Fireweed in the Seed Stage
“Fireweed II” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge, sold.
Buoyed by confidence from the successful outcome of my first fireweed painting, where I painted over the top of an ugly old collage, I immediately set to work using the surface of an even more grotesque pallet knife-poured paint experiment. During this phase of my career recycling artwork seemed to be just the ticket. I slowly weaned myself from a palette knife and gave brushes a try but I still liked the look of texture. Painting with brushes over an irregular, uneven surface gave me a new challenge. “Fireweed II” depicts the seed stage of this common Alaska wildflower. At the top are the long pods formed after the flowers mature, further down shows the pods split open releasing a downy fluff. The split pods begin to curl and form interesting shapes. I employed dripping and splattering techniques in the background, experimentation is so much fun!
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, wildflower artist
