07/17/2026
Basin To Range Exchange
Artist Marney Ward.
"A Flash of Fuchsia, watercolour, half-sheet (21 x 14"). I used many layers of glazing to get the depth I wanted in the blue background, working from light blues to dark blues to purple. Some of the layers can be seen more clearly around the bubbles. The layers of paint create the very soft edges on the bubbles. The bubbles themselves create a gentle upward curve which counters the strong downward dive on the flowers. I rarely use masking fluid, but I think I did use it on parts of the long white filaments and stamens to protect them, perhaps just the outside two filaments and the stamen. For the flower petals, I just wet carefully around them before applying each layer of background paint. I worked on the background in sections and layers and then I worked on the petals one petal at a time, building up the shadows, and saving the lightest petals and the filaments for last. I always try to keep my lightest areas paper-white until the end."
Hi Marney Ward - Artist Thanks for sharing your beautiful painting with us! We enjoy reading you insights into the technique and success of your artwork!
A Flash of Fuchsia, watercolour, half-sheet (21 x 14"). I used many layers of glazing to get the depth I wanted in the blue background, working from light blues to dark blues to purple. Some of the layers can be seen more clearly around the bubbles. The layers of paint create the very soft edges on the bubbles. The bubbles themselves create a gentle upward curve which counters the strong downward dive on the flowers. I rarely use masking fluid, but I think I did use it on parts of the long white filaments and stamens to protect them, perhaps just the outside two filaments and the stamen. For the flower petals, I just wet carefully around them before applying each layer of background paint. I worked on the background in sections and layers and then I worked on the petals one petal at a time, building up the shadows, and saving the lightest petals and the filaments for last. I always try to keep my lightest areas paper-white until the end. My son has this painting in his home and unfortunately I don't have any prints of it.
