Begonia Shadows II Painting

Tuberous Begonia:... more

by Lianne Schneider

Title

Begonia Shadows II Painting

Artist

Lianne Schneider

Medium

Digital Art - Digital Painting/photographic Art

Description

Tuberous Begonia:

This is a digital painting done from my own reference photo "Begonia Shadows." I chose to paint it for three reasons - one, the delicate, translucent petals with their sweeping curves were a real challenge, two, I could deepen the color to accent the shadows (which helped me make a point in my blog Seasons of Song and Spirit), and third, I could not "sharpen" the photograph without creating digital noise and ruining the entire piece. So here we have it - the digitally hand-painted version of one of my favorite flower macros with the intense light at the center - as if it swallowed the sun. In actuality, in the garden this begonia looks pure white, and I did not alter the color of the picture at all. When I increased the saturation a little, the lavender/purple color surprised me completely. The light, however, was there from the start!

From Better Homes and Gardens' Plant Encyclopedia - http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/bulb/tuberous-begonia/

Beautiful tuberous begonias are among the most elegant of shade-loving plants. These tender bulbs prefer humid, cool-summer climates. In these regions, their intense colors brighten shady gardens as no other plant can. My own begonias are planted where it is generally shady although at the height of summer when the sun is just in the right spot, I have to lay umbrellas on their sides in the garden to shade them. Their big, bold blooms may be single or double as plants produce separate male and female flowers. The larger flowers on the plant are male and can reach 6 inches across.

Tuberous begonias are a large and diverse group of tender, summer-flowering plants typically growing 12-18" tall and featuring brightly colored waxy-petaled flowers in colors ranging from white to yellow to apricot to pink to rose to red. The plant blooms from summer to fall. Hybrids are arranged into 13 different groups based upon such factors as flower shape (e.g., rose, camellia or carnation), petals (e.g., single, double, ruffled, banded) or habit (cascading, bushy). Pointed leaves to 8" long.

Many tuberous begonias have an arching plant habit, which makes them excellent for growing in hanging baskets or container gardens. Note: In areas where they're not hardy, dig up the tubers before the first fall frost and store them dormant in a cool (35-40 degrees F) place over winter. Start them indoors several weeks before your last frost date.

Thank you so much to the following groups for featuring this image:
DIGITAL REALISM - ANNE
BEAUTY CAPTURED - ELLA
OLD MASTERS PHOTOGRAPHERS AND DIGITAL ARTISTS - LENORE
HARMONY AND HAPPINESS - ERNESTINE
CREATORS OF BEAUTY - TANIA
SIGNATURE STYLE ART - SHARON
ART WITH FLAIR - WILLIAM
COLLECTORS TREASURES - KRISTA
LANDSCAPES, FLOWERS, ANIMALS - VESNA
WISCONSIN FLOWERS - RANDY
MUST CREATE ART - MARIE
VISUAL VOICE - ANNIE
ENHANCED FLORAL ARTS - EVA
EXCELLENT SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTS - JOE
TODAYS BEST ART - DAVID
THE MAGIC OF FLOWERS - GRETA
ARTISTS BEST FIVE ARTWORKS - TINA
1-2-3-4-5 - SHITLAPRASAD
CARDS FOR ALL OCCASIONS - JORDAN
ROCK THE SALES - JOETTA
ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS - JOETTA

Copyright Lianne Schneider 2013

All images and my personal poetry/prose are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, downloaded, distributed, transmitted, copied, reproduced in derivative works, displayed, published or broadcast by any means or in any form without prior written consent from the artist. Copyright on works derived from or based on images in the public domain applies only to the subsequent manipulation or painting resulting from my changes. The original image remains in the public domain and such images are used with in accordance with international copyright laws.

Uploaded

January 5th, 2014