40 watercolor Wednesday challenges???? Where have the past 40 weeks gone? Where have the first two months of 2021 gone??
I also include this painting of hollyhocks in yesterday's WT (stencils) and today's F4A (flowers). Because hollyhocks are tall, I thought a slim line card would work well. I decided to lift it up a level with a little stenciled border and some gel pens where the wc paper and cardstock meet and on the sentiment. I need to get some whiter wc paper.
You're wondering where my title came from? Aoi means hollyhock and matsuri means festival in Japanese. Hollyhock are native to Europe and Asia. Because of their importance in modern Japanese culture, the hollyhock inspired the name and symbol of Mito HollyHock, a professional soccer club. The Aoi Matsuri is one of three festivals in the city of Kyoto. The only hollyhock native to the Americas is wild and its growth has been stunted by fire suppression in the west. My main memory of hollyhocks is they were planted around the outhouses in northern WI to disguise them a bit. No one wants to look at an outhouse.
Date: Friday, March 5, 2021 GMT Views: 951
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Registered: December 30, 2012 Location: Southern California Posts: 1269
Fri, Mar 05, 2021 @ 4:48 PM
This is such a beautiful card! And thank you for the information about Aoi Matsuri. I love learning about other cultures. You don't see a lot of hollyhocks here in the dry part of SoCal where I live. There is one house, though in the town where I work that has a yard full of hollyhocks every year. Since I'm working from home, I didn't see them this year. Makes me a little sad. The florals on your card are cute cheerful!
Registered: May 23, 2003 Location: Ontario, Oregon Posts: 9431
Fri, Mar 05, 2021 @ 8:14 PM
I looked at your watercolored hollyhocks and first impression was “this needs to be framed!” Love the colors and the way you have the flowers opening in every direction, they look just like the hollyhocks I enjoyed as little girl growing up in Montana. Thanks for sharing the story/history of the flower, it added to my appreciation of your piece.
Registered: April 1, 2012 Location: Rogers, AR Posts: 28795
Sun, Mar 07, 2021 @ 12:28 PM
Oh Mama-me-a!!! Gorgeous!!!
------------------------------ Jan 'Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ'. Philippians 1:6
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Registered: April 11, 2016 Location: Posts: 30047
Sun, Mar 07, 2021 @ 7:25 PM
Absolutely stunning card Jean. Your watercolouring is superb and thank you for the details and lesson. TFS. Happy day
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Registered: March 30, 2008 Location: Somewhere between the Shire & Mordor! Posts: 4642
Tue, Mar 09, 2021 @ 7:36 AM
LOL I SO ENJOYED your history of Hollyhocks, Jean! A SUPER JOB ON YOUR CARD!!! The petals have a NICE AIRY FEEL to them, which I DO BELIEVE flowers/Hollyhocks have! QUITE BEAUTIFUL & LOVE the stenciling also!!!! EXCELLENT WORK & THANK YOU for the history behind this LOVELY flower!!! ;)<3
P.S. I also LIKE how you took your painting all the way to the edges of your paper! ;)<3