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. 

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. 

Watercolor Batik Tulips

 

With a few tulips blooming in the garden, I'm capturing them in watercolor batik on rice paper! While many frozen spring blooms are re-emerging from the ground, a few tulip blooms are posing up, though they are short.  It's the perfect thing to paint in this medium, where I can blur the background away and let their beauty shine.  Painting number 4833 to 4833 days. 

Rainbow's End

 

There's nothing like a tiny cheerful flower painting to end the day on a happy note!  Michaela and her family stayed over a couple nights in their camper, just heading home tonight.  It's amazing how quiet this house becomes after they leave.  We're so lucky the kids all live close so we can gather frequently!  Painting number 4767 in 4767 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. 

Purple Crocus

 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Allium Batik

Sometimes, it is super fun to switch up mediums completely.  After so many days of ink and watercolor, I find myself playing with ink, hot wax, and watercolor on rice paper!  Always fun and unpredictable, each watercolor batik is unique. Paint, hot wax and ink flow and resist almost at random, and the translucent paint is full of energy. Perhaps, I'll explore more of my garden blooms with this reckless abandon!  Painting number 5087 in 5087 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. 

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. 

Tranquility Wreath

Today's ink choice from the Diamine Inkvent Calendar is Tranquility, a lovely purple with golden green shimmer ink! It gets very dark in heavy application, and washes out to a warm pink in light areas.  I sketched a wreath that adorns my front room doors, thinking this ink would push a little more red.  I think this ink is a keeper when I'm looking for a warm violet on my ink palette. Painting number 4003 in 4003 days. 

Garden Phlox

 

What a gorgeous evening for painting in the garden!  It's been a very busy day of housework, yard work and chores, so getting to enjoy a little beauty with my paints is a treat.  These tall garden phlox have bloomed into November before (in a wet year), and I hope to nurture them through the heat and drought through October.  They could be lovely for our son's wedding here, with plenty of coaxing!  Since they have rallied through the worst of it, I have high hopes for them!  Now,  I'm off to finally clean and reload my oil palette - it is WAY past time, lol! Painting number 3893 in 3893 days. 

Cape Primrose

This plant variety is brand new to me, so it is extra fun to explore it's form in ink and watercolor.  A cousin to an African violet, streptocarpus is a showy bloomer.  It's rich, velvety blooms are trumpet shaped, spreading out from central stems. I need to mass the blooms a little more, instead of delineating every bloom.  I guess I'm a little too "in my head" with the newness of it all!  My favorite grandmother grew African violets when she was young, so I guess this is my gateway bloom!  Painting number 3316 in 3316 days. 

Purple Iris

All of my irises have a memory attached.  These beauties were brought to me by my oldest son and his wife just before they moved out of the first house.  This is only their second season in the ground, and they are already blooming so well - in each place I planted them!  So, today I am painting them in ink and watercolor, but perhaps I'll try them in oil before they fade. A few of my iris blooms were nipped in that long hard freeze we had in April, so there are fewer irises in my garden this year.  It makes me appreciate these all the more!  Painting number 3055 in 3055 days. 

Front Porch Clematis

This stunning clematis is really putting on a show this year!  I painted it in ink and watercolor a few days ago, knowing I would have to try it out in oils!  I know this as Norma's Clematis, named after the dear friend who gave it to me, and this is it's most glorious bloom yet! With oils, I mark the lightest lights and darkest darks, before working towards the mid tones. I am using ultramarine violet for the flowers, and the color is true, but I find it doesn't have much strength when mixed. I probably should have reached for dioxanine purple, but I didn't think of it while painting.  I seldom use that hue, but for certain flowers it is perfect! I have really enjoyed painting this outstanding clematis, it has been a joy!  Painting number 3052 in 3052 days. 

Purple Clematis Cascade

This clematis has never been this gorgeous!  Given to me by a friend no longer on this earth, I will think of her each year it blooms, remembering the day I freed it from a fence as she coaxed me on!  I was afraid the rain would knock some petals off, so it was first on my easel today.  I'm not quite sure it is finished - and I forgot to sign it - but the raindrops had started and they could make those colors run!  I'll revisit it tomorrow, and see if it calls for any adjustments.  Perhaps I'll even try it again while this clematis still blooms!  Painting number 3048 in 3048 days. 

Rainy Day Allium

Oh the beauty of a misty day - and allium!  I just got back to town, and the arboretum is alight with these beauties!  I've a few blooms opening of my own (which I almost stayed home to paint), so I was rewarded with this when I arrived on site.  I did not walk further!  Painting two paintings while in Monet's Garden, I didn't scout the rest of the place until finishing!  I wait all year to paint the alluring allium!  Painting number 3035 in 3035 days. 

Petunias

This was another day of hard work in the garden, trying to stay in the shade as the heat index rose to triple digits.  At nearly day's end, I was in the process of painting these sweet petunias when a sudden downpour beat their delicate petals down and chased off all the insects!  Ducking for cover, it soon passed and I could finish, even though my models were dropping considerably!  I did put the little bumble bee in - even though one of his brothers stung my leg in the kitchen garden earlier!  First bumble sting I've gotten, and yes it feels like fire for probably 30 seconds!  I think we have a hive back there, and I just got too close!  Painting number 2754 in 2754 days.