I found this strelitzia bloom under a huge leaf while I was in Bermuda at the holidays. I've been dying to start a painting of it. I'm struck by the woody edge of the trunk of the plant, the wind-whipped
dead edges of the leaf in the foreground, and the waxy, almost dead
texture of the blue-purple pod of the bloom. I'm interested in the way those dead parts
contrast with the delicate, live white petals and the pinky throat of the
bloom.
Here are some
thumbnails I did while I'm thinking about the composition!
The upward thrust of the trunky stalk seems to be more important than the overhanging dark leaf. That's sort of disappointing because i was drawn to the umbrella like overhang of it. But when I draw for the painting it seems to stop all the energy if I include it.
