Out in the Country

The South is a great place to be in the winter but payback comes in July and August. I lived in a rural area early in high  school. In the summer I would take a 2 mile walk to my Uncle's country store. The store had a wood stove  and one of those drink boxes where you put money into a slot and you slid the coke bottle through a track. After it was full, they emptied the container of bottle tops out onto the ground outside the store. The bottle tops became a great paving material.
 The painting above is based on memories of what I saw on the walk to the store. I tried to show the warmth because on some of those days the heat shimmered just like on a desert!

Marrakesh Express

I painted this a while ago and it is now living near New York City. After I finished painting I was thinkng of a title and the name Marrakesh Express came to me. The reason is that it looks more exotic than a typical flower painting--- not your grandmother's African violets. The title is the same as a song written by Graham Nash and recorded by Crosby, Stills and Nash in 1969. Their music is even more relevant today.

Change of Pace

when I visited London I noticed that these flower stands were found all over the city.Even though there might not be a lot of green space, the flowers offered up a bright spot. Instead of what you might see in a garden setting the metal containers add a bit of rhythm and repetition that make for an interesting composition. It is a good thing it is camera ready because I don't think they would have liked me going in and rearranging for art's sake!

SELECTION

I have been experimenting with using texture in backgrounds for my acrylic paintings. I have a large(12x16) geli plate that I can cover with paint using a brayer.I then place things on it like bubble wrap, stencils, etc. to create texture. I place the plate onto the canvas and Voila!- interesting patterns. This painting is a contrast of smooth and rough textures.

Call it a Day

I like to mix the modern with the old fashioned. Although the subject matter appears to be from a by gone era, the fact that it is on a modern frameless canvas brings a little edge to the painting.The good old days were romantic but I have read about what it was like to walk on unpaved muddy streets, not to mention the contributions made by the horses! I will take my roses any old way.

SECOND NATURE

Zinnias are the all-time favorite "happy flower."The combination of all the variety of colors is breath taking. A perfect contrast is the cool silver bucket.
I am leaving Ocean Springs, MS. today to go back home. I have spent several days with my group of friends That I have known since elementary school..We went to the Walter Anderson art museum yesterday. He was from an artistic family of painters and potters. He often took a rowboat out to Horn Island and stayed weeks at a time studying the creatures and plant life found there and then translated them into paintings.

you are not familiar with him; look him up. His work is a treat. This is a photo of a room in a community center that he painted for$1 many years ago.

Violet Phase

African Violets are one of my favorite flowers. I think it is the texture of the leaves and blooms; very velvety.This composition seemed to have an abstract feel to it.This is in contrast to the old fashioned nature of the flower which has a reputation for being a "grandmother" plant.

Oak Leaf Hydrangeas

My parents had huge Oak Leaf hydrangeas planted at their home in Mssissippi. The beauty of these plants is that they have tremendous staying power. After their summer blooming of snowy flowers, the dried blossoms  stay as an elegant reminder of their beauty. Then as fall comes along the leaves turn beautiful colors to rival even the most majestic tree. A definite more for your money purchase.
 I am in Ocean Springs, MS this week visiting with friends who go back to elementary school. That is a long time for some people born in 1952 and 1953. We have a wonderful time together and  feel 18 again as long as we don't look closely in the mirror!

Beauty Follows

The colors in this painting are some of my favorites. I had done a textured background prep for this painting and the texture shows through the flower  shapes and vase.I think it makes the painting much more interesting; a little  mystery added.

Choice Blooms

This was one of a series that I did of the same vase of flowers. I have found that if a subject does not excite me the painting of it won't either. The little bits of lime green with the pinks and purples were compelling enough to paint it several times. This one is headed to Syracuse, New York.

Interior Memo

my husband planted tulip and daffodil bulbs yesterday. I know that seems late to some who live in other parts of the country but it works here in the Upper South. The weather has been unseasonably warm and the ground was not cold enough to plant the bulbs. We have planted in January the last several years and have had beautiful flowers every spring. Today we had a snow so the timing was perfect.
I like these yellow tulips combined with the blue and white pitcher. Very Dutch!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year a few days late. I had hip replacement surgery December 12 but was still able to enjoy the holidays. We had a great time with family all the way through New Year's Eve. Excess cookies and pie have gone the way of the trash can ; it was wonderful but I have to stop!
This photo is from my instagram account- features the top posts of 2016. I have been blessed this past year and hope to be able to create more art in the upcoming months. I learn something new every day!

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!