Capture May

May brings memories of the "Lilac Lane" at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. The scent was powerful even a block away. I often just stood there overwhelmed by the beauty and heady fragrance.


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Best of Spring

When painting things that are the same, I try to show some differences. That may be by a little bit different shape, lighting or position on the paper. I like to think each flower has its own personality; just waiting to break out in a solo role!


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Garden Group

I have painted geraniums many times before this one.i usually painted them in strong sunlight but chose to do this one in a muted indirect light.It really gives a totally different look to the painting.



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April Snowball

I planted a snowball bush about 5 years ago.there are always some blooms but this year it has outdone itself.I guess it took a while to reach its best self.Maybe that is a metaphor for all of us!


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Clear Blue

I am fascinated with clear glass vases. Depending on what is in the background and foreground there are thousands of possibilities of colors and shapes. When I was on the seventh grade I received a glass pendant similar to a prism . I never tired of looking at all the colors found on the facets.


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Orange Pop

I just got back from a fun weekend spent with friends from high school and college in Charleston, S.C. It is a beautiful city with lots to do.I took a lot of photos that I hope to use as reference for paintings. This is one I painted before I left. The yellow orange pop of color makes the painting.



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Next Best Thing

I don't think I will ever tire of painting lilacs. This is especially true since I no longer live where they grow. I have to depend on photographs from when I lived in Pennsylvania, the paintings turn out different every time, even when I try to paint the exact same thing.


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Convention

The combination of colors in this painting pleases me so much.I instinctively chose the colors ( still life set up was not as colorful)I am sure there is a scientific color scheme for this but i don't even want to think that much. Sometimes the heart just knows



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Pop's Garden

When mentioning a garden in the south, the reference is usually a vegetable garden. My dad always planted corn, tomatoes, beans and peas wherever possible. But he also loved flowers. They had beautiful hydrangeas around their home.Every time I see these flowers I am reminded of my parents.My obsessive love of flowers comes from them.



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Lily Decision

I love the blue and white Asian vases. They are a perfect complement to these white flowers. I am already thinking about the next bunch of flowers to pair up with one of them.Kind of like blue and white is the new black-- goes with everything!



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About Color

Sometime it is all about the color. This painting does have a good deal of neutral tones but the pinks and purples are the star


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Illusion

I haven't posted this week because Blogpress wouldn't allow me to post photos. Apparently they fixed the problem because it finally works. This type of small painting has become a favorite of mine. I like the different shapes that come together like a puzzle connected with dark values.


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Manor Blooms

This us from a photo I think is from a day spent at a place called Springton Manor in Pennsylvania. I went with my painting group when I lived there and we painted en plein air and took photos.When I finish a painting I always have a sense of accomplishing something.
I am not a compulsive housekeeper at all but in the last week I have managed to clean my ovens and reorganize my clothing drawers. I can now be at peace if I had to enter the hospital knowing I wouldn't mind someone coming to pick up clothes for me. Kind of like moms always saying wear nice underwear just in case!




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Amethyst Flowers

The colors in this painting are really exciting to me. I would like to abstract it so another painting would just be about color.
Today we booked a river cruise trip in Germany for late August and early September. We also will stay a few days in Amsterdam and Paris.we have been to Paris but didn't get to spend as much time there as I would have liked to. I also want to walk on the Champs-Elysee and not trip and fall like I did last time. A do over!





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The Vase

My husband brought me flowers last week for no reason- the best kind to get! I put them in a vase that I bought years ago. The vase has an interesting pattern of mosaic tiles.I wasn't quite sure how to approach painting it but as alway the best rule is to just paint what you see. I think it worked.


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Cool White

This was a tough one. It seemed so simple to start with but I ended up starting over a few times. I wanted to give it some life and keep the colors interesting. The most complicated pattern was in the white flowers. I think I finally got it right!



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Moonlight Porch

I was painting this from my photo and for some reason started going toward cool so it turned out more like a moonlit view than sunny. I imagine that a girl was out here sitting on the settee with her boyfriend. Her father eventually flicked the porch light off and on signaling time for said boy friend's departure.


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Simply Rhododendrons

This is a view of one of the rhododendron paths at Longwood gardens. There are hundreds of bushes that are virtually trees because they have been growing so long. They are my second favorite place there after the lilac bushes. Oh wait, I forgot about the beautiful tulip blooms. As always, my top five is closer to a hundred in art, music and flowers.



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Tulips in Blue

If you look hard enough it's easy to find a little Spring. I have bulbs planted and even a little green is pushing up out of the ground. It of course has no blooms. Fortunately your local grocery store fits the bill with bunches of inexpensive tulips and daffodils. These will have to do until we can pick then ourselves.






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Gold Medal

My arts education started in a little different way. There were no after school classes; it was really all on my own. The reference material for me was a set of World Book encyclopedias (1952 edition) I like to draw the flowers in an old large empty ledger that my mother used to paste recipes into. She was happy to let me fill it up with drawings. My favorite section was the costume color plates. They took me away to exotic and historic places and I loved drawing them. I wish I still possessed the book but it is long gone.



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Daydream Dellght

These past two days have been great. The icy weather event has forced us to stay indoors , canceling planned events. What a great excuse to paint! You will never hear me saying I am bored and there is nothing to do. I even cleaned out the refrigerator!


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Sunny spotlight

Sunlight is always preferable to artificial light in setting up something to paint. I like the subtle shadows of the daffodils in front of a window.


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Dialing for Dahlias

Dahlias remind me of my father. A frustrated farmer, he served in the military for most of his career. We often lived in base housing where yards were a premium.I remember him planting a 3 foot patch of ground with beautiful dahlias of all colors. I think that was his creativity to plant things.



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Green Chair

This painting was done from a set up in the workshop in Nashville. The sunshine was perfect coming in from the window. I haven't done many interiors like this but I really enjoyed doing this one. I plan on doing more.


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Vineyard Porch

I visited Martha's Vineyard in the middle of a heat wave. The blue hydrangeas didn't seem to mind the 100 degree temps; apparently they knew it would go back to 80 degrees the minute I got back on the ferry.



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Victoria

When I finished this painting it had a feeling of a Victorian bouquet. I could see it sitting on a table where tea and crumpets are being served. My family lived in England when I was 2 and 3 years old. It is very disappointing that I don't remember much of anything about living there. There are photos and my sisters' memories, though.


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Three Times Z

I love zinnias and Mason jars, so here is a combination of both. On Sundays we record CBS Sunday Morning and watch it later in the day. If you have never watched it before, please do. It totally raises the seratonin level in humans. There are wonderful stories about people, the arts, food and this amazing country. There is nothing negative and not a hint of political partisanship.


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Drama Queens

I liked the drama of these pink blooms emerging from the shadows.Those in the background have some mystery, waiting to tell their story when the drama Queens decide to leave.



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Marketplace Ready

Complementary colors rock! There is something about yellow and violet that just works. Temperatures are pretty cold here today even though I see the shoots of daffodils coming up in the flower beds. I think we are over the hump for Spring.



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Pop of Color

A problem with painting several objects all alike is to make the painting interesting. Each bloom is affected by light to make it have variety. I tried to convey the warmth of the bouquet.



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