Color the Emotion

Pick a few colors and create without stiffness.

Watercolor Flowers in Louisa M. Alcott Style

This week, I talk about Louisa M. Alcott’s characters and painting flowers in watercolor.

Freely Grown 5, a watercolor painting by the artist Päivi Eerola, Finland.

They say that nature should not be humanized, but when I paint flowers, I do that without hesitation.

Splashes Start an Adventure

I love getting to know my flowers little by little. Their life begins with random splashes and I try to grow them as freely as I can.

Random splashes in watercolor. Beginning of a flower painting.

At its best, a painting is like a good book that hooks you into the atmosphere and cannot be left unfinished. It’s always exciting to see what kind of characters turn out on paper and what happens to them.

Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott

In this painting, the big peony was born first. She is a girl who is sure of her position, but always ready to hug and strengthen others as well. I was reminded of the novel Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott. Could that peony be like Meg, the big sister of the family?

Painting flowers in watercolors. Imagining flowers as characters.

And could there be Amy next to her, a growing beauty and sometimes a bit self-centric too?

Painting watercolor flowers. Expressing characters of the book Little Woman by Louisa M. Alcott as flowers.

Right below white and glamorous Amy, there’s sweetly round Beth who left this world far too soon.

Painting the Atmosphere

When the watercolor wets the thick cotton paper, I would like to invite you to my little studio and give you a thin brush. Together, we would then paint small shapes like writers working on a common story.

Painting the atmosphere. Abstract flowers in watercolor.

However, as everything in flowers does not have to be literal or recognizable, we could just focus on the atmosphere.

Jo the Tulip

The key figure in my painting is the tulip in the background. He is like Jo, unique and more modern than others, ready to create her life joyfully, but without being forced to the center of the painting. I admired Jo as a child, and it has taken me a long time to dare to be like her – step aside and do my own thing.

Finishing a painting that has the characters of Little Women as flowers. Louisa M. Alcott inspired art.

Somehow I also think that when you come to my course, you too want to be like Jo – do your own thing, express the flavor of life, embrace the abundance of nature, and allow unapologetic playfulness.

A detail of a watercolor painting by Paivi Eerola. Painting abstract flowers in watercolors. Getting inspiration from the book Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott.

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4 thoughts on “Watercolor Flowers in Louisa M. Alcott Style

  1. I enjoyed this very much. I was a shy, quiet child whose friends were in my books. The girls of Little Women were my first and very best friends. I admired Jo, but I was much more like Beth. I very much wanted to live in a home with loving parents and siblings who loved each other. That was not what I lived, but I could go in those pages and make believe for a time. Thank you for this.

  2. Delicate and beautiful, and I love the connection with Little Women! I always listen to my favorite books and stories while doing art.

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