to paint Autumn flowers. There were so many plants to choose from that I was quite in a quandary. However, I kept harking back to the beautiful shape and colour of this Dahlia and, when I learned its name “Bishop of Llandaff”, it became even more intriguing – so my choice was made.
Trying to complete a botanical artwork in three days never works for me, so I had to do as much as time would allow and hope that I had enough colour drafts of each piece of the plant and a good memory to enable me to complete the work in due course.
Upon its reappearance on my itinerary of artworks in March 2022, I became aware that the original drawing, which was traced and put onto my lovely water colour paper during the course seemed slightly unbalanced. So I added an extra stalk and flower which rendered the composition likeable! So it all came to fruition nicely in March 2022!
However, I was always unhappy with this painting as it stood, so decided in 2024 to add a few bits and pieces to the design – hence the revised title: “Bishop of Llandaff et al.” Many thanks to my lovely neighbour, Alan, for allowing me to use his dahlia collection for reference.
