Painting #96, just a simple rose today

I decided to try painting of gesso coated paper, I've painted on it before, it isn't quite as slick as clayboard, but still not absorbent, you can almost wipe it back to the white of the paper. So, this painting is a bit smaller than my 6" square, it's about 5" Square, I'm thinking that my 4" square paintings may become blog paintings too, there really wasn't a size requirement, I just figured it would be easier to frame them all if they were the same size, and I do believe that most of the painting will be framed 10" x 10", I started to order the frames, I've gotten the first 20, and to keep it fairly simple, I probably will do most of the painting so they fit in a 10" frame. I do have a few 12" square gesso boards and some 8" and 10", I'm pretty well set for most of this year, and what I don't have in boards, I will paint on paper, I do believe I've spent my "wad" this year already.

This photo was taken several years ago, these are roses from a bush at my old residence in Coldwater, I started it from a bush that my Mother had and it's very special to me, I transplanted part of that bush here too, but it isn't doing quite as well. This rose only lasts about 2 weeks, so if you want pictures of it you have to be on the spot. A very simple rose, and beautiful, it blooms about the same time as the mock orange, early summer.

I like the composition of this, I just held up a small vase of these in front of the window in my old living room. The light coming in the window was very dramatic so I decided the window should be there. I started with the rose, a thin wash and then laid in the darker shape for the background, the green is just a small spot under the pink, but you need the green to compliment the pink so I didn't wash that out too much, I really love the simplicity of this composition and I certainly hope you do too.