Croton

Croton
Acrylic on Raymar canvas panel
8"x10"

I visited the Botanical Gardens a number of times this winter, it's a great place to escape the cold and the dull, monochromatic landscape. This Croton plant caught my attention. I thought it would be an easy subject to paint but the complex patterns took a long time to get right.

I worked from a photo reference that had a confusing and boring background. I painted over it a number of times until I finally decided to simplify it with bold abstract brushstrokes. The effect is similar to intentionally making areas of the photo out of focus as a way to draw the viewers attention to the focal point.

The original painting is for sale through email $160 plus $10 shipping.