Changing colours

Roses don't last long in Sydney's hot humid  weather so I've been picking them when they flower and  painting small canvases of roses in vases. I've discovered that some varieties that are lovely in the garden or a vase don't look so good in a painting. 

One of my roses is called Afrikaans (above). It is hot orange and lights up the garden when it is in flower. A few weeks ago I put Afrikaans in a vase with a lemony rose called Sunny Skies and painted the pair. I found the resulting painting somewhat garish and last night when I was heading off to sleep my irritation with the painting got the better of me. I took it off the wall, picked up tubes of Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna and painted out the orange. Then I added ochre to the lemony Sunny Skies as well. I put it aside to dry and went to bed. 

I've just retrieved the painting and I like the result. If I'm going to paint Akrikaans in future I will have to choose its surrounds more carefully.