I Heart Spring

With the pollen settling down and the temperatures swinging hot to cold (wish it would make up its mind already!), SPRING is happening in my yard!  

I love seeing the daffodils and tulips in full bloom...

The pansies are hanging on despite the warming temps.  I think because they want to see the lilies bloom. 

 Not only does rosemary make food taste yummy, it blooms!

I hope your plants are smiling for you and that these pics bring a smile to your face.  :)

Coneflowers Four

A dear friend shared several purple coneflower plants from her garden.  She moved away and we lost touch but I think of her and smile each time I see the blooms.  

8 x 10 acrylic on stretched canvas

Also available as a lovely framed print or greeting card

Black-eyed Susans on the Green

My three favorite rudbeckia friends are vibrant against a green gradient!  A tiny round tip brush provides the colorful accents. 

8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics

This image available as a lovely print or greeting card...check it out here!

Colorful Daisy Trio

I love this piece...and what I learned from the process!

I wanted to loosen up my painting, but struggled with how to do so. I found artists with styles that inspired me and studied their brushwork and composition. I realize now I was analyzing too much and delaying the action!

So this piece is the "action". Enjoy!

 

Acrylics on 5 x 7 stretched canvas

Plein Air Patio

I have a "plein air patio"!  The lilies are blooming beautifully and the lantana is lovely.  I enjoy planning and planting in pots, in the ground, anywhere!  

Perennials for full/part sun are my favorites because of their vibrant colors, but it's hard to beat the beauty of a shady spot filled with lush green hostas.  This year "Endless Summer" hydrangeas will blanket the back corner of the yard.  They are small now but in time will grow large and produce abundant blooms.  I can't wait!

Rose from the Garden - SOLD

A lovely rose as my first commission was quite the task!  I love how the shadows developed to show the folds of each petal.  The client was very pleased with the creation!

I enjoy working on custom creations--contact me to start yours today! 

12 x 12 wrapped canvas, acrylics

Red Daisy Trio

Detail

A trio of daisies posted in spite of the recent cold weather!  :-)  


11 x 14 stretched canvas, acrylics

Rudbeckia Family Portrait

The Rudbeckia "family portrait" is finished.  This painting has ALOT of texture, almost like the petals are curling off the canvas.  


8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

Rudbeckia family portrait in progress...

While working on this painting, the color values have become challenging.  The background and the stems are too similar in value (or tone), i.e., you can't see the stems.  In class we tried some lime green and brown, and I want to go shop for a bright or perhaps neon lime green.  Otherwise I could make the background lighter blue.  


Oh, and the bud is one of my favorite parts of the painting now.  :)

What's on my Easel?

More Rudbeckia!  Cadmium Yellow is one of my favorite colors.  I look forward to adding/editing more details and filling in the background soon!  

Palette Knife Rudbeckia

To one of my favorite summer flowers.  I photographed the rudbeckia I bought at Harry's a few weeks back.  The colors were outstanding on my patio so I couldn't resist painting them.  I am pleased with the outcome.  


At 5" x 7", this is a small painting.  Small is quick, and challenges me to edit.  I look forward to more smalls...


5 x 7 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

"Stop and smell the roses." Then photograph them.

Taking pictures of flowers with my DSLR camera reveals details my eyes do not.  In person and through the lens, I frame and capture the moment with a click.  When I review the photos later, I get to appreciate the moment in a new way.  Drops of dew on a petal, the ruffled edge of a pansy, and the tiny stamen in the center of a Gerbera daisy are there, just never noticed while snapping the shots.  What a great way to see and appreciate more detail.  

These are great reference photos for future paintings--stay tuned!