When I think of dew and colors that might represent it, I can’t help but think of early morning light. If you aren’t out early to see the contrasts, dew is just simply….wet.

The problem comes with how to recreate morning light. Qualities of light are something painters have struggle to depict for centuries.  I had a photo of a pink peonie taken in early light that shows dew on the petals. This was my inspiration for this trade.

I first printed the photograph and then did 2 transfers, one onto rice paper and one onto a thin muslin that is more like cheesecloth.  I wanted to do a layered, holographic image but the top layer was too heavy to see the rice paper. I had already coated the rice paper with modge podge and glittered the image for dew. Rather than toss this to the curb [my first inclination] I kept working with it.

I layered the cloth image onto the rice paper and stitched around just enough of the petals to give the impression of the peonie and stamens. I used liquid water color to darken the leaves in the background and to darken the stamens. Each card is different and some have a blush of red to enhance the pink petals. The blues are from the photograph and are the morning shadows that contrast with the light petals in the foreground where the early light hit the petals. A small amount of glitter and 3 large drops of dew using glass sequins are on each card. The camera picked up the bottom layer of glitter, too.

I love these color inspirations trades and think the artists in our group have really stretched to find their inspiration for them.