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.

Elephant Ears (SOLD)

Elephant Ears
Watercolor and gouache on paper
8”x10” (on 9x12 arches rough watercolor paper)
Chris Breier ©2105

The Erie County Botanical Gardens is a good place to look for subject matter. I used the doorway that leads into the Palm Dome to frame the large grouping of plants in the center, and the curved path helps to  direct the viewers eye through the painting.

Pink Flowers

Pink Flowers
Acrylic on archival paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is available.
I found these flowers at the Erie County Botanical Gardens and I took a few reference photographs to work from. I originally painted them as a watercolor and it was a disaster. I later figured out that the paper that I used wasn’t made for watercolor so it buckled and the colors looked dull.

Sonnenberg Mansion

Sonenberg Mansion
Acrylic on paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2013

The original painting is available.
This was the first picture that I took when I arrived at Sonnenberg Gardens. Only a small portion of the Mansion is visible in the painting and I like how that creates intrigue–it makes me interested in climbing the stairs to see what’s on the other side of the wall. The sidewalk and stone wall also direct your eye to the focal point of the painting.

Arbor

Arbor
Acrylic on paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2013

The original painting is available.
The Old Fashioned Gardens are located behind the Mansion at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, NY. The white arbor runs the length of the gravel pathway, making it the centerpiece of the garden.

What made this image difficult to paint is that it’s made up of many small patches of colors, there aren’t any large shapes of solid color that can be quickly painted in. I handled the complicated shadow pattern by painting the color of the gravel first and then painting the lines of the shadows over it. Any mistakes were corrected by working back over the shadows with the original gravel color. My favorite part of the painting are the tiny red flowers in the distance, they provide some contrast with the abundance of green foliage.

Sonnenberg Gardens, The Belvedere

Sonnenberg Gardens, The Belvedere
Acrylic on paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2013

The original painting is available.
This painting is from a series of paintings that I completed awhile ago of various locations at Sonnenberg Gardens. The Belvedere Pavilion is where wedding ceremonies and photo shoots take place. The view is of from underneath the pavilion, looking out into the gardens.

I started this painting with a solid layer magenta, some of which is visible in the final painting. In this series I experimented with painting without drawing first, although that means that I worked out the drawing with the paintbrush instead of a pencil.

Palm Trees (SOLD)

I visit the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens on occasion to enjoy the tropical environment. During the winter the lush foliage is a pleasure to paint when the landscape outside is so desolate. The Palm dome is the large dome in the center of the greenhouse, at the front entrance. According to their website, it was the third largest public greenhouse in the US when it was first built in 1900.