Branching Out: abstract botanical paintings
- Rebecca Vincent
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Click through the slides (above) to go back in time to see earlier stages of the same painting. This one is nearing completion with just some floral details needed.
I’m at a really exciting stage in my painting journey. I’ve started to scale things up and put into practice everything I’ve learned about materials, application, colour, style, and composition. I’m still drawing on the theme of the garden, evoking the low light of early mornings or warm summer evenings.
If you look back at some of my early posts about getting started with paint after nearly 30 years as a printmaker, you’ll see how far I’ve come. I began on a small scale, working on paper and experimenting with lots of different approaches. There were echoes of my landscape prints, but it was definitely a departure - and a steep learning curve!
In this post I’m sharing some work in progress: three A1-sized paintings on wood panels. It feels great to be stretching myself, both literally and metaphorically. The rhythm of working flowed beautifully at the beginning, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Every artist knows about the “messy middle”—that stuck phase where the next move isn’t obvious. I love laying down backgrounds with freedom and bold strokes, but deciding how literally to depict plant and flower forms has been tricky. I’m aiming for a balance where the floral shapes are recognisable yet still abstracted and expressive, rather than bland or overly familiar. It’s not easy!
This project feels wild and brave - a step into the unknown where I could fail spectacularly or make something amazing. I’m trusting the process and drawing on my many years of experience as an artist. I expect there will be both successes and failures, but with every painting I complete, my confidence grows and I learn more about what to do next time.
None of the paintings are finished, but you can see that I’m using brush marks and line to suggest foliage, building up layers of pattern to create an abstracted environment. I’m working to maintain a sense of light behind the foliage, with a shifting palette that moves from warm yellows and golds to cooler greys and mauves.
For the first piece (above), I’m using Rosebay Willowherb (also known as Fireweed) as the main motif for the leaves and the yet-to-be-painted flowers. This time, I’m using a more calligraphic brush style inspired by Chinese brush painting. It feels livelier and more flexible than the stencils I used previously.
The second painting features Alliums, with their fantastic spherical forms. These ones are slightly stylised to emphasise the converging lines. There’s still quite a lot more to do, especially in the foreground foliage. The pattern of circles comes from a wallpaper design I’ve often printed with, and I enjoyed expanding it with drawn lines and layered marks - the circular shapes of the flowers seemed to emerge naturally from that pattern.
As for the third painting (below), I’m not entirely sure where I’m going or what the final outcome will be - and that’s exciting. I’m loving the contrast of blues and oranges and the more impressionistic feel of this piece. I’m imagining soft drifts of poppies beginning to take shape...
Click through the slides to see how this painting has progressed (going forwards this time!)
I don’t know how long it will take to finish these abstract botanical paintings but I’ll be sure to share them here once they’re ready for sale. If you’d like to be among the first to know when they’re ready, please subscribe to my email list - via the footer below, the top of the page, or the pop-up form. You’ll receive monthly updates from me and be the first to hear about new work.
If you enjoyed this development in my work, you may be interested to see these completed paintings that are now available for sale:
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