Last Laugh?

Laughing Cheetahs, oil, 30"x 40"


Laughing Cheetahs? Hm-m-m... not so much... Or maybe so, in their own way. I imagine you're probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about. By all means, let me explain. This painting of orchids is derived from a photograph I took of one of my orchids in bloom. In the photograph, the centers of orchids look like laughing cheetahs, honest! But in my rendering, no matter how many times I painted the centers, because of the technique - using palette knives to paint with - every time the centers came out a confused, hot mess. All form was lost and they simply didn't work. Every time I scraped them back, I liked them better. So, I compromised by leaving the centers not so busy and full of "spots". I think it worked out. Sometimes the K.I.S.S. method works the best. And the "cheetahs" got the last laugh... ha,ha!