Categories: FlowersPaintings!

Lotus Art: Free Spirit

This painting is called “Free Spirit.”

Free Spirit. 36″ x 12″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

Like my painting, “Easy Growth,” it’s on the same dramatic vertical 36″ x 12″ size canvas.

The flower looks like a free spirit because of the way its face is tilting to the side, like it’s enjoying soaking up the sunshine.

Detail: Free Spirit. 36″ x 12″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

The abstract drippy paint background is spectacular, with varied effects on different parts of the canvas. The yellow and orange paint drips down into the red in the middle of the canvas.

Detail: Free Spirit. 36″ x 12″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

The paint is speckled in patterns of many tiny dots, with drips and carefree splatters running through the speckles. The vertical lines interplay with horizontal brush strokes that show from underneath.

Detail: Free Spirit. 36″ x 12″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

These subtle horizontal lines hint at the water out of which the lotus grows.

Free Spirit. 36″ x 12″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

There is a beautiful tension between the background pulling everything down and the lotus flower shooting upwards. The impossibly exaggerated length of the stem contributes to this visual tension.

Artwork in Cedar Lee studio. On easel: “Free Spirit.” Background, left-right, top-bottom: “Lotus Study 2,” “Forest Nymph,” “Dance of the Redwoods,” “Koi Circles”
Cedar Lee

Recent Posts

Abstract Mini Paintings | Metallic Trees

This dynamic series of paintings, "Metallic Trees," began with experimentation in the studio with acrylic…

6 days ago

4 Colorful Mini Paintings of Nature in Portland, OR

Here are four colorful mini paintings inspired by Portland, Oregon's nature scenes. This small painting,…

2 weeks ago

Two Birch Forest Paintings

One of my dear collectors recently requested a custom painting featuring paper birch trees. She…

3 weeks ago

Winter Redwoods | California Forest Art

This misty painting of an old-growth redwood forest in Northern California is called "Winter Redwoods."…

1 month ago

Winding Upwards | Painting of Tall Tree in the Sky

This tall and narrow painting, titled "Winding Upwards" depicts a tall and twisty tree reaching…

2 months ago

Summer’s End | September Sunflower Painting

This painting, titled Summer's End, celebrates the change of seasons with the image of the…

2 months ago

This website uses cookies.