Lily and Pads

Lily pads floating in the water are so picturesque, especially when those blooms open!  I've always loved them, but it is one of those things you don't want to start in a big pond.  They seem to take over the place of left to their own devices!  So,  I paint them where I find them, in lovely area water gardens.  Next weekend is the Water Garden Society's special tour through Kansas City metro gardens.  I'm so fortunate to be painting in one of those lovely gardens!  So, if you have your tickets to the event - I'll be at garden number 46!  Painting number 1986 in 1986 days.

Water Lilies - watercolor journal

While working on this painting, I was a little too aggressive with my journal, trying to separate the last pages which were glued too much into the margin.  As you can see - I created more work for myself, now having to reglue and stitch this back together.  I'll be more careful next time!  I used a medium black Pitt pen to sketch out these water lilies at the arboretum.  Next, I used my largest water brushpen to lay in the colors.  The larger brushes work more effectively on this rough paper, allowing plenty of water onto the surface.  While wet, I drop in more pigment as necessary, to bump up the intensity as watercolors lighten as they dry.  Jumping back and forth from the fountain pen to this technique is fun.  I like to mix things up regularly!  Painting number 1636 in 1636 days.

Water Lilies

Water Lilies
Oil on panel, 14x11
purchase here

This is the second painting of the Stems event that I began with a dark primed panel, as in one I would normally use for nocturnes. In such a dark scene, I think it may easier to simply work towards the light.  In the case of this painting, I had the grandsons with me - and I was VERY distracted with the whole "boys being boys" thing! By the time Michaela finished her painting and took the boys to play by the train garden, I was nearing completion.  It took me twice as long to finish this painting as it should have.  To get the boys used to this whole "plein air" thing, we are now scheduling family plein air days.  This painting is the 1254th in 1254 days.

Lily in the Pond

I have wanted to try my hand at painting water lilies for years!  The lilies at Powell Gardens are so beautiful this year - I knew this was my chance!  Working from a wonderful photo I took at the paint-out, I set out with my oils on a small panel.  (With company here most of the day - small is all I could work in tonight!)  I actually had fun painting this - and I have always been intimidated by these little beauties!  I will be painting another landscape with a broader scope of the pond one day soon.  I couldn't get the blues to show true in this nighttime photo - so I will try to take one during the daylight hours tomorrow.  This is painting number 184 in as many days.  Now, I'm going to go out and watch some more fireworks!  That's the great thing about living in the country - 4th of July is a non-stop week of fireworks displays each night :)

Lily on the Pond
Oil on panel, 6x6
Powell Gardens Lily Pond