Painting over antique prints

Had fun with this series of paintings over antique prints (reproductions of 18th century etchings by John Kay). Swipe to see the “befores” (sorry it’s sort of backwards but I wanted the first image to be my art with gouache!).

I went with a floral/gardening theme but didn’t want anything to feel anachronistic or too out of place. The biggest tell for these being updated is my painting slightly out of frame in each piece, which was an intentional decision.

Fun fact: I learned that the king at the time, George III, was very interested in agriculture earning him the nickname “Farmer George.” So it doesn’t feel inconceivable that some of his soldiers were also gardeners!