Flanders Poppies in a Landscape

It is impossible to translate all the feelings a field of poppies gives. I enjoyed painting separate flowers and groups of flowers, but something was missing in what I was trying to say. That is when I knew that I had to try and paint a bigger view - and what a joy it was!

Flanders Poppies 2026 - Part 2

Follow-up on the last week's post about my trip to paint Flanders Poppies: more gouache plein air ! 

Flanders Poppies 2026 - Part 1

Flanders Poppies are on my sketching calendar in May usually but since the heat wave we had this year (I know I keep complaining about everything blooming at the wrong time) I went to check the "House with Red Poppies" earlier than usual and found a field in full bloom!

This year I got to chat with the master of the poppies himself and got an invitation to check out his other crops later this year - so now the "house with red poppies is in my calendar twice! 

As you probably already guessed, more sketches are coming because there is no way to paint so much red beauty in just one sitting, but I need breaks between such colorful excursions too :)

Flanders Poppies!

The "house with red poppies" is on my sketching calendar - and my friend alerts me when the time for poppies is upon us (Thank you, Jennifer!) Every year I try to make it out to this place to paint at least once and I also try to bring others to enjoy it. And every year it is a surprise - how red these flowers are, how many there and how hard it is to choose what to sketch there :) There is a house on a hill and that hill feels like a wave - and it is covered with the reddest poppies you've ever seen! I brought a whole arsenal of tools with me to this painting outing and ended up with a minimum set of colors.

Poppies - experiments!

Poppy season (moving from California Poppies to Flanders Poppies to Matilija Poppies) left me with all sorts of experimental thoughts this year - some things will come out next year when I face these challenging flowers again. Some are becoming an exhibition which I am pitching to show locally. And here are some of the results that I am ready to share:

Flanders Poppies - Take Two

After a lovely painting outing to the hill covered in Flanders Poppies, there was no stopping me - and I went back - with both Uma Kelkar and Suhita Shirodkar this time!

I planned to experiment with some of the premade backgrounds that were a result of my recent printing explorations. It would be best to take photos of the original backgrounds and some process shots too - but I got too distracted by the process and joy of sitting with friends by a sea of color :)  

There is one experiment that I will share next week once I figure out how to show it best or how to explain it better. But for now - here are some process shots and final poppies!

Flanders Poppies - Take One

Flanders poppies (Papaver rhoeas) are in full swing in my part of the world and I am having a blast painting them. This is a report about the first outing. From previous experience, I knew that I would need all kinds of reds with me and some sort of approach to not be overwhelmed by all the shades of colors that I see. But the first problem that I encountered on that day was not with the oversaturation of color but with the fact that I forgot all my brushes! So I used my fingers on the first sketch and then borrowed some lovely dagger brushes from Suhita (Suhitasketch) to paint the second and third pages. 

From the ground point of view where I was sitting a house looked like a proper castle, and I imagined myself a tiny traveler in the forest of these amazingly textured red giants! 

Some neon color influences courtesy of:

• Maru Godas (and her palette that Suhita brought from their recent teaching adventure in Santa Fe);
• Beatrice Alemagna;
• Anni von Bergen. 

I can tell you one thing - I needed a black-and-white day after this sketching trip! :)