Roses Tremieres (Hollyhocks)

Light floods this garden scene from the upper left, creating a luminous atmosphere that bleaches the sky to pale lavender-gray. The composition is dominated by a dense vertical mass of flowering plants—hollyhocks and climbing roses—that occupy the left two-thirds and press toward the viewer with an almost suffocating intimacy. The eye enters at the bright white and cream blossoms clustered in the upper-left quadrant, then travels downward through the layered green foliage, finally settling on the small blue-striped garden chair and round table in the foreground as compositional anchors that ground the scene in human scale.

The darkest passages are the deep forest-green shadows within the dense foliage (especially left side and center), while the brightest lights are the cream and white flowers and the pale sandy ground. The sky and upper atmosphere read as a mid-light lavender-gray. Most of the painting clusters in the mid-to-dark range; the few bright flower clusters and the foreground sand are what create visual relief and prevent the work from feeling muddied.

• #6d704c

  Raw Sienna + Ultramarine Blue + touch of Cadmium Yellow

  Mid-tone greens throughout foliage, especially center-left where light filters through; ground shadows

• #383e2c

  Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Sienna + Viridian

  Darkest tree trunks and deepest shadow recesses within the dense plants, left edge and interior shadows

• #858a60

  Yellow Ochre + Viridian + white, high-key version

  Lighter greens in mid-distance foliage catching side light; the pale greenish sand area lower right

• #d4cab8

  Titanium White + Raw Sienna + touch of Cadmium Red

  Cream and off-white hollyhock blooms, pale sky, highlights on table surface

• #9f9775

  Yellow Ochre + Ultramarine + Titanium White

  Warm tan and beige mid-tones in foliage, fence, and shadowed ground areas

• #b7b093

  Yellow Ochre + Titanium White + touch of Ultramarine

  Pale warm greens and tan-greens in sunlit foliage patches; the round table top

Morisot's brushwork here is deliberately loose and directional—vertical strokes dominate the foliage to suggest upright plant growth, while horizontal dabs indicate individual blooms. Edges dissolve where light is brightest (the white flowers blur into surrounding greens) and firm up slightly where forms meet shadow. The paint is applied in visible strokes with little blending; individual marks remain readable and create the sense of dappled light moving through the garden.

1. 01

   Establish the light source and sky

   Lay in a very pale lavender-gray wash across the entire upper portion, leaving it thinner and lighter at the top center. This pale, diffused overhead light is critical—don't make it blue or dramatic, keep it soft and neutral. Work quickly with a large flat brush, leaving visible brushstrokes that follow the general direction of the sky's subtle planes.

2. 02

   Block in the major dark masses

   Using your darkest mix (Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna + Viridian), paint the dense foliage areas on the left and center, including the tree trunks and deepest interior shadows. Keep the shapes loose and vertical to suggest the upward thrust of plants. Leave gaps and unpainted canvas where the brightest flowers will eventually sit; don't try to render every leaf.

3. 03

   Establish mid-tone green foundation

   Block in the bulk of the mid-tone greens (Raw Sienna + Ultramarine + Cadmium Yellow) across the foliage areas, working around and over the dark shapes. This layer should feel organic and directional—use vertical strokes in the left-center flower mass, and let some of the darker underwash show through. Work the entire left two-thirds with this color family to unify the plant mass.

4. 04

   Place the foreground table and chair

   Paint the blue-striped garden chair and round table in the lower right with crisp but not photographic strokes. Use a pale gray-blue for the chair stripes and a warm tan-white for the table top. These elements should feel lighter and more defined than the foliage, providing visual rest and spatial anchoring. Keep the sand beneath them pale and warm (Yellow Ochre + white).

5. 05

   Block in flower clusters with light values

   Using cream, pale pink, and off-white (Titanium White + Raw Sienna + touch of Cadmium Red), place loose vertical dabs and clusters where the hollyhocks and roses bloom. Concentrate the brightest whites in the upper left and center-left where light is strongest. Let these strokes sit on top of the green base—don't blend them; keep them as visible marks suggesting individual blooms or small clusters.

6. 06

   Warm the greens with secondary light

   Introduce lighter, warmer greens (Yellow Ochre + Viridian + white) into the mid-ground foliage where side light catches it. This creates a sense of sunlight filtering through the leaves and prevents the green from feeling monotonous. Place these warmer greens in patches and streaks rather than all over, allowing them to dance among the cooler shadows.

7. 07

   Refine bloom colors and add depth accents

   Return to the flower areas and add subtle warm and cool variations—pale pinks and mauves appear among the whites, especially toward the right side where reds are more pronounced. Use a small round brush and quick, deliberate dabs. Add small touches of darker red-violet blooms (Alizarin + Ultramarine) in the foreground right to push the front plane forward and create spatial recession.

8. 08

   Strengthen edges and add final directional marks

   With a medium round brush, add vertical accent strokes of mid-dark green throughout the foliage to suggest stems and structure without being literal. Soften the boundary between the flower mass and sky by feathering a few pale greens upward into the lavender. Add small crisp touches of darker shadow where the chair and table meet the plants, tying foreground to background. Step back frequently—Morisot's restraint is essential; resist over-rendering.

• Blending the greens too thoroughly will destroy the impressionistic light and air. Keep strokes visible and directional; let colors sit adjacent rather than melting into each other.
• Making the white flowers too pure or too opaque will flatten them. The cream blooms work because they're surrounded by complex greens and sit slightly into the picture plane—they're suggestions, not solid objects.
• Underestimating the darkness of the deep shadows and tree forms. The dark interior recesses are genuinely dark and necessary to make the light flowers read as luminous; if you lighten them, the whole tonal structure collapses.
• Placing the chair and table too prominently or rendering them too precisely. They anchor the composition but should feel atmospheric and light, not like a still life focus. They're vehicles for showing foreground space, not the subject.
• Filling the entire composition with similar-value greens. The painting works because there's genuine variety in value within the foliage—some patches read nearly as light as the sky, others drop into shadow. Squint to find these value passages before committing paint.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility