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.

Publicity

This painting remindd me of a movie poster from the '40's. I don't plan things like that; it just turns out that way.Flowers are always a pleasure.
.

Stand By

I have a friend whose husband worked for an airline before he retired and a retirement perk is that they can fly free on standby. It is a little uncertain if there is a seat for them on every flight but it is definitely worth it to try. These pots of flowers seem to be waiting their turn to be the star.

Brava

I really enjoyed painting this one.I love lilacs and wanted to try to make this more transparent and keep the background from becoming too flat.I learn something everyday by just painting!

Out of the Blue

This painting of geraniums is kind of out of  the blue in that it is kind  of out of my head !The basket and geraniums are from life but the arrangement and background color is from imagination. Of course imagination is helped out by at least 30 years of painting flowers.

Rest Assured

Blue and white pottery is exciting to me for some reason. I guess it is because a blue and white vase always seems to go perfectly with whatever bouquet goes into them. My favorite flower for this vase would be the white lily. There is a kind of sophistication with this combination; as if it belongs in an apartment high above Central Park in New York.

Spring

I painted something like this 3 years ago at a wonderful Nancy Medina Workshop. I took photos of the flowers we painted. I love hydrangeas and the sunflowers are the perfect complement to the blues and purple.

Pink Jar

I just finished a Karen O'Neil oil painting workshop held in a wonderful studio in Woodstock, N.Y. There were several still life arrangements to paint. Ths is one with an unusual  pink jar.There was also some wonderful garden fresh vegetables and fruit during breaktimes.She is a very good teacher and it was a great 2 days of painting. Now I am in New York City looking at art instead of making it.

Labor Day Whites

Summer is fading quickly. I really like oakleaf hydrangeas because the foliage lasts well into the fall with the leaves changing  from green to beautiful colors.I am currently visiting in New York State and these changes are pending more quickly up here. Back home we have a few more months of warm weather.

In My Dreams

I just sent this 16x20 painting to a customer in Washington State. It is one of my favorite landscapes that I have done. I named it In My Dreams because most likely I wouldn't see all these colors in real life. My dream world is much more colorful than the real world.
I am leaving Sunday morning to go to a Karen O'Neill oil painting workshop in Woodstock, N.Y. The hippies are long gone leaving mostly cows but I will take some pictures so you can see for yourself.

Warm Window

Color affects the temperature of a painting. To convey warmth, colors in the yellow and orange family work best. This would be a good painting to warm someone in the winter! I like the idea of rotating paintings to combat boredom and to reflect the changes of the season.

Checkerboard Basket

I found this really cool basket at a garage sale several years ago. It is unusual in that 2 different colors are used in the basket weave. The eggplant , pomegranates and birdbwere anxious to join in to make a perfect still life set up. I don't do as many watercolor paintings as I used to but still enjoy painting them.

Zinnia Dream

The colors of zinnias just do something to me the way some music affects me. Everytime I see some I want to paint them.It seems that  the colors are meant to complement each other to make a most pleasing picture.

Care Free

When I am painting a view of multiple flowers, I have to remember that it is not a good idea to paint each flower as an individual bloom.I paint in terms of blocks of color because that is how our eyes see them. When planting tulips we are encouraged to plant large groupings of bulbs rather than spacing them far apart., so the same advice could be applied to painting.Impact is the word of the day!

White Blooms

I have been doing some larger stretched canvas paintings. This painting is currently on display in a group show at WKNO( public tv station in Memphis). My favorite part is the transparent and translucent blue vases. They draw my eyes into the picture.

Message to You

This is a watercolor painting I did a few years ago.I sometimes feel like a split personality, wanting to go back and forth between oil, watercolor and  acrylic. But I realize it is all painting , no matter what the media. I think it just depends on what kind of mood I am in when I wake up!

Forever Tulips

Acrylics handle very differently than oils. I am having fun learning about them. Some accidental things have turned out to be exactly what I needed. I guess I can pretend that everything I do is delberate; don't tell anyone else. I like the illusion of genius.haha

Summer Lilies

I wish I had some of these lilies planted in my backyard. They are beautiful and always full of blooms. Daylilies are abundant here. I kind of wish they were labelled Monday, Tuesday, etc. so I could keep up with their progress. This is a watercolor painting.

Best of Luck

This is another oil painting on a gallery wrap canvas. I deliberately left this one high key with few real darks.Of course you really need some darks to make the light colors pop. There are millions of variations of flower arrangements. Maybe I will get through a million, I am definitely on my way. I have tried to count how many paintings I have done over time and I just can't fathom how many. Of course I am including the bad ones in the count!

Lucky Charms

 

These zinnias remind me of a box of lucky charms cereal.,of course there are a few colors missing but still beautiful.they love the heat ,. We have plenty of heat around here!
 If you received this post  originally by email there were some nonsense words at the top-I don't know where they came from! At least it was entertaining.

Terra Bella

Our trip to Italy was one of our best vacations. At every turn was another photo opportunity. I must have taken a thousand pictures in 10 days. The food was so wonderful but of course a photo could not capture the taste. But I am glad to have taken the pictures of the scenery and the people to  keep as memories.