Flower Reference Photographs for Artists (Cereus, Plumeria, Tulips, Orchid)

"Flowers are those little colorful beacons of the sun from which we get sunshine when dark, somber skies blanket our thoughts."  -  Dodensky

This green and magenta orchid really caught my eye.   All of the flowers posted here are free for artists to use as reference material for their paintings.  You do not have to worry about copyright infringement and there is no need to give me the credit for a reference photograph.   Just keep in mind that I may eventually paint from the same photograph; but, let's face it, out of the thousands of reference photos I have, I will never be able to paint them all in my lifetime.   I thought it would be nice to share.     

For those of you who are not artists, keep in mind that I do commissioned paintings; if you see a photo here you like or if you have pictures of your own that you would like me to paint from for you, contact me at reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Cereus or Night Blooming Cactus

There are a couple of spots here on Oahu where there are many night blooming cactus showing off every July.  I have many more photographs of these if you are interested in seeing several.

Being a tropical climate in Hawaii, tulips do not grow here.   I have to purchase store bought tulips when I want to  paint them.    Below are photographs of plumeria tree blossoms which are found on all the main Hawaiian Islands in abundance.   Also known as frangipani, they put on quite a show here.   

I have an enormous collection of plumeria/frangipani photographs.  If you are interested in seeing more, just let me know.

Happy painting!

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

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Blushing Tulips With Blue Iris

"Blushing Tulips With Blue Iris"

9" x 12" oil on gallery wrap canvas

$625

Fresh on the easel !   I finished painting this a few minutes ago; the background is not quite as yellow as this image makes it seem.   These white, blushed with pink, tulips were so delicate and beautiful; I must paint more tulips very soon .   The sides of this canvas are painted also, so it does not need to be framed although I always prefer to recommend framing a painting.

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Works In Progress and Handy Studio Tool

This photo gives you an idea of how I set up my easel to work.  That is a well used piece of cardboard that rests on the easel and I stick my reference photos on it using UHU tac, a removable adhesive putty.  There may be other brands of the product, but that is the only kind I can find in Honolulu.   On the bottom are two oil seascapes (5"x7") that I will finish soon.  The two tulip and japanese iris photos above are references to the first lay-in of color on the 9"x12" oil shown below.

Work In Progress
9"x12" oil on gallery wrap canvas

Do you artists ever find that sometimes paint tube lids get "stuck" and are difficult to open?  For really tough cases I have lit a match and put the flame around the lid to loosen any dried paint that is causing the lid to not open.   A handy tool to keep in the studio to solve this problem is shown below.

Yep, it's a nutcracker !  It really makes life easier in the studio.   

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com