Queen Annes’ lace by Julie Vatcher, after a recent commission of a large version of these paintings, four little 27 x 27 cm paintings emerged. Following on from ‘Hemlocks’, a painting inspired by a holiday in Rhodes, these fluid art paintings use metallic colours, including gold and a beautiful pewter blue in various tones to create the sky and distant sea. Queen Anne’s lace, is a common sight in dry fields, roadside ditches and open areas. There are many explanations for the origin of this common name, including the flower’s resemblance to the lace that was fashionable around the time of the British monarch, wife of King James I; because people thought it resembled Queen Anne’s lace headdress; 18th-century English courtiers used the flowers as “living lace;” and supposedly because Queen Anne challenged her ladies-in-waiting to a contest to see who could produce a piece of lace as beautiful as the flower, but none could rival her own efforts. Whatever the history of this common plant, this set of paintings combines fluid art backgrounds with delicate brushwork, in soft spring colours. To buy this painting click here.