Category: Plants

Categories
Flower Art Oil Painting Painting Plants Still Life

Daffodils Again

Daffodils 2 - Finished (maybe)

Oil on panel, 12 x 9″ (larger)

In between a million (well, maybe 25) other things this weekend I made another attempt at painting these daffodils from life. I don’t think I’ve nailed it yet, and was amused by how the flower on the right turned into anything but a miniature daffodil like it’s sisters on the left. It just kept growing and growing but I let it because I liked it.

There’s a lot I still need to learn and figure out (having to do especially with the effects of light but also how to set up a still life with more interesting background) but I’m happy enough with my progress. If you’d like to see the steps of painting this, click “Continue Reading” below.

Continue reading “Daffodils Again”
Categories
Art theory Drawing Flower Art Oil Painting Painting Plants Still Life

Miniature Daffodils in oil

Finished oil painting

Oil on canvas panel, 8×6″ (larger)

I’m happy to report that my computer is back up and running but I lost a couple months of email messages in the crash.
If I haven’t responded to an important message you sent me, please send it again and I’ll reply quickly.

Early last week my boss gave me this charming little pot of “Spring Brite Mini Bulb” daffodils for me. I couldn’t wait for the weekend so I could it home and paint it. I experimented with using a palette/painting knife. It’s so much fun — a lot like sketching in that you can work quickly, easily replace colors, add to them, or scrape off and re-do sections or the whole composition. It also forces you to be less concerned with details (at least at my level of skill in handling the palette knife). I used a small diamond-shaped knife for this.

Below is a progression of my steps, working backwards: (click Continue Reading to see the rest)

Continue reading “Miniature Daffodils in oil”
Categories
Gardening Painting Plants Sketchbook Pages Still Life

More Last Tomatoes

The Last Tomatoes in a Bowl

Watercolor on Arches 140 lb hot press paper drawn first in blue Micron Pigma pen, 5.5″ 7.5″
Larger

Yesterday I cleaned up my four tomato plants, removing all the dead leaves and icky, gooshy tomatoes (without screaming once — squooshy, slimey things scare me) and was delighted to discover an abundance of still quite lovely tomatoes, ripe and ready to be picked. I was sure when I painted the last bunch of tomatoes that they were truly the last, but we’ve had some wonderful summer weather all over again and the tomatoes just keep on doing their thing.

I piled them in this old stoneware bowl and stuck them in the fridge. I’ve been working on an oil painting family portrait (more about that tomorrow) and have been neglecting my blog. So I decided to stop working on the oil painting, and loosen up with the tomatoes and some watercolor in my sketchbook.

Now back to the portrait. If I don’t finish it tomorrow I’ll post the work in progress. The painting was inspired by looking through some baby pictures of my son with his father and grandfather that we wanted to bring on a visit to my father-in-law. He’s been very ill and on Thursday night he thoroughly enjoyed seeing the pictures (and us). I was hoping to finish the painting before he died and to share it with him but sadly/blessedly he passed away this morning. If the painting turns out well enough, I’ll bring it to his memorial. In the meantime it’s been a blessing for me to lovingly paint his smiling face, knowing it would not be visible much longer.

Categories
Gardening Painting Plants Sketchbook Pages Still Life Watercolor

Funny tomatoes from my garden

Funny-tomatoes

Ink & watercolor on Arches cold pressed paper in 6×8 sketchbook
Larger

I don’t know why some of my tomatoes are growing so strangely, with funny little noses and other appendages. Maybe they’re a little crowded? Or it’s just the nature of this type. I’ve got 5 plants of different types of tomatoes and these are the only ones doing this. I live in a normally foggy summer area and last year my tomatoes didn’t get ripe until the end of October. This year they’re doing great as it’s been lovely sunny weather all summer.

I’ve been trying to figure out whether it’s sunlight or warmth that makes tomatoes get ripe. I’m guessing it’s the sunlight but maybe it’s both. If it was hot out but dark all the time, or very bright and sunny but cold, they wouldn’t ripen. But what makes them ripen? I know I could just look this up somewhere but it’s more fun to try to mull it over and come up with theories… But if you know, please do tell!

I’m also curious if what makes tomatoes ripen is the same thing that makes peaches or plums ripen (they’re both reddish) but what about green things. Do they need to ripen to? I’ve never heard of ripe spinach or ripe lettuce.

Categories
Life in general Painting Plants Sketchbook Pages Still Life Watercolor

Remains of the Day

feather

Watercolor in Moleskine large watercolor notebook (Larger)

I picked up this feather and some sort of dingleberry/pod that fell from a tree on a walk by Lake Merritt (which has a bird sanctuary). I actually collected several feathers of different sizes, textures and colors that I wanted to draw. But trying to keep the cats away from the feathers got to be too much trouble so I put the others away. After repeatedly removing the cats from the drawing table I gave up and put this one away too, switching to drawing this little pod thingee.

Tonight my painting group got together at my studio after several weeks of not meeting and it was so nice to see everyone again and catch up on each other’s art, work, life, and families while we all painted. We’ve been together for at least 10 years (nobody can remember when we actually started), and though we’re all very different we’ve become a wonderfully close, supportive, loving little family. Together we’ve survived divorces, deaths of loved ones, romances (failed and successful), surgeries, cancer, teenagers, empty nesting (and kids who won’t leave home) and more. And all the while we’ve kept painting, learning, and growing as artists and friends. I’m so lucky to have their support and friendship.

