Summer Blooms in Landscape Vase with Ladybugs

Last Summer my oriental poppies, planted from seeds, stole the show. The red/orange colouring was almost fluorescent in the garden. I had to capture that intensity in a bouquet along with the irises and clematis as side kicks, with the intention that it would eventually be a painting subject. The time has come.

The square porcelain vase comes from my mother-in-law. Very finely executed, it's my favourite of all the vases we own.

The images are not just painted on the surface, but also etched into the porcelain. 

 

If the Antiques Road Show came to town, this is the item I would bring. It's not that I want to know the value - to me its priceless - I just want to find out more about it. Mid-century perhaps? The markings under - L1  KTLE, I think... or asian symbol... I'm not sure. 

Here are the faces of the vase from, left to right.: spring, summer, autumn, winter, I was told.

To me, it's all the same season, early autumn, but in four different directions - the cardinal points. Looking north is the green spruce and cold mountains, a sun rise and a sun set looking east and west, gold and green grassland looking south. 

Anyway, that's my own interpretation, back to painting.

Base coat.

Many more layers to come.

After several days. Almost done.