Garden favorites

Budding Roses 4x4 pastel, copyright 2012

Turning Koi 4x4 pastel, copyright 2012

These are the last two of the small pastels and they also happen to be my favorites.  Again and again I've tried to paint roses without much success.  For some reason portraying the intricacy of the layered petals eludes me so I decided to take a different route, focusing only on the buds.   This time it actually worked!

The red of the roses and the orange of the koi just seem to pop against the dark background.  Though it doesn't show up well in a photograph, the koi in particular seems to shimmer as it slips along the edges of the paper.  Finally I have a good grasp of how to use rather than fight the rough texture of the paper.  I think both of these are candidates for larger paintings.

Below are all eight of the paintings together.  In my etsy shop I am offering an option to purchase the paintings individually for $25 each or all eight of them for $175.  

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., it may be a bit before I get back to posting, but rest assured, I have a few more paintings ready to show off, including more sky.  For those of you celebrating, have a good holiday, and keep safe!

Zen in the garden

Stacked Stones 4x4 pastel, copyright 2012

Water Lily Blossom 4x4 pastel, copyright 2012

Piles of stones have been used for millennia to mark boundaries and trials.  In some Buddhist circles a stack of three rounded stones are said to represent three Buddhavistas.  To others it is a meditation, a symbol of balance.  More recently stacked stones have simply become a decorative element.  These three came from our creek; I'll let you decided the meaning behind them.

In many eastern traditions, water lilies are symbols of rebirth, renewal and awakening.  This particular one was blooming in a koi and goldfish pond at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, one of my favorite places to find some zen and an excellent urban spot for land snorkeling.

Both of these paintings are available in my etsy shop.

A tiny garden

Perennial Sunflower Pair 4x4 pastel, copyright 2012

Pink Zinnia Facing the Sun 4x4 pastel, copyright 2012

I haven't abandoned pastels altogether, just decided to move in a slightly different direction.  My first intention with this 16x20 piece of black matboard was to paint something larger, as I've done in the past.  But as the pastel primer on it was drying, something dripped from the ceiling, right into the middle.  Instead of just letting it dry I wiped if off, ruining the surface at the drip. In frustration I started cutting up the matboard - the pieces kept getting smaller and smaller until I had a stack of 4x4's.  

These have turned out to be fun little sketches.  It can be quite challenging to compose an interesting painting in such a small space, and the rough texture and black surface make it more difficult.  So far I have painted 11.  Eight have turned out well enough to show off and two have the potential to be painted again larger.  

Here are the first two that I like, I'll post two at a time.  The weather has been turning more winter-like which I have decided to defy with garden scenes.  These eight, and hopefully more, will be made available in my etsy shop.

Blue, red and pink

Blue Pot with Red and Pink Flowers 9x12 pastel, copyright 2012

In our front yard we are lucky enough to have a natural artisian spring.  Many years ago my husband's uncle dug it out and lined it with stone so that his grandmother could have flower beds around it.  Although few of her plantings remain, I've added plenty of my own in recent years.  The miniature rose was a Mother's Day gift  and the pink flowers are spiderwort, donated by a neighbor.  Both plants have gone a bit crazy this spring, overrunning their garden spot.

Yesterday I walked around the yard taking reference photos when it occurred to me that it was a perfect day for a bit of plein air painting - sunny and bright and not too hot.  I painted this pastel while waiting for the kids to get off the bus, then touched it up a bit this morning.

Crabapples at Arlington

Crabapple Blossoms, Arlington National Cemetery 7x5 pastel, copyright 2012

NFS

In late March my daughter went on a class trip to Washington, D.C.   She was very excited about it, and took more 500 pictures.  Many of the photos were flowers and random buildings that caught her eye - we've taught her well!  The cherry trees bloomed very early this year and were just past their peak when she arrived, but the crabapples were in their full glory.  This pastel is based on photo she took at Arlington National Cemetery specifically because she thought I would want to paint it - and of course she was right.

I plan on painting several of these smaller sized pastels to practice for our vacation out west this summer.  The plan is to take a pad of paper and a box of pastels along, stopping along the way for these quick little studies.  Working this small takes a bit of an adjustment, and like the 6x6 oils I've already done, requires me to simplify rather than fuss over details.  I'm looking forward to seeing how it will work out.

Valentine's Day flowers

Just a quick note today to let everyone know that I am having a Valentine's Day sale in my etsy shop.  For the next two weeks I will be offering my four 6x6 flower paintings at a 10% discount.  These are the perfect gift, they won't wilt and die or make you sneeze!   Here's the link to the shop section.

Unfortunately, I doubt that I can get them to anyone outside of the US by Valentine's Day, at least not using the postal service.  If you live outside of the US, you can contact me directly and we'll discuss other options, such as FedEx and UPS.

Pink Azaleas 6x6 oil, copyright 2011

Background drama

Zinnia with Bud Vase, 6x6 oil, copyright 2011

We've had several hard frosts this week, killing all my flowers with the exception of these little ones that I'm pretty sure are zinnias.  Zinnias are normally sensitive to harsh weather so I'm not sure how they've managed to hang on so long, but they offer a nice bright splash of color to what is becoming a rather dull landscape.  This composition came to me when I first picked them, but I ignored it and instead attempted to paint three of them in a clear glass jar.  That one wasn't working - and ended up getting wiped -  so I went with my original idea and found that I should have followed my instincts to begin with.

