Many of us will have heard of the famous water lilies at Giverny, painted by Monet, but few will be familiar with those at the Rookery, Streatham Common. Not so, for those who attend The Vale art classes, as they have tackled both.
A couple of years ago, our artists studied the work of the famous French impressionist painter. They also produced their own works depicting water lilies using acrylic paints.
At our most recent session, they focused on the water lilies at The Rookery pond, Streatham Common, as their inspiration. There was also a change of technique as they were encouraged to use paint spread with palette knives and blobs of paint to build up the flowers. This effect, known as ‘impasto,’ produces more of a 3-D effect.
Not only did this approach create interesting results but it was also a little easier on the hands, fingers and wrists. As one resident explained to her husband that it was like using a trowel but then admitted that as he was not into DIY, he might have never used one. Another, meanwhile, surprised herself. “I can’t believe such a mess can create something so beautiful,” she said.
The artists were so impressed with their final results that they plan to join them together and frame them.
Keen to pursue this new technique further, the next session at The Vale, at the retirement living in Streatham, will see how they reproduce a sunset.
