Koru & New Zealand Poppies

January 13th was my last blog.   I now have 5 paintings for my New Zealand show.   I spent way too much time on the Surf Fishing picture and sure enough I have decided to start over with that painting.   Before I start it again I decided to take a break and painted poppies.  I am so excited it only took me a week to paint these 4 paintings!  Yeah!!  Next I start on the Surf Fishing painting again and some blue flowers which are the same color as the sea in New Zealand!  

The first day we arrived in New Zealand we spent time in Auckland's Botanic Gardens.  

The colors of New Zealand are amazing!  

New Zealand Poppies

Five New Zealand Poppies

I wanted this painting to be a little sketchier and I tried to get the koru into this painting.  

Keep reading the koru is at the bottom of the post.

Just Playing Poppies

I had fun with the shadows on the bottom poppy and yes 

the koru is in this painting also!

Koru
The koru is much more difficult to paint than the poppies!  I plan to paint one
koru for every series of paintings I do.  The next will be blue.

 New Growth or Koru, which is Maori for bright.  This shape is based on the new unfurling silver fern frond and symbolizes new life, new growth, strength and peace.  The koru is used in a stylized form as the logo of Air New Zealand and as an iconic symbol of New Zealand flora.  If you look closely will you may find some of them in the poppy paintings!