Em am Dlri 



anxious the drawing should be kept " very bright and sunn}-, showing 

 a profusion of summer bloom." 



The subject fascinated me, and I worked verj- hard at that picture for 

 some time, but with great dissatisfaction to myself, for although I had a 

 great many studies I had made from growing flowers to help me, and m\- 

 composition, with an old Tudor house beyond, and herbaceous border 

 and sundial in middle distance and foreground, composed well pictoriall}-, 

 I could not get an effect that 

 pleased me. Although it 

 all looked bright, it was not 

 sunny at all ! 



I suddenly thought, could 

 I throw a shadow, cast per- 

 haps by an old wall in front, 

 it might improve matters ; 

 and it was really wonderful 

 the difference it made to the 

 whole painting, for it at once 

 concentrated the interest of 

 the spectator on the sunn}- 

 patch beyond. 



I think the most beau- 

 tiful effect of all in painting 

 flowers out-of-doors is to be 

 obtained, not when the sun 

 is at its highest, and in- 

 sistent on showing up ever}-- 

 thing in a hard brilliancy of 

 light, but when, later in the 

 day, it is slowly sinking to 

 rest ; casting long shadow-s 

 over lawn and path, and 

 lending a kindly indefinite- 

 ness to distance, showing 

 ev-erything in broad masses 



*^ And J 



against the mellow light of The : 



the sky, without worrying 

 the eye with minor detail. 



It is almost impossible to get anythin 

 light has faded away, and the greyness of evening has taken its place ; 

 but once the general effect is caught, you will be able to work at it 

 again on subsequent evenings, when the conditions of light are the 

 same. 



Always endeavour, when painting flowers or indeed an}-thing else 

 in water-colour, to keep \-our colours bright and fresh, and to work as 



oS hoUyhoc 

 :in he faint. 



n sip. 



but a quick sketch before the 



63 



