Known as the most beautiful stroll along the water, Lake Erie is but a backdrop for these glorious daylilies! Larger than my hand, these bold blooms rise above the foliage in abundance. I've never seen them glow like this, so of course, I HAD to paint them! I had so much fun talking with everyone as they walked by, and I'm happy this painting found a new home here, too! Painting number 4949 in 4949 days.
The antics of chickens are so much fun to paint! I paid for premium pullets, but 3 months later, Mable started to cockle-doodle-doo! So, ABLE is now an adolescent, and beginning to bother ALL of the chickens. The older girls aren't having it, but the young ones think he hung the moon. So far, he's mainly been a gentleman, and I'm hoping for the very best. He's been handled and cuddled since birth, and he must remain gentle with everyone, or get his own bachelor pad. This painting is headed to Gallery Zeke for the upcoming Art Squared. Painting number 4938 in 4938 days.
On these very busy days, it's refreshing to squeeze in a tiny painting in the garden! I've worked outside most of the day, the heat hardly bothering me with the overcast sky. After finally getting a hammock hung out by the chicken coop, Kirby and I enjoyed it as we looked through the large oak canopy to the sky beyond. I couldn't stop smiling as another small dream was realized. I think we're really going to love this wooded space by the chickens. Painting number 4930 in 4930 days.
The Rose of Sharon is blooming, and I can't resist capturing it's beauty with a quick sketch! The only color I remember from childhood, the two parent plants of this one spread out beneath two large trees on the front lawn. My brother and I used to climb between them, stepping across the propane tank as a bridge. A white picnic table sat under the branches in the shade, where we gathered with family. As these reseed abundantly, I have moved many of them to other parts of the property, where they now bloom, too. This beauty is behind an old shed, in a secluded part of my garden. Who knew I would sow the seeds of my childhood on this ancestral land - and then paint them? Painting number 4928 in 4928 days.
My days are very full, with to-do lists much longer than the hours, but, there is always time for a miniature painting in my garden. The endless weeding brings all blooms to focus as I work, and the bees and butterflies appreciate my efforts. Between grandkids, cooking and cleaning, it is a tiny place to recharge within the day. A special bonus today - Rebekah and Travis made chili for us all tonight! What a treat! Painting number 4917 in 4917 days.
I love painting the yellow flag iris when they erupt in bloom!! The way they sweep through the lawn is magical - and it all started with a small clump that I ordered from a seed catalog years ago. Great in wet areas, I've seen them planted underwater in the elephant exhibit at the zoo! I've shared them with friends and family, and they are great to sop up extra water in low lying areas. Their rhizomes are so dense they need to be cut through to divide. Their shiny large seeds drop liberally - and those readily grow new plants, too. I've put a few down by the pond, and they should be blooming now, too. I love painting the magic that stems from a tiny clump so many years ago! Painting number 4892 in 4892 days.
In a day full of gardening, I just had to paint the prettiest lilies in the beds today! I moved these from Mom's home in Ohio when she moved back to Missouri. I remember digging the bulbs from the front corner of their brick Victorian home, as we were preparing to move Mom to the house she found near us. It was a bittersweet time of loss and heartache, and the grueling task of packing up 35 years to return so close to where she grew up. Putting them in a large pot with soil, they made the journey to my place, Mom's childhood home, to spread gloriously in several beds. I think of those times every year when they bloom, knowing they are one of Mom's favorite flowers from a place she loved. Painting number 4890 in 4890 days.
It was so peaceful to paint this lovely scripture garden, squirreled away in a hidy hole, along with 100s of artists at the Plein Air Convention! The College of the Ozarks has so many wonderful things to paint, but I knew I must paint the garden as soon as I saw it! Though my perch was a little awkward, my vantage was perfect - and it was fun to hear the joy as people rounded the bush to find me painting! What fun, and what lovely people I talked to! Painting number 4886 in 4886 days.
