LP 009 First Come the Lilies

First Come the Lilies | LP009

Original Acrylic Painting | Limited Palette Series

The West Coast wildflowers were early this year, but for me, the lilies must always come first.

I love driving past Milnerton Golf Course and catching sight of the white arum lilies growing in the wetlands, with Table Mountain rising beyond them. It's a view I never tire of, and one I've returned to in my paintings more than once.

This time, however, my limited palette presented an interesting challenge. The Wedgewood blue I'd drawn was not a colour I would ordinarily reach for when painting this familiar landscape. Achieving the tonal variation I wanted, particularly in the sky and the whites of the lilies, required some inventive mixing and a willingness to let go of my usual colour choices.

That's what I'm enjoying about this series. The restrictions force me to find different solutions to familiar subjects, and sometimes the results are a lovely surprise.

First Come the Lilies turned out rather more charming and light-hearted than I might otherwise have painted it. A little departure from my usual interpretation of this much-loved view, and all the better for it.

• Medium: Original acrylic on board

• Framed dimensions: 34 × 28 × 3.5 cm

• Frame: Contemporary white wood shadow-box

• Subject: Arum lilies, Milnerton Golf Course wetlands, Cape Town