English Garden

One of my favorite things about England was seeing all of the gardens. We saw plenty in London, often more formal. We were lucky to go to the Cotswolds , away from the city. The area is famous for its thatched roofs and idyllic views  of sheep in the fields. The gardens were glorious. They were often with the most unassuming cottages; making the house seem grander than they were.This painting reminds  me of the old fashioned feeling of the English country garden.

Moonlight

I learned in a workshop once that it is a good idea to change colors every few inches in a painting.. This is to keep the painting interesting. I don't always remember to do that but I think I was successful in this painting. I didn't have the idea that it was  in moonlight until I finished painting. That is one of the things I love about painting; there is always room to be surprised.

Raise the Bar

Since moving from Pennsylvania where thousands of tulips were just two miles away from me; I savor every one I see. My husband always plants daftodils and tulips every year for me. It is a great Valentines day present to me. Because it has been so warm, the daffodils are already blooming. The Japanese magnolia, bradford pears and forsythia are also competing for attention. But tulips are always first in my heart.

FULL SWING

Another take on zinnias! These remind me of a group of friends squeezing in to take a selfie, trying to make sure their faces show up in the picture. I don't think of them as shy, retiring flowers. They are full of self esteem ready to be elected cheerleaders.

The Rose

i like  close ups of flowers. The first time I tried it I was intimidated because it seemed so complicated. But I soon realized it wasn't as hard as I thought when I knew that I did not have to draw every single petal; there would be no visit from "the rose police" to arrest me if it wasn't exactly like the actual rose. It then became pleasurable!

BIG PICTURE

Another important thing in art is composition. I don't always follow the rules; they are made to be broken. But some rules are worthwhile. A painting composition is much more dynamic with some diagonal lines.It has something to do with drawing the observer's eye into the picture plane. That is not to say that I couldn't paint these pots of flowers in a straight line; just that I could do something else in the composition to make it interesting. That could be done with color, value or texture.

POP UP BLUE

Whoever invented the color wheel knew what they were doing. I remember in college doing what I thought were boring exercises using different color schemes. I now know they were very important. This painting has an analogous color scheme. In elementary school language that means neighboring colors. The blues, greens and turquoises help each other out to make a soothing combination.

By the Book

I do love roses. This simple arrangement seems very tranquil to me; just a few elements to take in.Glass is an obsession with me. I remember painting it for the first time. I was very intimidated but it is like a lot of things in life- you just have to try it. The worst thing that could happen is that I might fail and try again.

School House

I found this old photo at a flea market in Maine years ago. It is of students and teachers obviously posing in front of a schoolhouse somewhere probably in New England. It gives a glimpse at what the social structure was at the time.Some of the students are barefoot and in overalls. They must have been the rural farm kids. Some others have nice clothing and shoes; perhaps they are the town children- sons and daughters of the banker or merchants.
My cousins went to a one room schoolhouse for part of their schooling. When my family visited my aunt's family I went to school for a few days in the little school.the teacher taught all 8 grades and did it very well.I went to a suburban elementary at the time and certainly not accustomed to such a small place but it was a great experience.

Great Delta Tour

I went to New Orleans a foggy morning a few weeks ago. While there I went with some friends on the Great Delta Tour of the swamp and delta area of the river. We had a knowledgeable tour guide who was also a bird expert.Although it was a foggy morning , we were able to see a lot .

This is a photograph of the area that I added a filter to make it more interesting. I hope to use it to make a piece of art work.