Nature's Palette - Himalayan blue poppy oil painting Meconopsis betonicifoliae

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      Image Description

      An impressionistic floral oil painting of Himalayan Blue Poppies against an abstract red and purple background by Talya Johnson.

      Behind the Canvas

      This little painting of Alaska's popular Himalayan Blue Poppies (Meconopsis betonicifoliae) was a stretching exercise (really!). My goal was to push the red, yellow and blue palette just a little further by adding my favorite pigment, magenta! I replaced the blue with cyan (phthalocyanine) to give the poppies an added punch, and was very happy with the results.

      This miniature oil painting of "blue poppies" was painted last summer when the Painted Ladies and I had organized a regular Friday plein air (in open air) event at the Palmer Museum of History and Art garden grounds. Every Friday, my comrades and I set up our booth on the lush lawn of the museum and painted with fellow artists and art lovers. Oils, acrylics, pastels, pencils, crayons, markers, we saw all mediums and artists from ages ranging 2 years old to 90! It was a difficult summer for me personally and the regular event gave me something to look forward to, truly losing myself by painting, coaching, and exchanging ideas with the community in the backdrop of Pioneer Peak and the colorful Museum gardens.