This little mess of a painting of a dying daisy, I'm afraid to say, is now officially dead. I destroyed it after an experiment that went kablooey. Oh, well. Just wanted to document it here for posterity, so its short life wasn't completely in vain.
I am very drawn to the morning glory, with that preternatural glow emanating from its center, and wanted to try to capture it in paint.
This painting of a black iris was an exercise in disappearing edges which I found exceedingly hard to photograph without glare. I wanted to offset the background slightly with a reddish black tinge, so I used a mix of alizarin crimson, ivory black and a touch of diox purple, but I'm not sure it comes across.
Here's another quick little piece. Because my time is so limited lately, I don't have the luxury of spending time on details or working in layers which require drying time. When I only have 1-2 hours/day for painting, I'd rather work fast and see how far I get in one session. Alla prima work is ultimately more satisfying to me, anyway.
Another hollyhock painting, this one of a crimson hollyhock that I planted by the white fence in my front garden. Hollyhocks originated in China, and I will forever be grateful that they made their way here. Hollyhocks make me happy, and I just love this particular rich dark red against the various warm and cool greens of leaves and their shadows surrounding it, and all of that offset by the white fence behind.
Matillija poppies always remind me of fried eggs, and I just love their papery white petals that are so big, they just flop wherever they please.
Continuing with my current flower theme, here's a little painting of a flower that I wish was in my garden. I love all kinds of poppies. Alas, this is one I've never seen; it was painted from a photo. Apparently, this rare poppy is difficult to grow, but it can be found in gardens in the U.K.
Another recent addition to my garden has been a gorgeous deep violet cineraria, which I paired with lemony daffodils for this composition. You just can't get more complementary than that, can you? I do love the colors in this one.
This is one of my favourite flowers, and it is currently carpeting a section of my garden. I find this flower enchanting, and it is hearty, easy to grow, requires little watering, and is a prolific bloomer. I chose to paint this as if in the black of night because these pale pink flowers turn a neon pink as the sun sets, and I wanted to emphasize their very "pinkness."
This little study of a black tulip may get painted again as a larger version, but for now, and for the sake of sanity, I've decided to stick with little paintings that can be finished in a short session or two. It's simply too frustrating to not have at least 4 hours/day to delve into painting like I had a few years ago. Maybe one day I'll have the luxury of uninterrupted hours at the easel. I can dream, can't I?
This painting of a sunflower aptly expresses my mood lately. Having been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, I can now look forward to seeing friends and making plans for a trip later this year. Sunflowers are symbols of hope, and I am feeling more hopeful and optimistic than I have in quite some time.
I meant for this to be an abstract painting, but I had peonies on my mind and they insisted on appearing in some form. With this palette knife painting, I was reminded of how much I like to paint on metal.
Taking a break from more complicated paintings I'm working on, I seem to have channeled my inner O'Keeffe with this one. I've heard the symbolic meaning of a petunia points to anger and frustration. Well, that would certainly be me lately, what with all the turbulence of these times we're living in. But what does it say about us as a species that we would assign such negative traits to a flower, of all things! Just sayin' . . .
