Purple and Yellow Pansies

 

I'm so happy the pansies are springing back to life after their deep freeze.  It has taken them nearly a month to regain what was lost in those three 10 degree days. I think it's a miracle that they have survived, and I'm painting their progress. Painting number 4854 in 4854 days. 

Cheerful Faces

 

This small pansy painting will be installed at Powell Gardens next week!  Well, technically they are violas, but in the same family as pansies.  I'm so surprised and happy that my pansies all survived the brutal weather.  The blooms all fell off, but the green plants remained green, and now are pushing forth blooms again.  I have a variety that I haven't yet painted, and I'm waiting for a few blooms on a plant before doing so.  It's fun to work in the garden with the chicks out for playtime, and again in the evening as the big girls free range.  I keep them herded together as any watchful mom would do!  I hope to be painting them soon when my garden work subsides a little!  Painting number 4846 in 4846 days. 

Yellow Blotch Pansies

I had so much fun painting these pansies at Suburban Lawn and Garden that I brought them home to my own garden to enjoy.  I'm so happy to have gotten all 18 in the ground before the 2 inch rain.  Six of those are a purple and white large variety, and I can hardly wait to paint them!  Many daffodils popped open today, and I'll need to paint them, too, while they are opening up.  So many flowers, it must be spring already!  Painting number 4817 in 4817 days. 

Orange Pansies

 

I'm planting more pansies and painting them, too!  I can't wait to get all my newest blooms into the ground!  After a morning of planting, weeding and mulching, it seems the chores are longer than my available hours, and it is often a challenge to squeeze in a painting.  On days like this, I choose a small substrate to get my painting fix out quickly.  And just like that, I'm back to gardening, potting up some seedlings and starting a few new seeds, too.  Painting number 5152 in 5152 days. 

Purple Pansies

 

Pansies are the sweetest flowers to paint in my garden, and this is the time of year when they are just getting started.  I've started putting hours into the beds again, so my sweet reward is a little sketch after my day's work is done.  Spring is such a beautiful time is rebirth, and I'm going to try to sketch every new bloom to unfold...... until I get too busy, lol! Painting number 5151 in 5151 days. 

First Pansies

 

Today finds me in the garden for a quick pansy sketch before family come by! Yesterday's rain was a little hard on them, but they are still shining this morning.  Pansies are so sweet in early spring, and each line and brushstroke while in the garden lifts my soul.  I soon will have a couple of little helpers out here, too!  Painting number 5143 in 5143 days. 

Pansies

 

I love painting the cheerful pansies of spring, especially when they are brightly colored.  This has been a hard week and I find solace in these first blooms.  In fact, this may be the most beautiful spring bloom we've had in years.  And I seem to be floating through it in auto pilot, once again. Painting number 5138 in 5138 days. 

Pansies

 What a gorgeous day to paint pansies in my garden!  I'm so happy they survived the 22 degree hard freeze!  Painting number 4996 in 4996 days. 

Pansy Jewels

There is nothing like painting a bit of sunshine to brighten up the whole day!  I've added my own jewel hues to these pansies as the sun bounced off of them.  I've painted these in oil with their amazing fragrance surrounding me!  What a wonderful break in this busy day of family and grandkids! Painting number 4990 in 4990 days. 

Yellow Pansy

What a lovely bit of sunshine to paint in the middle of a busy day!  These beauties are still inside the back porch, though they could be back outside now. It looks like another freeze may come over the weekend, so I am keeping them under house arrest to be safe!  I may love this color most of all, the sunny yellow is so cheerful and bright!  I'm looking forward to many more days full of flowers!  Painting number 4986 in 4986 days. 

Pansies

I brought these pansies into the back porch to protect them from the hard freeze - and today, my reward is to paint them! I first sketched this out with India ink, then filled in with watercolor.  Next, I used a purple fountain pen ink for depth in the purple, then a dark blue for the background.  The purple moved especially nice with water, but is have to look in my records to see just which ink it is. That TWSBI fountain pen is one of my favorite styles of TWSBIs!  Painting number 4984 in 4984 days. 

Pansies!

