These photographs were taken using my Canon EOS 550D DSLR camera so I have captured a lot of detail.  I love the colour of the flowers and petals, a subtle purple and yellow, which is very eye-catching against the strong green and rich velvety red of the other blooms. The blossoms remind me of those depicted in a large sapphire blue vase, just off centre, behind the vivid blue lamp in ‘ The Blue Lamp’ by J.D.Fergusson. Fergusson and Peploe loved to paint flowers and did so for years, trying to capture the perfect Still Life. I love ‘The Blue Lamp’ painting and it is part of Art Critical studies which I use with S4. I recently saw the painting in an exhibition at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh and was fascinated by its glossy colour and bold use of outline. Surrounded by these flowers over the festive season I really wanted to sketch them and capture their velvety texture. I  plan to make observational drawing studies which will be used as examples for my S3/6 classes who are currently working on the Investigation and Research stage of the Expressive Unit.  By looking critically at the work of other artists who use flowers in their work, such as the Scottish Colourists, Anne Redpath and Keith Mallett,  I hope to demonstrate the range of materials and techniques which can be used to create Still Life work.