Agapanthus - Not Just a Pest

Agapanthus

Yes, I know how many of you feel about agapanthus - they can be a pest, bad for our waterways and our native flora.

For this reason, I must admit that I do a little guilty selecting this flower as the feature for this painting. 

However, I'm sure this painting is of one of those new varieties of agapanthus that are non-invasive.  Feeling slightly less cross with me now?

I've tried to paint the agapanthus in a style which is expressive and emotive, without complicating the essence of the flower with fine detail. I guess, when I analyse the painting, I think it would be fair to say that this would be my first attempt at the Impressionism style of painting.  

I feel compelled to confess to you at this point that as a teenager, I loved all the art works of the french painter Claude Monet, who is often referred to as the founder of impressionist painting movement of the late 19th/early 20th Century.

During those years of angst and turmoil, instead of posters of Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez on my bedroom wall, I had, by choice, posters of some of Monet's most famous paintings.  I can remember lying on my bed, staring at these posters for hours on end, thinking all those rational teenage girl thoughts: 

"Gosh, that Monet guy sure knew how to paint. I particularly like that blue blob in the right hand corner. Oh!  How my heart aches - Why, why, why doesn't he like me?  How could he go out with her?  What's she got that I haven't got?  It's *not* fair!  Hmmmm, I wonder what's for dinner tonight?" 

I struggled with this painting initially as the picture was looking very flat and the flower was disproportionate to the size of the canvas.  The stem was also driving me crazy and I had some very dodgy leaf action happening there for a while.  Still, I persisted and now I feel quite pleased with the end product.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!