Categories
Flower Art Gardening Landscape Outdoors/Landscape Plants Plein Air Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Tilden Botanical Garden

Serpentine Cone Flower

Serpentine Cone Flower
Ink and watercolor in large Moleskine watercolor notebook
Click here to see enlarged

Today I went to Berkeley’s Tilden Park Botanical Gardens with Richard. It’s a lovely, serene place filled with California native plants and trees from giant redwoods to wildflowers. He hiked around the hills, fields, bridges, creeks and wooded areas, enjoying the quiet breeze and birdsong. Most of the flowering plants had already done their big blooming in the spring but these coneflowers grabbed my interest so I sat down on the grass and did this quick sketch while Richard, a photographer, took close up shots of flowers.

Then we decided to move on to Blake Gardens. Richard had never been there and there were many parts of the estate I’d never explored, so we hiked all around there too, finding amazing jewels of nature and design at every turn. We took lots of photos but since time was limited and we wanted to see everything, I didn’t do another drawing. Now that I’ve seen the full scope of what’s there I think it holds promise for unlimited painting opportunities.

Categories
Flower Art Life in general Painting People Plants Portrait Still Life Watercolor

Birthday flowers from my neighbors

Birthday Flowers

Watercolor painted quickly and directly on Arches hot press watercolor paper without preliminary drawing and then when dry, Pentel brush pen to draw/paint the lines. 7.5″ x 11″
Click here for enlarged view

My wonderful next-door neighbors brought this potted azalea for me as a birthday gift yesterday, along with a nice card and a hug from each child. I have the sweetest neighbors. Not long after I first moved in I fell in love with their kids and after photographing them at baby Alex’s baptism painted these portraits of Alex, Yessica and Erick which they have hanging in their living room. We help each other with all sorts of things and they often bring me delicious home cooked Mexican food (including delicious barbequed salmon with cactus relish).

Then my sons took me out to good Thai food last night. It was wonderful being with them and realizing more than ever what great young men they’ve become. It made my day, even though I looked like a gimpy old lady with my limping and had to sit on my fleece jacket because the sciatica makes it hurt to sit without extra padding. But the combination of their good company, the good wishes of people who’ve written or called to wish me speedy recovery and happy birthday, the yummy Thai food, some nice pain meds and a Singha beer made for a perfectly happy birthday! And I am getting a little better each day.

Categories
Acrylic Painting Painting Plants

Devil’s Tongue (aka Snake Palm) again

Devils Tongue Again

Acrylic on mat board, 27 x 13″
To enlarge, click image, select All Sizes

I hadn’t posted anything for a couple of days because I’ve been working on this painting instead of daily sketches. I was determined to finish and post it today, and did, even though the photo isn’t great. I worked from a watercolor I did on site, and a bunch of photos I took of this odd stinky plant on a walk a few weeks ago. I did some sketches for composition, trying to make sense out of all the crazy foliage happening in the photo and to decide what to emphasize, eliminate or move. I did a couple of small value studies too. Then I just had at it, working very loosely in acrylics. To check values, I set my camera to black and white and took a picture. I could immediately see I need more light areas and where. I painted in layers, using thickened and thinned paint in many layers and glazes.

My main goal with this painting was to experiment with trying to make acrylics work like oils (except without the toxic solvents, lengthy clean-up and slow drying time). There was a ton of learning that went on as I worked on it.

I’ve done a lot of reading on acrylics, much of it contradictory or out-of-date information but finally found an excellent new book called “Acrylic Revolution” by a Golden Acrylics (the brand I’m using) working artist named Nancy Reyner. It’s the book on acrylics I’d been hoping for. Detailed up to date information about how to properly work with the various mediums and paints to do whatever you could dream of doing and more. It’s a great book and tomorrow I’m going to experiment with some of the techniques in it to try to better understand how to do some of the blending techniques and ways to get soft edges, to be able to work more like oils.

Update: This is a Dragon Arum plant (Dracunculus vulgaris), not as named in the title of the post.

Categories
Acrylic Painting Flower Art Painting Plants

Cactus Flower Again

Cactus Flower Again

Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 16″
To enlarge, click image, select All Sizes

I started this painting a couple weeks ago and posted it in progress here and also did a watercolor from the photo here. Originally I was going to block in the shapes and colors in acrylic and then paint the final layer in oils but enjoyed working with the acrylics and stuck with them. I think it’s finished, though it might benefit from some cleaning up and touching up here and there.

I was listening to a digital book from Audible.com called “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert while I painted. It’s a sort of spiritual travelogue of her journeys to Italy, India and Bali. I actually preferred a book I listened to previously on a similar theme: “Holy Cow” by Australian, Sarah Macdonald. Both women are journalists who find themselves in India because of relationships. Gilbert is running away from a bad breakup and Macdonald is following her journalist lover to India where he is a stationed as a reporter. Both managed to get book deals to write about their travels and their spiritual seeking. Holy Cow is funny, interesting and irreverant while Eat, Pray, Love takes itself and it’s spiritual quest much more seriously.

My favorite book I’ve listened to lately was “Water for Elephants” by Sarah Gruen. More about that another time…

Categories
Every Day Matters Flower Art Gardening Plants Plein Air Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Iris in my Garden (EDM: Fresh)

Iris in my garden

Watercolor in Canson 7 x 10″ Sketchbook
To enlarge, click image, select All Sizes

I’d planned to spend my painting time in the studio today but it was too gorgeous outside to stay indoors. So I pulled up a lawn chair and painted this iris in my front yard. I drew it in pencil and then added watercolor,  all the while listening to birds chirping (and the sounds of the nearby freeway which I pretend is the ocean), with the sun shining, the bees buzzing around me and the wind blowing my hair.

These irises are heart-breakingly beautiful. They are so fragile and temporary. One day they’re proudly blooming, thrusting their strong, wild purpleness proudly up to the sun and the next day they’ve turned to a little wisp of gelatinous film, drooping sadly from their stalk. I’m glad I was able to sit with this one for an hour and enjoy it’s beauty before it’s gone.