Purple Petals and a Pop of Red: Exploring Focal Emphasis (Weekly Challenge #192)

This week, we’re heading to Adelaide, Australia, where jacaranda trees bloom in brilliant lavender and red bows wrap their trunks in a festive embrace. A huge thank you to @judithcrowleyart for capturing these vibrant scenes — proof that Christmas doesn’t always mean snowy fairytales.

These photos were taken in early summer, just weeks before the holidays, offering a different kind of magic: petal-covered streets, curving shadows, and bold red accents glowing in the sun. The purple canopy feels dreamlike, but there’s also structure: tree trunks arch like dancers, and deep shadows stretch across the road.

As we approach the festive season, let’s use this scene as a reminder: emphasis is a choice. In a world full of beauty, what will you make your painting about?

Focus Point: Focal Emphasis

Focal emphasis is a core skill for composition. It’s about selecting one element (a color, shape, or structure) and making sure it reads as the visual priority in your painting.

In real life, everything has detail. But in painting, not everything should compete. What you choose to emphasize tells the story. The rest can soften, fade, or blur. This principle works in every subject from landscapes to still life and is essential in creating clarity and mood.

Need help with this idea? These two painting tips posts are the perfect match:

• Color as a Focal Point in Landscape Art

• Don’t Paint Every Leaf – Mastering Mass vs. Detail

Photo-by-Photo Analysis

Now let us go to the photo references and what they can offer.

Photo 1: Single Red Bow and Street

A bold red ribbon is tied around a jacaranda trunk in the foreground, while soft purple petals fall like snow behind it. This composition is an ideal example of color contrast creating focus.

Week 192: Adelaide, Australia. Photo Credit: @judithcrowleyart

Challenge: Without the bow, this would be a very soft and blended palette.

Focus Questions:

• How can you balance strong color with a quiet scene?

• What edges can you soften or lose to support the red?

Tips:

• Use sharp edges and high contrast only around the focal point

• Fade background elements into pastel purples and greys

• Avoid too much detail in the shadows — keep focus in one zone

Photo 2: Street of Curved Trees and Cars

This image has more complexity: road signs, vehicles, dappled shadows, and clustered red bows.

Week 192: Adelaide, Australia. Photo Credit: @judithcrowleyart

Challenge: Lots of elements compete, you’ll need to make choices.

Focus Questions

• Which element will be your star? Red bow or maybe curvy branches?

• Could the cars and signs be simplified or left out?

Tips:

• Limit your color palette — maybe just 3 dominant hues

• Use shadow shapes to lead the viewer’s eye

• Let curvy branches create subtle rhythm without overtaking the focal point

Photo 3: Long Road Beneath Blossoms

This scene has incredible depth. The tree canopies stretch endlessly, and the light plays softly on the petals below.

Week 192: Adelaide, Australia. Photo Credit: @judithcrowleyart

Challenge: There’s no obvious focal point, so you get to invent one.

Focus Questions:

• Would a single red bow stand out in all this bloom?

• Could you use a figure, or light on the road, to anchor the eye?

Tips:

• Try emphasizing light as focus — a bright highlight in an otherwise soft world

• Use verticals (tree trunks) as framing tools

• Keep distant trees abstract, the eye shouldn’t linger there

Photo 4: Central Tree with Shadow and Red Bow

This bold composition features a strong foreground tree and minimal background clutter. A great option for something graphic or Van Gogh–inspired.

Week 192: Adelaide, Australia. Photo Credit: @judithcrowleyart

Challenge: The subject is clear. How can you stylize it?

Focus Questions:

• Could you use expressive brushwork to make this bow stand out?

• How can the shadows support, not distract?

Tips:

• Use brush direction to suggest energy in the bark and background

• Let colors stay warm near the bow and cooler elsewhere

• Add subtle repetition (petals, leaves, light spots) to support balance

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This is a week for simplifying, editing, and being bold. Don’t try to show everything. Instead, make one thing matter. Then let the rest fade into harmony.

Post your painting on Instagram by Thursday, 18 December 2025 at 23:59 CET, using the hashtag #landscapeartclub192 and tagging @landscapeartclub on Instagram to get featured.

Keep your focus clear! Happy painting!