Poppies - finished with sadness

I put the final touches on the poppies this morning and went through my usual cleaning exercise conscious of the fact that the deep colours might bleed.


I took great care to blot the wet fabric to take away any excess dye that might want to spread into the surrounding background fabric.  I left the work to air dry for an hour.


When I returned from a brisk walk and some snow clearing (15 cms of snow fell in the night), I saw that some of the reds had seeped as well as one area of black.  I quickly threw it into cold water again, but to no avail.  In a certain light, these flaws are not so evident.  It is a dynamic piece and I was happy with it both technically and aesthetically.  However, I know the flaws are there.  The piece does not have that pristine quality I try always to attain and I am really disappointed.


However, I post the final picture alongside the watercolour study with the intent of explaining that sometimes there are things that fall outside of one's control and the consequences can be very saddening.   This is one such time.