What We See

I could paint tulips every day and never tire of them. I like to do these smaller (8x8) paintings in between painting the larger ones. It takes different kinds of energy to do large vs. small. And time. Today I need to pick up our granddaughter at middle school so will leave the house at 2:30. I will paint from 12:00 until then,so kind of hard to start a larger painting so I will go small . The older I get the more important it is to use my time wisely. Amazing what you can get done!

We Are Stardust

I am trying to be more abstract in my painting. It is very hard! I know that I need to just jump in there but think maybe baby steps are more prudent.I have to say this painting was very fun to do; all expectations were off the table. I just let things happen amd I am pleased. Who knows what the next one will look like!

UPGRADE

I tend to go from the panoramic to the close up; often in the same day. This painting’s composition makes a path through the gray tones of the buckets adding snippets of bright colors in the flowers and
Leaves.I remember the artist at a watercolor workshop years ago who spoke to us about creating a “ribbon”of color through the painting leading the viewer through the painting.In this painting it is the darkest dark that starts at the bottom and makes a trail all the way to the top.

Gold Medal Lilacs

I have painted lilacs many times and will continue to do so. The wonderful fragrance of lilacs is one of those that is not easy to replicate. No perfume or soap titled  lilac can match the real thing. The colors and shapes of the flowers are unrivaled in their beauty. I am glad to be able to do something that gives me so much pleasure; what a great job!

Wake Me Up

I switch  back and forth between light and dark backgrounds.The light background is great for creating an airy light filled atmosphere. The dark adds a feeling of excitement and drama. I guess it depends on the mood I am in at the time I am  painting. It just happens as I go along,

Far Afield

A reason I like painting the Meadow series is a chance to show perspective in a landscape. The flowers close to the bottom of the painting are larger compared to the ones at the top of the painting, showing a distance between the two areas.It is a pleasure to paint flowers in a setting where I can just go with my intuition about the placement of the blooms rather than recreate the exact location of each flower.

Look Before You Leap

B

This is another of my new favorite subject —meadows.The  iris and other flowers in this painting have become wilder as in a non planned arrangement.. It is as if the bulbs and seeds were just thrown out and thrived wherever they landed. I like this much more than a formal planting.My iris here in Memphis have not started blooming yet, although the daffodils will be soon

Off the Charts

I like to paint from fresh flowers but I do  rely on photographs too. I was in Kroger doing some grocery shopping last week. I passed by some beautifully arranged bouquets that were very well lit. I did a stealth glance for any clerk that might see me, pulled out my phone and took some photos .As usual, what I painted is not a perfect replica of the original flowers. I like to put my own spin and “animate” what I see.This one worked out.

Parking Pass

Even  though we are having some colder weather here in the south right now, I can’t help getting excited about Spring.My husband planted tulip and daffodil bulbs and it won’t be long until they start emerging from the ground. We are usually able to time our purchase of the bulbs at Lowe’s or Home Depot when they go on sale at the end of the season. So until  April I will be painting tulips from last year’s photos.

Pinnacle

Drama is the name of the game. Value is important to make each color show up to it best potential. I always make sure to have a light, dark and medium value in every painting.It is necessary is to make the values unequal; in a delicate quiet painting the dark value will be used sparingly. In this painting the dark background makes the flowers pop.

Cool Garden

 This painting is being given away on Daily Paintworks.com this week. I have been chosen as the Spotlight Artist of the week.Those who have purchased a painting on the DPW site during the month will be entered into a drawing for this painting. There is also an interview with me on the DPW site.

I was trying to portray a cool misty morning in a garden.Gardens are my focus lately; for some reason I am drawn to them.

Big Moment

I like the combination of pastel and bright colors in a painting. The pastels function almost as a neutral in the composition— giving the eye a rest from the brightest colors. The buckets are also a contrast to the soft petals of the flowers. The composition is chosen to keep the viewer inside the picture plane, almost in a circular pattern.