Evening Phlox

 

Impressions of my garden phlox are on the easel as the light fades in the garden. The fragrance is heady at night, rich in the air on the front porch.  We had a lovely Baby Sprinkle for Michaela and Robin today at Hannah's, and it was amazing.  Rebekah came up with a delicious Fairy Tale themed menu with special mocktails, as all the girls made the day special.  It was a lovely reprieve from the Big 250 year Independence Day celebration yesterday.  I'm so thankful the girls carried the load today because I was beat after the week's preparations, cooking and cleaning.  Best family ever!  Painting number 4933 in 4933 days. 

Phlox!

 

Painting generational flowers in the garden brings back so many memories!  Five  generations have now enjoyed these blooms on this land, and I'm the only one to paint them yet! With many budding young artists in the family, I'll need to gather them together for a paint out among them, and tell them about their Grandma Bessie!  Painting number  4930 in 4930 days. 

Garden Phlox

 

The garden phlox are blooming and the air is heavy with their fragrance!  One of my favorite flowers in the garden, these beauties smell almost of lilacs.  Vigorous plants, they spread readily and grow in sun and shade.  When dead headed or in years of heavy rain, they can bloom into the fall. My first plants came from Grandma Bessie's home in Raymore, where she shared them after a day spent tidying her flower beds. I've shared them and planted them all over the property.  So now, I get to paint their beauty and enjoy their fragrance every summer!  Painting number 4923 in 4923 days. 

Phlox

 

It was a wonderful day to celebrate the fathers in our family together!  The phlox are just starting to bloom, so a quick paint was in order before the day became too busy.  Working in miniature, this is ATC sized, which is perfect for a day when all the family is coming over!  I only wish my own dad was still here to celebrate with us.  Painting number 4919 in 4919 days. 

Garden Phlox

 

My garden phlox are putting on a show and absolutely begging to be painted!  With so much travel this year, my garden plants have had to depend on Mother Nature for nurturing!  Thank goodness we've had enough rain for them to thrive without my doting attention.  I've nearly missed the tiger lillies full blush, but the phlox and Rose of Sharons are just reaching peak now.  Cosmos are in full swing and the cannas are just opening their first blooms.  I've spent long hours trying to catch up on the mass weeding that constant rain brings, and each bed finished cheers me on. I can only hope to paint the beauty of all this before it fades away for another year.  These favorite flowers were given to me decades ago from Grandma Bessie! Painting number 4575 in 4575 days. 

Evening Phlox

Sometimes, I just need to get my oils out!  The phlox are fading with our heat of summer, but still they hang on next to the house.  Their fragrance is so heady and rich, it is a joy to paint them in the evening. Painting number 5149 in 5149 days. 

Garden Phlox

 

I love how these phlox persevere through our hot, dry days - and they deserve to be painted again and again!  I only had a little time for this, because my days are filled with finishing commissions to ship or deliver next week.  It's been nice to return to my gym routine, try a new healthy recipe I got at the Yoga Bliss Festival, and schedule my days organically, allowing things to slip into their windows.  With lots of family time, that is sometimes a feat! Painting number 5126 in 5126 days. 

Garden Phlox

These blooms are so fragrant - the whole lawn smells almost of lilac. My very first starts were from Grandma Bessie's garden on Olive, where I helped to weed and tend, before running for lunch for all.  They were good days, learning to care for baby plants, while making memories to last a lifetime.  Now, those flowers bloom abundantly all over our property, and each time I see them, I think of Grandma Bessie.  Painting number 5098 in 5098 days. 

Phlox!

 

The tall garden phlox are beginning to bloom - and the lawn smells heavenly!  On this VERY busy day, I only have enough time to paint a miniature atc sized painting, and of course this garden was calling to me!  With grandkids blowing bubbles, I quickly captured this beauty in between the fun.  I love the vibrant color and fragrance so much!  Painting number 5083 in 5083 days. 

#artistlife #pleinairpainting #gardenphlox #gardeninspiration #mygardenlife #floralpainting #ATC

September Phlox

 

I love painting the garden phlox that I received from Grandma Bessie so many years ago.  I would help her with her flowers, sometimes putting out seed, or thinning out perennials.  And always she would send a little something home with me, telling me not to thank her or it wouldn't grow!  Those were happy times with normally a child or two in tow, and they would play in the backyard as we tended the flowers. These blooms always remind me of her love of the garden, and I've planted them all over the place, sharing with others, to spread the joy she shared with me.  Painting number 3885 in 3885 days. 

Bee in the Garden

 

I get out pretty early for garden work on days like these, and often find painting inspiration, too. The bees don't seem to care about our high heat index, and these phlox just keep on blooming though it feels like 114 degrees out there!  I stay in the shade when I'm painting or working on days like this, and watering the beds early to help them survive this crazy heat.  I sure hope it keeps them healthy!  The atmosphere is thick enough to cut with a knife, and you can even see it in the photo.  Ink and watercolor for this quick paint, with a little extra ink at the end.  Painting number 3876 in 3876 days. 

Phlox!

