plate no. 1340

Flower garden and bungalow, Bermuda

oilRealismlandscapeflowershouseoceanskyfoliagetropical

recreation guide

Winslow Homer’s *Flower garden and bungalow, Bermuda* (1889) represents a shift in his mature style toward landscape painting, moving away from the marine subjects for which he is best known. As a largely self-taught artist who began as a commercial illustrator, Homer brought a distinct solidity and density to his oil works, exploiting the weight of the medium (Source 5). While this specific painting depicts a tropical setting with a bungalow, it aligns with his broader practice of chronicling his travels and working vacations, often producing works that are either highly detailed or broadly impressionistic depending on the intent (Source 6). The work falls within the tradition of landscape painting, which arranges natural scenery—such as trees, flowers, and buildings—into a coherent composition, often including the sky and weather as integral elements (Source 1).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (pigment + drying oil)	Primary medium for the painting	Modern tube oils mixed with linseed or walnut oil
Linseed oil	General purpose drying oil for mixing paints and glazing	Refined linseed oil
Safflower or Poppyseed oil	Mixing lighter colors like white to prevent yellowing	Safflower oil or poppyseed oil
Canvas or linen support	Surface for oil application	Primed linen canvas
Varnish	For glazing and finishing, mixed with oil	Dammar or synthetic resin varnish
Brushes	Application of paint, ranging from broad masses to detailed finish	Hog bristle and sable brushes

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a linen or canvas support, consistent with the historical use of linen as a support for oil painting (Source 2). The surface should be primed to accept oil paints. While specific priming recipes for this exact work are not detailed in the sources, Homer’s studio works are characterized by the 'weight and density' he exploited from the medium, suggesting a sturdy, well-prepared ground capable of holding heavy impasto or layered glazes (Source 5).

underdrawing

The sources do not explicitly describe Homer’s underdrawing method for this specific painting. However, general advice for oil painting suggests that a sound craftsman must first master the 'alphabet of our art' and that copying or studying from life helps correct weaknesses in outline or modeling (Source 8). It is likely that Homer used a loose, confident underdrawing, given his background as an illustrator and his 'natural, fluid and confident' technique in watercolors, which he sometimes used as preparatory sketches for oils (Source 6).

underpainting

A grisaille (monochrome underpainting) is recommended as a foundational step, consistent with traditional oil painting practices described in the sources. This involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to establish values and forms before applying color (Source 3). This method allows for subsequent glazing and scumbling, techniques practiced by old masters and relevant to achieving the depth and luminosity found in Homer’s mature work (Source 3).

color palette

White

Lead white (historically) or Titanium/Zinc white (modern)

Highlights and lightening colors; historically valued for opacity and fast drying (Source 2)

Ultramarine

Ultramarine pigment

Cool tones, shadows, and sky; mentioned in Reynolds’ method for initial paintings (Source 3)

Black

Ivory black or Lamp black

Darkening values and creating contrast; used in conjunction with ultramarine and white in initial stages (Source 3)

Red and Yellow tones

Various red and yellow pigments

Glazing and scumbling to add warmth and local color to the grisaille underpainting (Source 3)

Green

Mixed from blue and yellow, or natural earth greens

Foliage and garden elements; Homer’s palette became 'constrained and sober' in later years, suggesting muted, naturalistic greens (Source 6)

composition

The composition likely arranges the bungalow and garden elements into a coherent view, with the sky included as an important part of the work, consistent with landscape painting traditions (Source 1). Homer’s landscapes often feature a 'solidity and sobriety,' with subjects rendered unsentimentally (Source 6). The arrangement may reflect a topographical view, depicting a specific place with buildings prominently, though such views were sometimes considered inferior to fine art landscapes (Source 1). The composition avoids the 'smallness' that can result from being too tied down to outlines, instead favoring broad masses and confident execution (Source 8).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the basic forms of the bungalow, garden, and sky on the primed canvas using a light charcoal or thinned paint. Focus on broad masses rather than fine details.
Tip — Avoid being too tied down to the outline; depart from it if necessary to capture the essence of the scene (Source 8).
Broad massing

underpainting

step 02
Apply a grisaille underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or linseed oil. Establish the values and forms of the composition, mentally extracting red and yellow colors.
Tip — Ensure the grisaille is quite dry before proceeding to glazing (Source 3).
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Begin glazing and scumbling with oil paints. Apply transparent coats of color (glazing) and semi-opaque layers (scumbling) to introduce red and yellow tones, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Use glazing for transparent depth and scumbling for semi-opaque texture, allowing the underlying grisaille to show through (Source 3).
Glazing and Scumbling

refining

step 04
Refine the details of the bungalow and garden, adjusting colors by mixing with complements to neutralize hues without shifting them undesirably. Darken colors by adding complements rather than black to avoid greenish or bluish shifts.
Tip — Correct hue shifts by adding small amounts of adjacent colors (Source 7).
Color mixing with complements

finishing

step 05
Add final highlights and details, ensuring the weight and density of the medium are exploited. Use safflower or poppyseed oil for lighter colors to prevent yellowing.
Tip — Be mindful of the drying time of different oils; linseed dries faster but yellows more (Source 2).
Impasto and Glazing

varnishing

step 06
Apply a final varnish, possibly mixed with oil, to protect the painting and enhance the depth of the glazes.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Used to build up color and depth over a grisaille underpainting. Glazing involves transparent coats, while scumbling involves semi-opaque layers that allow the underpainting to show through. This method was practiced by old masters and is relevant to Homer’s dense, layered style (Source 3).

Color Mixing with Complements

Darkening colors by adding their complementary color rather than black to avoid undesirable hue shifts. This technique helps maintain the integrity of the color while adjusting value (Source 7).

Broad Massing

Focusing on broad masses and forms rather than fine details in the initial stages, avoiding the tendency to be 'too tied down to the outline' (Source 8).

common pitfalls

→Adding black to darken colors, which can cause hues to shift toward green or blue (Source 7).
→Being too tied down to the outline, leading to a timid or over-modeled appearance (Source 8).
→Using linseed oil for white paints, which can yellow over time; use safflower or poppyseed oil instead (Source 2).
→Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can lead to muddiness or cracking (Source 3).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific pigments used by Homer for this painting are not detailed in the sources.
·The exact composition and layout of the bungalow and garden are not described in the sources, so the recreation must rely on general landscape principles and Homer’s style.
·Homer’s specific brushwork techniques for this painting are not explicitly described, though his general style is noted as 'solid' and 'dense' (Source 5).
·The role of watercolor sketches as preparatory studies for this specific oil painting is not confirmed, though it was a practice he employed for other works (Source 6).

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting (grisaille), glazing, and scumbling techniques
- ON COPYING — applied to Underdrawing and avoiding over-modeling

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 4 — applied to Materials (oils, pigments) and their properties
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Color mixing techniques, avoiding hue shifts
Wikipedia bio — Winslow Homer↗
- Winslow Homer — part 1 & 6 — applied to Artist’s style, medium preference, and general practice
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Composition and genre conventions