WILSHIRE BLVD

Years ago I  went to Los Angeles with my husband on one of his business trips. I walked a lot and saw these cute men walking  home from the store on Wilshire Boulevard. They were talking the whole way constantly and didn't notice me stalking them. I  took a lot of pictures while I walked. I couldn't wait til I got back home to be able to paint this picture. Of course back then was when we had to wait for the pictures to come back to see how they turned out. Not the instant gratification that we have today!

Best Face Forward

When in California a few years ago; my sister in law was gathering sunflowers in bottles as centerpieces for an event. They were all over the counters and tables in her kitchen and just took my breath away with their collective beauty.It is kind of similar to seeing masses of tulips planted close together- so much more impressive than three or four planted in a garden.
 I would love to receive huge bouquets of flowers as a romantic gesture, but only if they were free. My husband knows that I would not want him to spend that kind of  money on flowers- just hoping he wins the flower lottery, even though I have never heard of them!

Ladies in Waiting

We have watched a few period shows like the Tudors.What struck me about them was that so many people lived in a particular castle at one time. It took so many people to run the daily business of what went on; from scullery maids to ladies in waiting for a queen. I wonder what the job description was for a job like that? The ability to sit and wait for hours for nothing to happen? According to those movies and tv series there was a lot of hanky panky!
These beautiful pansies are like those ladies in waiting; all beautiful but groomed to waiting for their chance.

Blue Path

There is something of a fairy tale aspect that this painting.Just enough to image a princess  floating down the path or Red Riding Hood going on her way to see grandmother!

Flowers at the Edge.

My uncle did a lot of farming years ago with his brothers . They had cows and pigs as well as planting a lot of acreage with cotton, soybeans and corn.All of that was for business, but there was always a family vegetable garden. Most of the family gardens I saw usually had a few rows of flowers on the edge. I never asked about it but wondered exactly why they were planted-- seems a little sentimental to me. Maybe it was a female member of each family who put them there! Anyway they  were always beautiful.

Season Red

This painting of Amaryllises is a looser version of ones I had painted before. I try to buy some bulbs every year to enjoy for most of the winter. They usually come in a glass vase with pebbles in the bottom of the vase and water is added just to the bottom of the vase. It takes about a week or two to shoot up and bloom. Last year I had one that had four blooms on one stem!

FAVORITE

This painting has one of my favorite color schemes.I love the transitions of the warm magenta to the cool purple. Those colors seem to beg for a touch of the cool mint green. I am lucky to do what I want to do. I sit down everyday and have the luxury of getting to choose what I would like to paint. This hasn't always been the case. I remember as a single Mom I had a car accident and had to have my car repaired. The guy who owned the body shop asked if I would paint his black 57 Chevy in exchange for the amount of the deductible I was supposed to pay. I had never before painted a car, but was willing to try.

Afternoon Sun

This is painted from some more flowers I had on one of my tables at Thanksgiving.They really lasted a long time;I just threw them out yesterday. I placed them on some napkins that I had bought at Williams Sonoma some years ago. The tablecloth they matched is long gone but I do love the color and patterns of the napkin fabric.They are perfect with the yellows and reds of the flowers.

Pop Up Party

Geraniums remind me a a party about to happen. The blooms seem to just shoot up out of the green circular leaves. They are very hardy; one of the few flowers that flourish in the middle of summer in the south. A Rosie the Riveter kind of flower- not a shrinking violet.

Sandy's Vase

I went to a Nancy Medina workshop here in Memphis a few years ago. One of the artists I met was Sandy Mctier from Georgia, she is a wonderful artist and does a lot of teaching. She brought an antique vase with her and we used it to showcase some of the flowers Nancy brought. The color of the vase was actually a dusty blue but somehow I painted it this blue green color. It just seemed to go better with the composition as that color. I could paint this one several times, it was that much fun!

Margaret's Window

Years ago I went to a watercolor workshop with the painter Margaret Martin. She has since passed away but she was a wonderful painter.Her studio was in Buffalo, New York. Although in March there was still snow on the ground; the studio was filled with beautiful flowers.This was the view of one of the windows in the studio.

Violet Basket

i know that some people paint seasonally; like some restaurants only serve what is in season. I paint from life but I also go back to photos when I feel like painting something that isn't physically available.I have painted flowers for more than 40 years so there is a certain muscle memory- some I could paint with my eyes closed.These are African violets in a white basket-- they are soon to be on their way to a new home!