We've had so many days in the 90s - and still these pansies thrive!  Any day they may start to fade, so I am painting them while I can!  I have Robert Oster's Great Southern Ocean ink in my fountain pen, and India ink for the line work, followed with my watercolor half pans.  I actually grabbed one of my nice watercolor brushes for this, and loved how well it worked.  I have used the water brush pens so long in the field, I had honestly forgotten how well a full thirsty round brush is!  Additionally, I realized how worn out those brush pens are getting!  Time to pitch them!  Painting number 2714 in 2714 days.

Pansy Joy

It seems that when I'm worn out - I abandon the direct watercolor challenge, and when I'm fresh and rested, I pick up the challis again.  In a more playful and contemporary way, I am painting these cheerful pansies who continue to flourish despite the heat!  Simply painting with my brush, wet on wet, my quick impressions of these lovelies!  Now we're off to welcome Michaela, Cooper and baby Casper home from the hospital!  Happy days ahead!  Painting number 2711 in 2711 days.

Orange Pansies at Night

Here I am again, painting after dark because I wouldn't stop working outside!  Mike was running the brush hog, cutting the path again and clearing out brush from around the largest, oldest tree on the place.  I'm already composing paintings in my head with that tree!  These bright and cheerful pansies are close to the front porch so are conveniently lit for my late night painting!  So tonight I choose ink and watercolor and my favorite TWSBI Diamond fountain pen in lavender is pictured - and I have it loaded with Thunderstorm ink by Robert Oster.  It's bend to violet and turquoise is the perfect compliment for those orange petals!  Love these warm painting nights!  Painting number 2687 in 2687 days.

Violet and White Pansies

I found some amazing new pansies at the Country Mart today in Peculiar!  I love this little grocery store in that small town!  I feel safer shopping there during the covid lockdown because it is never as crowded as the Belton markets.  Additionally, they have a wonderful display out front with garden plants and flowers, just like in days gone by.  The plants are so healthy - I have brought home a flat full with each visit!  So, before I start planting, I get painting!  Painting number 2664 in 2664 days.

Purple Pansies

These purple pansies light up my garden with their shining faces!  We've had several freeze warnings - tonight included, so I just keep covering them up and hoping for the best.  So far so good!  Hope they survive another night!  It makes me smile just to paint these darling blooms - and I have several other colors to get to before they fade!  Painting number 2658 in 2658 days.

Orange Pansies

sold

Early this afternoon, our very first granddaughter was born!!  Everyone is well, and we are so happy to welcome this sweet little darling into our family.  Since we can not be at the hospital due to the COVID rules, I have instead found the happiest pansy in the garden to help me celebrate my joy!  This little orange pansy survived last night's freeze and is now my subject du jour in oil!  I can hardly wait to hold this beautiful little baby girl in my arms!!  Painting number 2657 in 2657 days.

Delta Pansies

The gorgeous weather drew me outside early.  Intending to share a cup of tea with the wildlife, I moved right on to gardening!  Days like this are a gift, so I took full advantage!  Between the various yard chores, I took time for a quick sketch before planting these beauties.  I had my eye on them all morning, and it is so hard to stop working to paint!  I stayed out until dark - so now I'm taking my photo inside!  Can't wait to see how these birthday pansies grow!  Painting number 2650 in 2650 days.

Yellow Pansies

Yellow Pansies
Oil on hardboard panel, 7x5
auction - bid here

It is so wonderful to actually be painting spring!  This cheerful kind of pansy is my absolute favorite of them all!  So far, my giant puppy is leaving all of my blooms alone - even the pansies!  It is nothing short of a miracle!  For this painting, I brushed in the block in, getting all values and colors where I wanted them.  Next, I moved to my favorite palette knife, and started dragging paint over the base color lightly, without disturbing the layer below.  I almost always paint wet into wet, and if the layers are pressed or brushed too hard into the existing layer, then a muddy mix will follow.  Painting number 813 in 813 days :)

Purple Face Pansies

Purple Face Pansies
oil on panel, 7x5
original sold - print available here

Last week we had snow, and this week we have pansies!  The weather has been so unseasonably warm that I just can't help being outside!  Spending hours in the garden each day, trying to get all the beds ready for spring - these flowers are the first to be planted this year.  Last year, our red lab puppy bit the heads off of many, many flowers in the beds. Now, a year old, I am hoping he will be less interested in my precious blooms.  So, I have planted six small plants to "test the waters", and I have memorialized them in paint, in the event they meet an untimely demise!  Painting number 803 in 803 days :)