details

A few detail bits of the peonies that I painted in the past days. These are small watercolors, 11x14, a small size for me, at least.

Oh, I am sad, it is the last day of May and not a single iris or peony is left to bloom and draw. They excite me so and they last such a short time.

If you click on the image you will be able to see it really large.

so many flowers

So many flowers, so little time...until they fade and wither. Every type of flower that I love most to draw is blooming right now. In a typical midwestern springtime, the temperatures will suddenly soar and these flowers, more suited to an English garden will dry up. So right now, hurry and draw! I have some huge bearded irises (my top favorite) and poppies, lilacs, tulips, and, oh! peonies!

warming up

 Another small line drawing, and I am planning to add some watercolor washes to all three next.
I enjoy my process of creating line art all by itself.

warm ups for the peony art

These are small warm up line drawings on watercolor paper that I want to paint as studies. The flowers are in bloom but are fading away so fast!

on my desk today

I have been busy printing cards using my original watercolors for the design. I am printing these with my HP printer and some quality card stock from Staples. My first thought was to make up some packages of a sampling of these and give them away as "Thank You" gifts to people who have helped me with the art classes that I teach at a private classical academy in this past year.
But, on second thought, in spite of the amount of time it takes to print these and put the packets together...I could sell them too. If I had a venue, which I don't right now.

poppy and lilac blooms

What a blessed life I lead. Here I sit in the early morning hours, light pouring in through a western window, with a vase of lilacs and a poppy in front of me. I have my palette with all the bright cadmiums, sap green, and windsor violet on one hand, my cup of coffee on the other. (Must be careful to dip my brush into the water jar, not the coffee, it can happen).
These lilacs smell so sweet, only at this time of year do I enjoy this natural scent. The sunlight is gently lighting up the poppy and giving me the most luscious variety of reds and oranges. I wish I could eat the color!

one poppy bloomed

A line drawing, a preparation for a small painting. I planted poppies in the garden with great hopes, but I only got one solitary bloom yesterday. I am not a very successful gardener, I wish I could just do the painting and admiring and someone else could do the gardening.

we love

"we're made so that we love

First when we see them painted, things we have passed

Perhaps a hundred times nor cared to see;

And so they are better, painted—better to us,

Which is the same thing. Art was given for that;

God uses us to help each other so,"

Fra Lippo Lippi

BY ROBERT BROWNING

for the love of it

You know, I don't do these daily drawings and paint sketches for any other reason than that I love to do it.   I always work from a live flower and the moment of looking and recording what is happening before me is my personal pleasure.

I might sell all of these for a bargain price, or I might just use them as small sketches for larger canvas paintings.

a daffodil a day

I am still on my daffodil a day kick but it will have to come to an end soon, because my whole pot of flowers is starting to wither.

Chartreuse

I don't know what to name this new daffodil painting, Daffodil #5?
Sensations in  Chartreuse? Simply Chartreuse? I just love that word, chartreuse. I also have a prismacolor pencil named green bice. Love that one too.

talk less draw more

We should talk less and draw more. Personally I would like to renounce speech altogether, and like organic nature, communicate everything I have to say in sketches.

 (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

gray and yellow

I am re-posting these paintings. I worked on them a bit more and thought about the  contrast of a very sunny day and a gray overcast gloomy day which we are currently experiencing. Not that I mind, I am in a phase of drawing and painting a daffodil a day. I am getting my money's worth out of my last batch of blooms.
These are watercolor and pencil on heavy Arches paper, 16x20 matted size. For sale, contact the Artist.

Gray day

But not so gray when you have these faces.