A Broad Brush
A Series of Violets
I try to paint as many violets as I can before they take over my garden and I tire of their populous ways. The paintings are typically tiny, just like the little purple blooms. When they first appear, I am so glad to see their purple faces nestled in with the bright green leaves. They scatter throughout my garden beds, speckling the dark earth with purple and green dots. Here are a few of the images I managed to complete prior to their passing.
Violets and Little Orange Blooms, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Violets and Bright Orange Light, 10 x 10, oil on panel.
Violets 4, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Violets 2, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
First Violets, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Daffodils and Violets, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Being Partners Is Fun!
Once in a while my thinking cap is ON. I adore a local florist, Cymbidium Floral, in Exeter, NH. Owner Jess Christoferson makes the most lovely, luscious, elegant bouquets one can imagine. And I can get a little tired of my own flower power vision. A little bit like putting the same outfit on, day after day, because everything is comfortable. Well, she was super up for partnering up, given our mutual love of flowers! She gave me this little beauty, which I spent the weekend working my way around (and around). I love all of the delicate little blooms that she included with the larger ranunculus, anemone, and sweet pea.
Here is what I started with:
I mean really. Look at THIS!
First Try. 8 x 8, oil on panel. I like the color and marks, but I think I missed the mark with the neck of the vase.
Day 2: flowers are just as lovely. I decide to go a little larger, and use a vertical format, so I can include all of the flowers, cascading down and curling up!
Day 2 Bouquet. 14 x 11. Oil on panel.
Day 3: bring out the painting box! My trusty cardboard box helps me mellow things out and soften the edges. Unfortunately, there is so much glare on the image right now, I could only take a picture on an angle. But you get the drift.
Day 3, in the box! It was a very dark, dreary day, which you can’t really get from this photo.
Day 3 Bouquet, 18 x 18, oil on panel.
Day 4. I forgot to take a photo! The most delicate blooms had given up, but the larger were still going strong. I changed the vase to glass as I needed a slightly wider neck to hold the expanded flowers. But I sat it on a ledge today and enjoyed the bright afternoon light cascading over the blooms, which created a beautiful purple shadow. This last one was painted in a flash, at the end of the day.
Hopefully we will continue to grow our budding (couldn’t resist that one) partnership and maybe, someday, you will see some of my little paintings if you venture into her lovely shop, right on 144 Water Street in Exeter, NH!
Daffodils
Each February and March I look forward to the small bunches of daffodils that appear at my local Trader Joe’s. They are friendly faces, greeting me during the cold, windy winter days. These funny faces get me through February and March, until I see the ones in the ground begin to pop up and show themselves to the world.
Daffodils 1, 12 x 12, oil on panel.
Daffodils 2, 14 x 14, oil on panel.
Ranunculus
I love Ranunculus, with their swirly round bloom heads, and a morphed resemblance to both roses and peonies. They look Sweet all on their own but also special when nestled in with other blooms such as staff.
Yellow and Purple-Four
I found these yellow and purple flowers and they seemed to become a lot more exciting as they sat in the winter light. Once I got started, I went from one small image to four. They all measure 8 x 8…which is a very satisfying size when you want to express something quickly and succinctly.
Purple and Yellow IV, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Purple and Yellow III, oil on panel.
Purple and Yellow II, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Purple and Yellow I, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Cyclamen in Winter
We received this beautiful cyclamen from a dear friend who came over for dinner. I have tried to paint cyclamen twice before, but the images were stiff and kind of tough looking. This time, I think I did a better job capturing the way the blossoms both bounce and then curve. I love how the blossoms cascade over the leaves. The pale pink contrasts nicely with an earthy brown background. My new winter bloom to love!
Cyclamen in Winter, 16 x 16, oil on panel.
Two Takes on One Bunch of Flowers
When I look at flowers in the store, sometimes I am certain how I am going to paint them. They may benefit from a full interior around them, a cool background, or a deep, dark warm color, wrapping itself the flowers like a blanket. But, often as naught, I usually don’t know what I am going to do with them. The flowers can surprise me, behaving differently with different surroundings. Here is the same bouquet of flowers, one painted on a large panel with the light environment surrounding the blooms that are settled into a tall vase. Next, the bouquet, cut back, fits right in a square vase, and sits in one of my paint boxes, with just a bit of light spraying over the tops of the flowers.
Big Mixed Bouquet, 36 x 36, 2019. Oil on panel.
Daffodils, Sunflowers, and Gerbers, 14 x 14, 2019. Oil on panel.
Winter Bouquets and Light
January light is bright, yellow white, especially during the afternoon hours in my studio. When I’m finished working on larger, longer projects, I really enjoy placing small, tidy little bouquets on a table and putting them next to the big windows that bring in the light. I see very bright splashes of color, alongside dark shadow areas. Harnessing the color and shadows into a tiny painting can be very satisfying, when it works. Here are two examples from the weekend:
Red Carnations and Purple Staff, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Rose and Carnations, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
A Difference of a Few Scrapes and Strokes
I’m always amazed at what a difference a few strokes can make in a painting. Often times I feel anxious about a painting, and wonder (continuously) whether it is time to scrape it down and just start over. But a few scrapes of a palette knife or razor blade is all often all that is needed, which provides me with a fresh surface to lay down some new strokes, maybe changing the color or value just slightly. I think this painting is a good example. While I’m not convinced I will keep the painting, it definitely improved when I began by scraping and repainting the bottom portion of the painting. That led to a little lightening up of the background (with fewer strokes than one might assume), and a little work in the vase. The whole painting lit up when I decided to make a few changes at the bottom.
Stage II, January Bouquet I, 14 x 11, oil on panel.
Stage I, January Bouquet I, 14 x 11. Oil on panel.
Two Bouquets for Ivy
Our dear dog, Ivy, passed away this week and my daughter bought me a bouquet in her memory. Here are two first paintings made from the flowers. She was a little Boston Terrier: the paintings might only resemble her in size.
Ivy’s Bouquet 2, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Ivy’s Bouquet 1, 8 x 8, oil on panel.
Christmas Eve Roses
A quick painting on Christmas eve. The last of the orange roses, along with some small purple blooms.
Orange and Purple Roses, 12 x 12, oil on panel.
Three Orange Roses
Painted on a grey, rainy day in December. Roses nestled in my painting box with a little bit of light.
12 x 12, oil on panel.
Another December Afternoon Painting
End of day winter light is the best. My studio has three big windows facing west, so the light streams in through 4:00-4:30. As long as I can paint quickly, I try to capture it. This painting is the result of a few days of scraping down and repainting, all at the end of the day.
Orange Roses with Deep Purple and Light, 12 x 12, oil on panel.
End of Day Light, December
As the light changes so quickly in December, the afternoon light here in my studio is spectacular but fleeting. Here is an image of roses from the weekend., painted somewhere between 2-4:00.
Orange Roses, December Afternoon. 14 x 11. Oil on panel.
Stages of a Painting
Every painting goes through stages. I don’t have a formula for mine, but sometimes there are patterns. Rarely do I draw everything out...and often I never draw. Just guidelines.
Here is an example of a painting in progress. It’s not finished but I like where it is heading.
Tulips and Rose, 24 x 30. Oil on panel.
Beginning drawing
Midway
All done.