October Lilacs

In town for the closing reception for Brush Creek Art Walk, I took the opportunity to stop by the Loose Park Rose Garden.  After finishing a large commission on site, a stroll through the gardens led me to this discovery - October lilacs!!  Well, you KNOW I had to paint them!!  These wonderful old fashioned lilacs are like the ones on my own lawn, bursting with fragrance!  Pulling  my 5x7 guerrilla painter thumb box out of the trunk, I quickly jumped in with paint.  Like an old friend I haven't seen for a while, it was a pleasure to be painting with this little box again!  I fought the wind finishing my 24x30 today, but this little jewel was effortless in the gusts.  My little Altoid palette hadn't been touched for months, but was fresh from the freezer.  If I'd had any idea there might be lilacs, I would have loaded some dioxazine purple!  I mixed what I needed and pushed towards the pink, just because I felt like it.  There are no rules in art!!  Painting number 1746 in 1746 days.

oil on panel, 7x5
purchase here

October Sunset

October Sunset
Oil on panel, 6x8

Today was a wonderful day to be outside!  Gentle breezes, warm temperatures, I spent the whole day working in the flower beds.  With so many flowers, things can get out of hand if I am not constantly in them....and they had gotten a bit out of hand!  I have so many gourds this year - truly a bumper crop!  I spent some time cutting many from the vines that have already started to dry.  As a bonus - I found a couple more zucchini and another cucumber in the beds.  I tuck these garden plants into my regular flower beds amongst the many perennials, and I just keep finding their gifts!  They will find their way into dinner tomorrow night.  On this painting, I am playing with the soft colors of sunset on trees and pond.  I much prefer to paint early, rather than late - but I just didn't want to waste the daylight.  I will need to take another photo of this in the daylight, though.  Sometimes, the incandescent lighting changes the colors from the original.  Well, this one makes 286 in as many days.