a blown white tulip

I used only cobalt blue and mars yellow on this little study. Oh and a little bit of chromium oxide green. 

I just had to paint these blossoms when I noticed the western sun slanting in through my studio window and lighting up the inside of the petals. The tulips are past their prime, the petals are starting to fall off the stem and the whole arrangement looks translucent.

to dust you shall return

Today is Ash Wednesday. I worship at an Anglican church and find this day of repentance and contemplation to be deeply comforting. It is like the feeling at the beginning of a new year, start again, don't look back, be forgiven and go in peace.

This painting is one that I did a couple of years ago at the beginning of Lent, it is 36" by 48", acrylic on canvas.

Yellow to ease the gloom and the doom

All I read in the newspaper and all I hear on the radio is bad news. The economy is going down and everything is turning from bad to worse all over. Sometimes you have to just turn it off.

This is an experimental painting on heavy watercolor paper 29"x23". I used acrylics, pencil, and oil pastel sticks and just played around. Does it look playful? 

Here's a detail of the mixed media sunflower.

Mimosa yellow

"Mimosa yellow picked to ease gloom in 2009. Enough gloom and doom; there's a prediction from a leading color source that cheerful and sunny yellow will be the influential color of 2009.

Pantone, which provides color standards to design industries, specifically cites "mimosa", a vibrant shade of yellow illustrated by the flowers of some mimosa trees as well as the brunch favorite cocktail, as it's top shade of the new year. In general, Pantone expects the public to embrace many tones of the optimistic yellow."

From the Chicago Tribune, early January 2009

Pink and Yellow Primroses (correct title)

I put these in the kitchen window for that cheerful effect in the middle of winter. 

Very simple, gesture and emotion.

Tomorrow it is supposed to snow some more!

Just in time for pink hearts and red roses day

Or is it red hearts and pink flowers? 

A sweet little watercolor of an azalea that I brought home to brighten the day.

Drawing in church

Something that I can't help myself from doing is sketching. I listen just as well when my hands are busy. Really I do, although my teachers in grade school weren't convinced.

I draw in church, discreetly, I hope, in my moleskin.