FLEURS
20 x 24 Oil
by Julie Ferrario
It was time to finish this painting!!
I had started it just before I remodeled our
kitchen.
I worked on it during the remodel,
but my life and home were so interrupted with a remodel and a move
that I just couldn't focus on a more complex painting.
The trick is to just keep plugging along.
Don't give up.
Get back to it when you can.
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I was inspired by a magazine cover I saved from a trip to Georgia.
Several years later sketched it out in a value study
There was just something about the
flowers, the sign and the brick wall that I loved.
As I studied the picture I was curious to find out more about the poster.
What a delight to find ...
Berthe Hoola Van Nooten
She was a Dutch botanical artist,
noted for her botanical
plates illustrating
"Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de
Java" in 1863-64.
Born: October 12, 1817, Utrecht, Netherlands
Van Nooten had accompanied her husband on a trip to Jakarta,
the
capital of Java, one of the largest islands in Indonesia.
When he died
unexpectedly, however,
the young widow found herself alone
in a strange
country, deeply in debt, with a family to support.
Though unable to afford passage back to Belgium for her family,
Van Nooten was undeterred by her bleak situation.
She realized that
flower books were all the rage in Europe, and decided to put her
artistic skills to good use by painting the exotic plants and flowers of
her home in exile.
With Queen Mathilde-Sophie of the Netherlands as her
patron,
van Nooten produced 40 detailed illustrations of the island's
flora,
which were subsequently printed in Belgium by famous printmaker
P. Depannemaeker.
The result of her hard work,
Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java, was first published in 1863-64 using the new technique of chromolithography.
"Van
Nooten was clearly a more than competent artist, for the splendid
tropical plants, with their lush foliage, vividly colored flowers and
exotic fruit, have been depicted with great skill. She managed to
accentuate the splendor of each species by adopting a style that
combined great precision and clarity with a touch of neo-Baroque
exuberance, reveling in the rich forms and colors of the tropics." — Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi,
It is a testament to Berthe Hoola van Nooten's
strength,
creativity and perseverance
that she accomplished such a daunting task
under the most difficult of circumstances.
Today, van Nooten's work is
among
the most sought-after of female artists
from the 19th century;
original prints from
Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages typically sell for upwards of
$500-1,000 each.
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Okay so back to the painting....I think I got stalled on the writing I had to do on the poster.
I simply took out my ruler, pencil, eraser and bravery and just got started.
Step by step you get it done.
Yes I had to erase.
Yes I had to paint loosely even on the lettering.
Yes I had to wipe off some lettering & start over.
Yes IT WAS FUN!!!
Then I got to play with the flowers....FLEURS!
There is sumthin about playing with FLEURS that I just love to do!
Thanks to...
Berthe Hoola Van Nooten
Her story helped me find my
strength,
creativity and perseverance
to accomplish my painting
after a year of upheavals!
