London Flowers

Although London is a big city, there are always flowers around. It seems like every street has places selling flowers and there are countless gardens and homes showcasing flowers. Maybe because the weather is always oomy, flowers are so important to the people there.

Bountiful

i enjoyed painting this vase of flowers. I seemed to go back to watercolor techniques in this one.I so admire photorealistic paintings but know that is just not my style. So I will continue on my painting journey doing what is comfortable for me!

White Blooms

I tend  to paint a lot of white flowers. I think it is because we most often think of bright colors for flowers but I like how many different colors can be found in a "white" flower. Sometimes the extra color is a true color; like a pink striping in a white tulip. Most often though it is a matter of lighting, whether sunlight or indoor lighting. These flowers take pattern to a whole new level.

Porch Play

i took a photo of these little girls in Mississippi many years ago. Tney were playing with toys and dress up clothes on a porch in a neighborhood near the college I attended.Even though it was a long time ago, the image is contemporary as there are still countless little girls playing on a hot summer afternoon.

Spirit

in a small (6x6) painting the drama has to be something other than size. These pots of flowers could be ordinary; no exotic blooms. The trick is in the lighting and color to create the drama. By emphasizing the dark and light of the pots, The flowers take on a more interesting personality.

Ford First

i don't often paint vehicles but I noticed this old truck when we delivered Meals on Wheels.It belongs  to the client's son and it is his pride and joy.I don't  know much about trucks but I have a feeling this one is pretty special. I like the yellow and red in the painting.

Bird Vase

I am fond of  Asian blue and white vases. Not only the expensive rare ones but any that is found at a gift shop.Which  is a good thing because I couldn't afford the real thing! A flower arrangement takes on an elevated status when in one of these beauties. There are hundreds of different designs, ranging from realistic depiction of villages to more abstract designs.Painting  these is art within art!

Moonlight Garden

I didn't really start this painting as a night scene. As I painted I realized my color choices were on the cool side so I changed course. I think it makes the painting a little more unique. There is something exciting about the cool violets.

My Garden Blooms

i don't have a lot of flowers planted in my yard but I do have a few favorites. The purple iris were transplanted years ago from my parents' home in Mississippi. The tulips are planted each winter to bring some much needed spring and the daffodils are faithful to come back every year. These are some I picked and brought into the house. I always hate to see them fade as the week goes by. But there is always next year.

In The Light

I have been fascinated with tulips since I was a child drawing on any spare paper I could find. I am sure I started with the typical zigzag representation but soon morphed into a more artistic version. I am still striving to find  the perfect tulip painting. Of course If I did that means I would have to stop; where is the fun in that?

She Loves Me

when I taught elementary school I might give an assignment to draw a vase of flowers. Invariably students would draw a vase, several straight lines with separate flowers. I encouraged them to look at a real vase of flowers and observe how the flowers were arranged in masses. The daisy picture above has individual flowers but they are all connected. They are differentiated by edges of petals, greenery and shadows and highlights. Although in a mass our brain sees individual flowers.

Summer Porch

I painted this watercolor some years ago.It hopefully conveys what a warm summer afternoon on a southern porch would be like. It ends up almost a primary color scheme minus the yellow.

Still Life

A few years ago I was one of a few who were asked to illustrate a church cookbook. One of my sections to illustrate was  a section on vegetables. I did several arrangements and this was one of my favorites i guess because I was able to sneak in some flowers!

FULL DISCLOSURE

I remember all those years ago when Earth Day began. It had a kind of hippie like vibe; seems like everything back then did. I admit I wasn't always  aware of  how important it was. As I have grown older I  realize how much we need to take care of the earth. I now am so much more awed by the beauty of flowers and trees. I am lucky to live conveniently near the city with all of its conveniences but suburban enough to hear birds outside my windows and see squirrels scampering up and down trees.Flowers still excite me and am so blessed to be able to paint what I love.

Sunflower Surprise

I used to think there was just one kind of sunflower- the stereotypical large yellow petaled , huge dark brown centered flower of illustrations. I now know of all the varieties. These sunflowers are the milder cousins to those showy flowers. Of course they have as much impact, just a little quieter, introverts!

Crowd Surfing

This is a detail from a larger painting. My favorite thing about the piece and also the larger painting is the relationship between all the colors. The aqua surface beneath the pots is a perfect color to show off the flowers. I could say it was all a perfect plan but sometimes the colors are a trial and error. This time I got it right first try. Lucky!

Old Fashioned Peonies

this watercolor painting of peonies was done a while ago in a class I took in Pennsylvania . The instructor brought in fresh flowers to class each time. It was a pleasure to paint such beauty.