Amaryllis School

When we lived near Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, we often visited and enjoyed seeing the greenhouses. No matter what season, there was always something going on. There were usually row after row of pots to be used in the next display in the conservatory. Christmas season was always the best. Local schools and garden groups decorated trees using only natural materials. The varieties of amaryllis could take your breath away with their beautiful blooms and the sheer number of plants. I usually do a Christmas card featuring an amaryllis. This year I am not because I am having hip replacement surgery in a few weeks and just have been busy getting ready for that. Hopefully next year I will be back with a new card!

Friday Tulips

I would not mind painting tulips everyday, they always appear different, no matter how many times I paint them.They remind me of the big attraction at a concert.They are resilient,mthey don't come around often and they take special care to be spectacular when they bloom.

On a Pedestal

I Picture this as a scene in a lush garden with enough sunlight to make all these beautiful flowers bloom.The geraniums are the center of attention while the hydrangeas are paying court.High Drama!

On The Course

i am not a golfer; my husband has taken up the game- only since he retired 12 years ago, he loves it and we are fortunate to live on a golf course. It is really a beautiful place to live. Even in winter there is a lot of beauty to be found. This is a view of the course on a beautiful autumn day.

Waterlily

This waterlily is perfectly at home on an easel for display.I like to be able to display these paintings on panels  instead of faming them. It is cheaper of course than the frames but also allows more areas to display them .

Bucket List

This bucket of brightly colored flowers only works because of the neutral tones of the background
and the bucket. The neutrals give the eye a rest; kind of like eating candy for breakfast, lunch and dinner would be too much of a good thing!

Truly Tulips

Children always ask what is your favorite color, food, animal, etc. My favorite flower answer was always the tulip. Something about the shape and colrs spoke to me. Now that I am a "grown up"I have realized that I am not bound to just one flower as a favorite  so I have expanded my list! Of course that applies to my lists of music and books. An embarrassment of riches!

White Cloud

I love hudrangeas of all kinds but especially the white. There are always  more colors in the blooms than white, such as greens, grays and purples. Combined with the turquoise jar it is picture perfect.

Lilac Formation

This is just another excuse to paint lilacs! I went back into the studio after a week off in California not sure what I was going to paint.I didn't have any fresh flowers so I looked through the bazillion photos that I have collected over the last 30 or so years. What caught my eye? Surprise- lilacs in jars. The combination of the caribbean blue with the purple is always thrilling to me. This one is on stretched gallery wrap canvas - 12x12.

STAR

Whenever I choose a vase of flowers to paint I want a variety- whether it is by size, type of flower or color. I like this arrangement because you can tell the star of the show right away. The white flower is important because of the light value and the size.

Supporting Cast

In a Broadway play there is almost always at least one star. We recently saw "Beautiful" the play in New York. It is about a part of the life of Carole King. It was a wonderful show. Her character was the star but there was a great supporting cast. The sunflower is like that; most important but surrounded by other flowers who give support.

Monterey Coast

I am in The bay area of San Francisco visiting family. A few days ago we drove down to The Monterey - Carmel area. I have been there before but the beauty of the Pacific Ocean never fails  to amaze me. The power of the water is amazing.

Blue Group

This painting is on its way to Oklahoma tomorrow morning. It is a favorite subject matter of mine; mason jars filled with flowers. A good combination of elegance and down home decorating!

Tulips Squared

I usually use a lot of color in my paintings; especially the florals.For this painting of white tulips I used a subdued palette. I often went to Longwood Gardens in May when the tulips were in bloom. They were planted in color order starting with white. The lack of color in these tulips makes all the other colors more  vivid.

One Love

i am drawn to painting bouquets like this one. I don't draw each flower- I start with just big shapes and then go to smaller shapes and add darkest shapes next to the flower shapes. It always comes together just the way I see it n my head. The most exciting part is adding those last few strokes .

High Strung

I chose a purple background for these blue hdrangeas. A common choice would be for a neutral background but I was willing to take a risk with an unusual choice. It works for me!

Green Apple

This apple and bowl were part of a still life set up in the Karen O'Neil workshop I went to in Woodstock, New York. I took a lot of photos and painted this one when I got home. The studio had perfect North light. I have never really understood what was so good about light coming from the north.I now  know that the good thing about it is that it doesn' t change much during the day and the light is more diffused. My "studio"'has more northeast light most of the time but I have learned to adapt.
My husband may laugh when reading this because I have referenced a compass direction.I am not known for my sense of direction. I delivered meals today on our Meals on Wheels route by myself because my husband is out of town.. I did just fine but of course had the help of  the GPS in the car!

Antigua Sunshine

We walked around several areas of Antigua. I loved the ice cream colors of the buildings with their white roofs, especially on such a sunny day.I  took a lot of photographs and ended up painting this watercolor of one of them.