#InMyStudio - "Little Secrets" - a Collaborative piece!!!

In case you didn't remember... this piece on the left was the remarkable piece Annie Hamman sent me almost two weeks ago.

Above everything else on this piece, I wanted to keep Annie's ladies.

As you remember from last week, I added a little birdie whispering secrets in her ear 

and the tulip in her hand, together with the pearls and patterned vase.

 I loved the blue moody sky that Annie had in her piece and

decided to carry that through on my piece.

I lowered my horizon line and slightly covered the gateway.

So this week, I still had much to do... 
I added another 2 birdies, another one fluttering above her other ear
and another little birdie in the tree...

Can you spot her?

My piece, not only became a night scene but also ended up with a rather Oriental feel to it..

so I knew that my background would keep with the Oriental theme.

I decided to add the Cherry Blossoms down the right side.
This was a huge undertaking and those tiny flowrs took me hours.

This week, I brought that sweet gateway back... 

There is lots going on in this painting so I decided the keep the pathway clean

as well as the rest of the background.

Annie had used a white charcoal pencil to outline some flowrs on the left side of the painting.

I loved this so much and didn't want to loose it at all.

I added a light wash of red, white and payne's grey oils within the white outlines

and it finished them off beautifully.

Again, without meaning to... but totally keeping with the Oriental feel.

I am completely in love with the pathway
that draws my eye up past the girls to the little gateway that reflects a bit of light
- it feels like it's calling me in...

There is such mystery to this piece and there are secrets...

And I love that each one of them holds something dear to them in their hands.

I think I am completely in love with this piece!

Thank you Annie for this remarkable journey and storytelling in this piece.