Who knew Green Mustard would have such beautiful blooms?! I had been growing this hydroponically, and allowed the bolting plant to go to bloom to harvest the seed. Wow! What a show! The bloom stalks were so of of control that I snipped them off and set them in a vase to enjoy as cut flowers. I can hardly wait to grow more of these delicious greens! Painting number 5159 in 5159 days.
Happy Easter! We had a few dry windows in this rainy Easter day celebration, and we took advantage of them! The whole family was out for dinner, with Karen and Steve in from Australia. We picked up chicks to surprise the kids and grandkids - and they were perfect indoor entertainment during the rainy spells. We've just started to build a chicken coop, and I sure hope we get it done before they outgrow their brooder box. It's been a great day of making memories with the family, and another blessed Easter celebration. Painting number 5158 in 5158 days.
I love painting the delicate petals of our tulip tree as they lift upward on the branch - so lovely they are! We are expecting heavy rains tonight through Sunday, so many of these blooms will fall. This time of year is beautiful in the garden, and I can hardly wait to see what opens up next! Painting number 5156 in 5156 days.
The last of my daffodils are blooming and I just had to get a quick sketch before they fade for another year! This has been a truly glorious spring for them - I can't reminder a better one! After another long day of gardening and housework, I am squeezing a tiny painting of these lovelies! Even the tiniest painting break rejuvenates me for the long list of chores ahead. Thank heavens for these shiny moments! Painting number 5155 in 5155 days.
In a day full of gardening chores - I just had to take a break for these beauties! Grandma's lilacs are still blooming, and mellowing into a pinker shade! As the lavender shades fade to pink, I bring my oils out for this one. The bright blue sky is the perfect backdrop for these sunlit blooms, and I take advantage of every minute because I may not get another chance to paint them until next year. Painting number 5154 in 5154 days.
I LOVE squeezing in a quick painting of my pink tulips on this very busy day! I wish they would last for months instead of days, but our strong winds are tossing them about! I plant these fragrant beauties each year, but they don't multiply like my daffodils do. In fact, they seem to sink into the ground and simply cease to flower after a couple of years. I'm going to enjoy them while I can, and immortalize them in my paintings, because too soon they will fade away. Painting number 5153 in 5153 days.
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.
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.
Grandmother's old redbuds are blooming, and i just had to paint the butterflies drawn to their vivid pink blooms! I have a special journal that I'm sketching much nature into, and I'm hoping to paint all is my perennial favorites. We're busy working outside before some of the family head over - and i better get back to work! I'm transplanting lillies, phlox and dame's rocket today! Painting number 5150 in 5150 days.
It's so fun to paint the blooms as they unfold on our flowering trees! This spring has truly been one of the most beautiful ones I can remember! All the trees seem to be in bloom at the same time - pears, plums, redbuds, and the forsythia and daffodils are at peak, too. I think the lilacs will open tomorrow, and you know I'll have to get them painted ASAP! It's such a busy time but I simply must make time to paint the fleeting bloom time beauty! Too soon it will be summer, and a whole new season of bloom will be upon us! Painting number 5145 in 5145 days.
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.
Painting these beauties can brighten up any day, even the dark ones we travel now. I've spent all my time support family these last days, and it doesn't seem to be enough. In the little scraps of time I find, I choose to sketch the beauty of this special variety. It cheers my soul to put pen to paper, like time spent with an old friend. Their beauty is fleeting, and I can only hope to get them all painted before they fade. Painting number 5142 in 5142 days.
Our daffodils have never been as abundant as they are this year and I'm so happy to get to paint them in their glory. The very first variety to bloom is just starting to fade, as others are opening up anew. This variety in the foreground is just coming to it's peak. The redbuds are also shining pink, though blocked in this view by foliage to the right. This farm has been in my family for 80 years, a place of hopes and dreams for generations. I love this place with my every breath, and continue to scatter bulbs and seeds as my grandmother did. I hope to paint every bloom one day, each planted where I intend to paint. Painting number 5141 in 5141 days.
These spring blooms are fleeting, and glorious to paint in their prime. Every year they return to me, like friends springing up from the ground. They keep me occupied when too much is on my mind, and the strenuous garden work is welcome relief when troubled. My duties are light as I head early to Michaela's, and I'm hoping the boys will join me in her garden with the shiny, new garden spades that I'm bringing with me. Perhaps my next painting should be of that brightly colored collection of tools in my basket. Painting number 5140 in 5140 days.
These sweet purple crocus are a little late this year, but they are certainly worth the wait. An early cold snap seemed to have delayed what are sometimes the very first blooms on the garden. They open their petals wide to the sun, and close them as the sun begins to set. On this day of anxious waiting, a little paint time in the garden is the best art therapy. Looking forward to perfect outcomes and better days, this painting is number 5139 in 5139 days.
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.
