Outside our dining room window can be found one of the most beautiful hydrangeas I have ever seen.  The proliferation of blossoms, their large size and perfect shape, and the dazzling array of colors make it a show stopper for anyone who sees it.  Every summer during our open studio tour, visitors never fail to be captivated by its beauty, and my modest artworks can’t hold a candle to it.  Now that it is fall, the garden has been winterized and all of those beautiful blossoms have been removed.  So, this seasonal loss motivated me to paint an image of the hydrangea’s last remaining blooms prior to their removal.  Naturally, there was no way I could ever adequately recreate their beauty in paint but I looked to the Japanese Rinpa School for artistic inspiration to help in the process.  Ogata Korin, Sakai Hoitsu and others painted hydrangea in various compositions, and they provided excellent models for me to follow.  I used a tarashikomi effect on both flower petals and leaves, a technique commonly used by Rinpa artists.  Hopefully this painting will last me through the winter until the hydrangea blooms once more next summer.  I made the frame out of red oak using pegged, hand-joined, mortise-and-tenon construction methods.   I used the Japanese technique (shou-sugi-ban) of charring and oiling the oak to finish the frame.
 
DIMENSIONS:           HEIGHT: 14 ¼ inches
                                    WIDTH:  29 inches

                                                           PRICE $530

Sakai Hoitsu Flowers with Vase

Sakai Hoitsu Hydrangeas