Happy Mother's Day!! It's been a wonderful day spent with my amazing Mom and the whole family!! This year we let the guys take care of the details, which had our daughter by marriage, Rebekah, saving the day with delicious Quiches, cilantro lime slaw and more, while the guys made cheeseburgers and espinaca, picking up a couple of pies. The weather was beautiful and we spent the day outdoors, enjoying our time together. This painting is another from a perennial favorite place - the Loose Park Rose Garden, which held a special plein air for arbor day. Painting number 4877 in 4877 days.
I can always squeeze in a tiny painting, even on the busiest of days - and it's SO good for my soul! These sweet blooms are so like pansies, but smaller. I've only planted them a couple of times in all these years, when I've found them at a local nursery. Maybe I could pick up seed, for an early start indoors next year, ensuring that I have them again and again to paint in spring. Painting number 4850 in 4850 days.
What is sweeter than the fragrance of potted tulips in the house? I brought these home from Family Tree Nursery and had to do a quick painting before they fade! I have a fondness for pink tulips, and brought some home last year, too. After they fade and die back, I put the pot outside to plant the bulbs in the garden. When I went to plant last year's bulbs, the three had multiplied to 9 - just like magic! They are in my front bed waiting for their signal to emerge! I'll plant these out there, too, when they fade. Painting number 4799 in 4799 days.
This little head of iceberg lettuce is growing from my kitchen scraps. It's so adorable I had to paint it! I've started another and a tiny cabbage, too, just to see if I could coax life from the stumps. I add a little plant food every two weeks, and refresh the water every few days. I'm hoping for roots, but so far they evade me. It's fun to garden inside at night, in the middle of winter! Painting number 4796 in 4796 days.
Chamomile and radish seeds planted and painted! What a beautiful day to spend outside! In addition to these seeds, I also planted 5 or 6 of the new seed varieties I bought from the Experimental Farm Network. They are all perennial vegetables which can be winter sown, and I'm so excited to watch their progress in the coming months. I'm marking everything I plant, because it is so easy to lose track with the sheer volume of gardening that I do! 60's today and maybe snow this weekend, so I'm making hay while the sun shines! Painting number 4794 in 4794 days.
It's fun to sketch the progress of scallion starts from the kitchen as they grow into plants I can use again and again! I found the little green mason jar starter for green onions with sprouting lids in a kit, and I HAD to try it! It's as easy as saving the bottom inch of a green onion to slip into a well with water, and watch the magic happen! I use a lot of these in cooking, and even grow one in my hydroponic garden. But these, I should be able to transplant outdoors when it is warm enough, for a bountiful harvest that could even be perennial in my zone. We'll see! Maybe, I'll never have to buy them again, and can paint them when they all break out in glorious bloom! Painting number 4786 in 4786 days.
I am painting what I planted in the herb garden today, on the eve of a winter storm! It's been so nice that I even dug out a bucket full of henbit for the chickens to enjoy! Winter sowing the seeds, they will get a good start for next season. We are expecting 4 to 7 inches, with 8 to 12 just south of us. Maybe I'll even be painting snow this weekend! Painting number 4769 in 4769 days.
Just a quick sketch of the California loose neck garlic before I planted it indoors. January gardening is the best! This weather has been so mild this month that I've found myself outdoors far more that a normal January. I'm trying this in a container and will plant another variety outdoors. The ground is still workable but we've got a winter storm headed here this weekend with temps close to zero. So, maybe I'll soon be painting snow! Painting number 4768 in 4768 days.
It's super fun to grow fancy lettuce to paint AND eat! Red Oakleaf lettuce is a beautiful heirloom variety to grow. I like to pick up heirloom seeds whenever I find them, and then save the seed from year to year, This aerogarden system has a seeding tray in it, so I can plant the seedlings directly in the ground - if it's warm enough. I'm growing four kales, Swiss chard, breen lettuce, arugula and several herbs in this garden. I LOVE LOVE LOVE gardening indoors while the snow flies outside this evening! Painting number 4763 in 4763 days.