The flower and vase seemed to be working quite well at first, but somehow it still was a bit boring.  I turned to other artists to see how they handled still life and realized that the background made a huge difference.  At first this one was almost a solid pale blue, which is what I used for the set up in the studio.   But looking at the works of David Cheifetz in particular I realized that a dramatic backdrop can push the subjects forward and make them far more interesting.  I've been playing a bit with light and shadows, but seeing the difference in the before and after on this one (wish I'd taken photos!) really hit home - I will definitely keep it in mind for future reference.

It's funny though, the hardest part was know when to stop.  I kept seeing little things that needed to be corrected - a bit of white here, a splash of yellow there.  Hopefully my taking a photo will encourage me to stop messing with it.  The saying comes to mind, "It takes two people to make a painting: the artists to paint it, and another to stop him before he ruins it."  I think I stopped in time...

Miniature roses

Floating Miniature Roses 6x6 oil, copyright 2011

click to purchase this painting

On one of the last truly beautiful days of the season I picked the three best flowers off my miniature rose and set them floating in a little bowl.  Moving around to find the best shadows, I finally settled on the stone steps that go down into the bubbling spring we are fortunate to have in the front yard.  There is nothing quite like bright sunshine to make shadows and highlights and colors really pop, and that's what I decided to emphasize instead of trying to capture the details and the texture of the horn bowl and stone step.   

For some reason roses are always a struggle for me.  I'm not sure why, but the layers and layers of short, brightly colored petals give me fits.  It took a little bit of reworking, but I feel pretty good about these.  And I really feel like I've big improvements on capturing the shapes and shadows of rounded objects like the bowl.

Birthday azaleas

Pink Azaleas 6x6 oil, copyright 2011
click to purchase this painting

My husband often gets me flowers on my birthday and this year was no exception.  Typically they are cut flowers and it's always a race to paint them before they wither and die - usually a losing race.  But this year he bought me a little azalea bush so I was able to take my time.  I wish I could plant it outside and let it grow into a huge bush, but unfortunately the soils around here are too alkaline, so it will just have to take its chances inside.  It is sitting in my kitchen window above the sink, so hopefully that means I will remember to water it.  Plants in my house need to be quite drought tolerant.

I played with this one a little bit, curious to see how little I could detail I could go into and still have an easily recognized subject.  In the end I went back to the individual flowers for some touch up work, but mostly left the leaves as is.  For some reason I tend to shy away from using black, worried that it will dull the palette, but I'm getting used to the idea that a little bit here and there in the shadows really makes the highlights stand out.  

Tabletop sunburst

Tabletop Sunburst 6x6 oil, copyright 2011
click to purchase this painting

Hopefully no one is tired of sunflowers, because I certainly am not.  They are really starting to come out now, and I can't wait for the challenge of one that is very dark.  Most of them are of the brighter variety like this one, dark in the center fading to bright on the ends of the petals.  I know that I need to practice my ellipses and a flower in a round vase certainly fits the bill.  It takes a lot a measuring to make it look right, and I really have to force myself to be patient with it.   Random petals are so much more fun to paint!

I have a request to ask of anyone who is local to me: if you see a field of sunflowers in bloom, let me know, I'd love to go out and paint them.

White zinnia

White Zinnia 6x6 oil, copyright 2011
SOLD

I gave up on the pastel I was working on - it just wasn't working.  But the little oils seemed to be working just fine.  One of the things I love about working in several different media is that I can switch back and forth when things aren't going well.  The occasional change up seems to help me look at things with fresh eyes.

Since melting outside in this extended heat wave has no appeal to me, I've been cutting flowers to bring into the studio.  The perennials are also melting, but the annuals are doing quite well.  My zinnias are mostly reds and pinks, but I had a few surprises.  This large white one really stood out from its peers.  The biggest challenge for me was to make it a brilliant white without washing out all the color.  I think the bright yellow center helped with that.  I considered making the background more monochromatic, but I just can't seem to get away from the bright colors.

In the "zone"

Sunflowers 16x20 oil, copyright 2010

This weekend's barn tour and dinner, a joint project of the Preble County Art Association and Preble County Historical Society, went very well.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and big thanks to all the barn owners, the tour guide (Steve Gordon, a long time friend and historic barn expert), and all the volunteers who made it possible.  And to top it all off, the weather was just perfect.

One of the benefits of helping out with these projects is all the goodies that come with it.  A delicious free meal and a centerpiece from one of the tables - sunflowers in this case.   I grow a few sunflowers every year to provide munchies for the birds (and myself) plus a few plants that are purely decorative.  This summer's heat and drought didn't work out so well for the decorative ones, so I was happy to get a few to take home, hoping to find the time to paint them before they wilted.

I didn't really have the time, but I painted them anyway, most of it in one fell swoop on Tuesday.  I started out with a blue background, which I think made me unconsciously emphasize the orange rather than the yellow.  I liked how it looked, so I just kept going.  The paint is thicker than usual, and I used a larger brush.  All this helped me keep the painting loose and not bogged down in detail.  I was truely in the "zone" on this one, and it was only outside influences (ie family) that kept me from finishing all at once.  Fortunately I was able to hold onto that feeling and finish today.  Being pulled in many different directions can make it hard to find the zone and I was lucky to take advantage of it when I did.

I'm thinking this one might be worthy of trying for a show at the Richmond (Indiana) Art Museum next month.  Hopefully it will be dry by then!