Joyful

"Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;

Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above."

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote the music for these words, it doesn't get any better than this.

Years ago, eleven years ago, I planned a series of sunflower paintings from a large bouquet I had bought at the local farmer's market.

My first ambitious step was to take five large canvases, each 30x40 inches, to draw my flowers directly on the canvas using ink and drawing from life. Those were a couple of very exciting and intense days. After completing the drawing, I tone the canvas with a warm red.
(left, a detail from the drawing process)

My second step was to make these color sketches using colored pencils. I based each composition on a line from my beloved hymn.

I think the first canvas that I finished is the Joyful2 and the last canvas that I finished is the Joyful1 shown below.

try again

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts."
Winston Churchill






I have to remember that not everything turns out as I envisioned. I threw away two paintings this week when techniques I tried failed. This flower which I drew from life, was one of them. I thought it would be interesting to draw with brush and ink but then I was disappointed  when I applied the washes of color. I rescued it from the trash a day later and did some experimenting and playing with textures.

wedding on my mind

I have been asked to prepare some samples for a client, subject...weddings!

Coincidentally, wedding images have been on my mind as our family plans for a wedding in a few weeks.

Shown here is one of my spot samples. 

These images will be reproduced very small, and called for a tight watercolor treatment.

I am busy still painting a few more romantic and sentimental spots.

and another

Tropical flower, as common as sand and a beach towel in warmer places.

I could just paint these all day.

my own backyard

I have some bountiful Rose of Sharon bushes blooming in the August heat. Everyday I walk past the bushes on my way to do errands and stop and wonder how I will paint them. No more wondering, I will "just do it" as the advertisements say. Here is a first warm up.

The intense colors of Spring

Gobsmacked ,my new favorite word, describes my reaction to our first spring days in Chicago.

I looked it up in a British-American dictionary; "surprised - taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment". 

Those intense moments of color surprise and delight every day  as grey winter creeps away.

My front yard is  carpeted by these tiny cobalt blue blossoms. I finally figured out that they are called Scilla siberica and that they sprouted from miniature bulbs that I planted a number of years ago (and forgot). Now they are brilliantly naturalizing their way across the lawn. 

I am about to start a very large painting of lilies from the latest Easter week. I always end up with lots of lilies in pots in my studio during this week in the spring. The rooms smell wonderful and I am so inspired to draw from the live models surrounding me.

This shade of blue, with a hint of purples makes me want to create a theme with this color for this next painting.  I will be posting as I paint.

The almighty daffodil

"Never Underestimate The Almighty Daffodil"

Quoted from the Chicago Tribune Sunday, February 22. 

So I had to do it- go out on a winter day and get some daffodils. From the store, certainly not from my yard as it is still covered with snow.