Beauty in the Fade

This summer our hydrangeas burst with vibrant blues and purples. I used their intense colors and textures in several paintings. But as the blossoms began to fade, that was when inspiration really hit me!

The vibrant colors turned to muted green, blues and purples. As petals died, they turned a transparent paper like texture with lacy veins. The transformative beauty was much stronger to me than even vibrant summer colors.

I began experimenting painting the colors using watercolors. I added the lacy patterns and lines using a gold colored pencil. But that wasn’t enough. I got some rice paper that had natural fibers pressed into it. I began cutting out the lacy patterns. I wanted it to have the transparent effect of the dead petals. I experimented with sewing gold thread and finally added the gold ink.

Did you know that it is an ancient Chinese tradition to fix broken pottery with gold? Don’t miss the beauty that can still show, even when life gets broken and fades. See the beauty in death and healing.

This is what inspired “Beauty in the Fade”. Go check it out in the gallery. Go take a second look at nature right now as we are in winter. There is beauty in the fade.