 

Hooray!  The garden phlox are blooming again! When I look at these, I think of Grandma Bessie, and the time we spent in her garden on Olive St!  I helped her weed her flower beds, as she taught me about her flowers.  I wanted to know their names and all about them.  She would give me starts, telling me not to thank her, because they wouldn't grow if I did!  I have shared these beauties many times through the years, and they are a perennial favorite of mine.  Their fragrance rivals lilac, but lasts far longer than the fleeting spring blooms. I'm happy to have painted this before the heavy rains expected tonight!  Painting number 3839 in 3839 days. 

Phlox

 What a wonderful morning to spend in the garden, after a solid workout at the gym.  Filling my water, I got right out to start weeding the kitchen bed, and worked my way into two other beds before calling it quits.  All the while, I admired the blooms that flourished despite the string of 100 degree days and little rain.  It feels good to nurture these plants, and even better to paint them when I'm finished!  I found another large snakeskin along the foundation, and many bees and hummingbirds buzzing in the flowers!  Painting number 4288 in 4288 days. 

Phlox

I love how long these tall garden phlox flourish in years of heavy rain!  These beauties were gorgeous for the Fourth of July, and here it is middle September and still they shine!  I do deadhead them whenever I see the need, which keeps them sprouting new blooms.  I have had them bloom into November before - but that is rare!  So, today I capture them in miniature with ink and watercolor, because once again my time is short.  Thank goodness for garden inspiration on days like these!  Painting number 3160 in 3160 days. 

Phlox!

My first garden phlox is a giant!  So, of course I had to paint it!  After spending a full day weeding various beds, I kept noting special blooms that are popping!  Grabbing my ink and watercolor while there was still enough light, I sketched a miniature of this beauty.  The paper is a rough cotton watercolor type and pretty crisp with sizing.  Each handmade paper is different, and it's interesting to see how they behave.  This one accepted the ink in a bleeding fashion, so I switched to De Atramentis Archive Ink for the line work.  It is more resistant to the water.  The bleeding ink in this case is Robert Oster's Great Southern Ocean, which I LOVE, so I'm totally blaming the paper for this one!  Lol! Painting number 3093 in 3093 days. 

Bee and Phlox

 I really love the second bloom of these favorite garden phlox!  Showy and gorgeous by the fourth of July, it is a gift when they bloom again as the season changes.  Bees and butterflies love them, as I do!  Lucky for me, this one is just off the covered porch, so I can paint even as the light rain persists.  I have Robert Oster's Great Southern Ocean in my fountain pen - which is the blue of the sky.  I simply pulled it into the sky with a wet brush.  I love how his signature inks move when wet!  This miniature painting is my 2803rd in 2803 days. 

Garden Phlox

I look forward to these gorgeous blooms all year!  Always gorgeous in time for Independence Day, they are tall, showy and so fragrant!  After a hard morning at the gym, a harder day working in the gardens, some fun grandchildren time for Tiffany's date night, I come to my easel late again.  The silly cell service is bad again - Sprint was so much better than Team Mobile has been since they took over, I am trying to get this post done with very little access.  One would think everyone could have decent coverage in 2020.  With ink and watercolor I capture this moment in less time than it has taken me to wait for all the delays in my uploads.  Lol!  Think I need some more art therapy!  Painting number 2729 in 2729 days. 

Phlox

It makes so happy when the very first tall garden phlox start to bloom!!  These first fragrant beauties are a glimpse of the hundreds to come!! I saw they were opening while working in the yard. By the time I had delivered flowers to mom, dug some clematis out at Norma's and replanted them in my north garden - the sun was setting!  After a quick drink and a bite to sustain me, it was full dark when I painted.  I've got a very cushy spot on the covered front porch which is perfect for night painting!  The front beds are illuminated by Edison lights on the porch, so I always have something to paint!  Many's the time I've come late to my easel!  It's a busy time in the garden, after all! Painting number 2722 in 2722 days.

Phlox and Tansy

After a very long day, I find myself painting a few of the flowers I brought in from the garden tonight. I don't remember ever painting the tansy before, but these were leaning into the walkway, so I saved them from stomping!  The phlox have lasted so very long this summer, but the last two heavy rains have really washed the petals away.  I've been dead heading them and babying them, hoping to keep them gorgeous for Michaela's wedding, but they are fading.  These blooms were all laying over, so now they are inside so I can paint them while enjoying their rich fragrance!  Painting number 2430 in 2430 days.

Phlox and Potato Vines

The garden phlox is really showing off this year, especially against the neon green of the potato vines!  We've had just enough rain to keep them lush - so now I'm busy capturing them in paint!  I like to add permanent rose to my palette when I paint these flowers, the cads and alizarin just don't quite achieve their color.  I'm painting small and using a scrubby brush to lay down those color masses.  I find I'm using the Princeton catalyst polytips for the grunt work, saving my Rosemary and silver whites for the finish work only.  Why not?  These polytips really take a beating and keep on making the mark.  I'm so glad I stepped into the world of synthetic brushes after a lifetime belief that natural bristles ruled.  Painting number 2025 in 2025 days.

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