Painting with Wildflowers

Spending time on the beautiful walking and hiking trails in the Canadian Maritimes has given me lots of time to dream up new creative projects.  The profusion of wildflowers along these pathways is a primary source of inspiration.  Only days after Hurricane Fiona tore through this region, the sun was shining and the natural world was fresh and alive.  Even the delicate-looking wildflowers perked up and continued their autumn show.
Check out the vibrant yellow-orange of this goldenrod.

Here’s a pretty assortment of purple, pink and white wildflowers including a lupine, red clover, knapweed and asters.

Some of the trees and shrubs are starting to show their autumn colors.  This one, which I believe is sumac, was particularly striking.

All this color got me wondering: could foraged flowers and leaves be used to “paint” pictures?  The answer, it seems, is yes!
Here’s an example with foraged flowers and leaves serving as the paint dollops coming out of paint tubes.

In this next example, the composition depicts a small paint roller applying purple asters and yellow goldenrod onto a white background.

Taking the paint roller idea a little further, I tried a larger, standard-size paint roller.  Four different botanical elements—purple asters, yellow goldenrod, orange sumac and green pine needles—are used to represent painted colors.  I tried a few different viewpoints to capture the shot.



It’s always fun to add interest to a photo composition with a unique photo prop.  This little project provided the perfect excuse to drop into a local vintage and antique shop in search of a few special objects.  There were lots of interesting items available.





I spotted the perfect photo prop for this project at the end of my circuit around the shop—this vintage, round, wood-handled wire brush!

Here’s the vintage wire brush with some white aster blooms forming a simple paint stroke.

The composition became more interesting with the addition of some violet and purple lupine petals.

Building out the composition with more flowers and leaves turned the simple paint stroke into a cheerful, rainbow of colors.

Next, I tried a composition simulating a paint brush creating a long, swoop of color.  The harmony of these colors and the lines of this swoop are quite pleasing to the eye.

Then, as suggested by my mother-in-law (Thank you for playing along, Bert!), we sprinkled in a few botanical remnants to add interest and drama.

For my final composition, a few botanical bits were mixed together and used to create a spray of pretty colors, textures and shapes!

This will not be my last project painting pictures with foraged flowers and leaves—I’m already dreaming up ideas for the next one!

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Check out the previous blog post, 79,000 Steps and a Whole Lot of Apple Seeds, for a peek into my experience walking The Island Walk on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
The vintage and antique items in this blog post were photographed at “Myles From Nowhere Antique Shop” in Margaree Forks, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Today’s Takeaways

1. “Always try to push your own creative boundaries so you can experience the growth in your own talent.” renowned Dutch floral designer Pim van den Akker.
2. Quiet time spent in nature can be very inspiring.
3. Consider using foraged flowers and leaves to “paint” pictures.