Orange Gerbera

Some friends have gone away for a few days and gave us some groceries that they thought might not last - and some flowers, which were much prettier than the potatoes. Any regular reader of this blog will know what usually happens if I am given flowers, second-hand or otherwise.

This gerbera caused me a few problems. Of course, it is a complex flower, and that didn't help, but my colours - a limited selection, because the flowers were at home and the Big Box of Acrylics was at the studio - were too muddy. I decided that the pyrrole red wasn't cutting the mustard and what was needed was the cool red of quinacridone (AKA magenta or permanent rose madder).

A short bike ride later, and I discovered that I was right.

[Other colours are phthalo blue, cadmium yellow (hue) and titanium white.]

Acrylic on canvas, 7 x 7 cm
Not for sale