White Wall

This is a small(6x6) painting of some geraniums in an enamel pot. It brings back memories to me of being a young child visiting my aunt who was quite a bit older than my mother.There were several kitchen pans like this one.She lived out in the country and even had an outhouse although she did eventually get an indoor toilet! It was kind of exotic to me but of course I only visited in the summer . I am sure I would have a different opinion if I had to visit the outhouse on a cold night.

Blue Bowl

This is another painting  from the Karen O'Neil workshop in Woodstock ,N.Y last August.She had several still life arrangements set up around the studio and I was drawn to this beautiful glass bowl. It was a little intimidating but I knew I could always wipe it and start over if I needed to. That is the beauty of oil painting vs. watercolor. When I exclusively did watercolors it was hard to remedy a mistake. An important part of painting is observation. I took a long time to look at the bowl. It is amazing how many different colors and shapes are involved in this one  object. Carol  Marine gave some advice in another workshop to not fall in love with your artwork. This one hadn't sold yet on dailypaintworks but I don't mind keeping it around the studio. Something about that blue glass speaks to me .

Charleston Market

My long time friends and I went to Charleston for a girls trip a few years ago.we had a great time in this picturesque city. The market there is very lively and colorful. I noticed this woman intently marking prices on the produce she was selling.She seemed to be the epitome of the strong matriarch .
A striking subject matter for sure..

Cozy Corner

Often  the most ordinary thing can be beautiful. These three pots standing  alone would not make much impact but grouped together make an interesting still life. I think it is about the warmth of the terra cotta paired with the bits of living plants and flowers as a contrast. A kind of cozy corner.

Equity Report

Tulips are in my top five of favorite flowers. These were so beautiful that I wanted to paint them. When deciding on the composition of flowers that are similar to each other in size and color, a lot of problems have to be solved.When objects are similar something has to be done to make them more interesting. One way to solve the problem is placement. I placed the tulips at varying heights on the plane to show depth. I also varied the size and color of the blooms  slightly. The tulips in the background have less precise shape and detail to push them farther back.Hopefully this draws the eye into the picture.Another rule of composition is to not put something of importance on the edge of the picture plane because it draws the eye out of the painting.So many rules to think about but after a number of years it becomes intuitive. Worth the trouble!

Chicken Basket

i did this still life in watercolor some years ago.Toward the end of my mother's life we went to garage sales with her. I had picked up a little basket at a flea market in Maine and had given it to her. She loved it and we searched every garage sale from then on to find more. We were surprisingly lucky to find several more of all sizes. Adding this one to a group of vegetables and fruits made the painting much more personal to me.

Catch the Light

I have lately been interested in abstract paintings. I study them and decide what are the things that draw my attention to a particular painting. It is often about color and shapes that are exciting to me.I have seen some in places like the Guggenheim and MOMA in New York that seem like a gimmick that is worth a lot of money but does nothing to pique my interest.
I have been incorporating abstract elements into my paintings lately. This painting is a good example of that. The flowers may seem traditional but I have tried to make each stroke deliberate, especially the background. The subject is still recognizable but with fewer strokes.
I don't want to become too predictable by always painting the same way.Although medicare is looming in about 6 months, I like to stay young!

Spotlight

Some of my favorite paintings have a darker background. I guess the darkness brings out the colors in a more dramatic way. I have  painted  similar paintings this way. I never tire of the way these colors are so pleasing to the eye.

April Vase

My goal with this painting was to emphasize texture. I have painted these type of flowers hundreds of times but wanted to try something different.The smooth texture of the glass is a contrast to the rougher texture of the wall.It gives the painting a little interest and excitement.

White Garden

I love color but I also like to paint with a limited palette. White is always exciting to me because it adds a punch of interest to the painting. I planted white tulips at my house this year and they are so good because they really show up in the yard compared to other colors that blend into the landscape. I am always amazed at the different greens in nature. Some beginner artists make the mistake of using green right out of the tube.I most often mix blue and yellow on the palette to get vibrant greens. A way to make a duller green is to add a bit of red, the complement of green. There goes that sneaky color theory again!

Sunny Window

I am drawn to windows and doors on houses rather than the whole structure. I think this is because I am not fond of drawing things that require using a straight edge. It seems like a kind of art that I avoid. The pots of flowers add some interest to the window and the sun and shadows add some life to the painting. No rulers were harmed in this endeavor.

Glory

A little self promotion. I entered two paintings in our local art league show. They both were juried in and one won an award for best use of color. There were a lot of great paintings entered and I am honored to be included. Most of my paintings are sent out to people that I never get a chance to meet so it was nice to interact with artists and art admirers in person.

Three Peonies

This is another peony painting.I get started and can't stop. The glass jars are a favorite theme of mine; even better when they come in threes. One rule of design that  works well is to have an odd number of objects in a painting.An even number seems to split the painting down the middle instead of keeping your eyes moving around the painting.