Peonies & Bleeding Hearts Watercolor - Marybeth Heikes

Size: 20x24 1/2" Original Watercolor in White wood frame with white mat.

I am always inspired to paint fresh flowers from my garden and these peonies and bleeding hearts were no exception. Most of the time I pick them and arrange them casually in different vases in my collection and take lots of photographs because they don’t last very long. Once they open up, after a few hours, the petals start dropping.

I enjoy painting the pale pink variety and the deep, crimson colors. The Chinese call peonies the king of flowers because of the many petals they have and their large size. I love the shapes of these big blooms along with the bleeding hearts. I changed the vase color, as the color would have competed with the foliage of the plants.

Beginning with a detailed pencil drawing, I completely wet the paper on both sides to remove some of the sizing. While it is almost dry, I begin to paint using pigments that I have arranged on two palettes. Sometimes I dip the brush into the tube and use a lot of juicy pigments for the mid-to-deepest values and let the colors blend naturally on the paper. I sometimes add more water and flood the areas to allow the pigments to spread and blend in unusual color combinations. If the paper gets too dry, I re-wet certain areas or shapes, and paint wet-in-wet technique to combine soft, wet shapes with hard-edged ones.

For the peonies I used quinacridone pink, rose and magenta. I decided a background of a complementary hue. I was undecided on the foreground and left it sit for a few days so I could think about it. Previously to beginning this painting, I had worked on some experimental “color chords” of reds and pink squares. I really liked the soft edges and decided it would be great to use in the foreground of this painting. I was pleased with the finished painting — it is alive with bold colors and sings with the complementary warm and cool greens.

Marybeth Heikes has been drawing and painting her whole life. She grew up in the Cleveland suburbs, and took Saturday morning classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art. She also studied at Cooper School of Art.

Her watercolors and acrylic collages are characterized by dramatic designs and bold, tropical colors. Her passion is still lifes, animals, and city and rural landscapes.  

Marybeth’s award-winning paintings have been exhibited in many regional, national and international juried competitions including the Adirondacks National Rocky Mountain Watermedia and Watercolor West. Her masterful technique led her works to be included in a 10-person show in Soho, New York and a finalist in the National New Talent Search at the Aquarius Gallery in Cambria, California. She is a signature member of the Iowa Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. She has been featured in the American Artist and The Artist’s Magazine, and also the Iowa Woman, Sunshine Artist and The Best of Sketching and Drawing.