While sitting in the countryside of Barboursville, Virginia, I was scrolling through posts on facebook. I came upon a group about appreciating dandelions. I love dandelions and there’s a lot of dandelions out here.
Seriously, how did such a cool plant get such a bad rap? Dandelions provide food for bees. Their leaves are edible. Their roots make coffee. They provide beneficial nutrients. They grow without any tending, And they have beautiful flowers that turn into really cool seed pods.
While scrolling, one post really stood out. Unfortunately, since then, I lost the name of the person who posted it. I asked her permission to use her photo as a reference for a painting. She said, yes. Her photo was taken at sunrise. The dandelion flower looked like it was about to be blown by the breeze to scatter it’s seeds. I loved the anticipation. I then painted the bee because of its partnership with the dandelion.
I used acrylic paint, but I also added acrylic texture mixed into the paint. I built up the dandelion, the leaves and the bee. I wanted the viewer to feel like they were a part of the scene. Perhaps from the perspective of the size of an ant.
susan krieg 