White Hydrangeas

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

Started this one today but not finished......I love hydrangeas but they can sure be tough to paint!  I never feel I do them justice.

Same Song, Second Verse

12 x 16 oil on stretched canvas

A re-do of same reference photo (my hydrangeas from last summer).  They haven't started blooming this year.  I am trying to get some paintings ready for a show this weekend so I thought I would pull this one out again and try, try again!  

Hodgepodge

12 x 16 oil on canvas panel

Today's post is really a hodgepodge of techniques and experiments I attempted.  I had an OLD panel that has had about 4 previous paintings on it.  I used it to try out some new techniques such as mixing the paint on the painting itself straight from the tube, using some new brushes I picked up in Atlanta this past week, palette knife work, thick paint applications, etc.  The end result is ok but not something I am thrilled with.  I began by trying to paint in high key but abandoned that idea - just don't really know how artists such as Nancy Franke can achieve that....my strokes all blend into the background when I attempt.

Sanders' Hydrangeas

5 x 7 oil on hardboard panel - SOLD

This is a new painting from last summer's photograph of my pink hydrangeas.   It is mostly the same painting except with an additional year's practice at the easel.  My niece wanted the original but it had sold so I painted another for her.   There is a glare on this photo in the middle on the left side that isn't there in real life - late afternoon sun coming through my studio window.   The sun is shining brightly today - temp 98 degrees with a heat index of 105 - 108; it's HOT and HUMID!!!!!

Signs of Spring

12 x 16 oil on stretched canvas

More hydrangeas.....can't wait for mine to start blooming!

Floral Fantasy

12 x 16 oil on canvas board

Sort of a goofy name, I realize,  but that is really what it is - fantasy!  I can't say what flowers these are because they are just "imagined" flowers that I started filling in with.    This was an old painting of stalks of larkspur but it was too "stalky" and purple to me so I started making up flowers as I went along.  I LOVE to paint in the negative so this was fun for me.

More Black-Eyed Susans

8 x 10 oil on hardboard - SOLD

My husband said my black-eyed susans from my last post looked upside down so I lifted them a little this time.  Actually they grow that way,  at least in my yard,  but maybe  they could use a little lift! 

Blooming Now!

 9 x 12 oil on hardboard

These are some of my Black-Eyed Susans that are blooming right now around my back patio.   I love their bright colors and wish that they would bloom all year long.  They do multiply though and I have a flower bed full of them.

Encore

12 x 12 oil on stretched canvas

With the mild winter we had, I was pleased to see that my geranium from last summer made it!  I have always loved geraniums and love the red ones the best!  

Spring Treats

18 x 24 oil on stretched canvas - SOLD

This is a floral that I repainted this morning.  I never did like it as I don't feel very comfortable with florals but I do like it better with this lighter background I used.  Before it was darker and the flowers just didn't stand out enough.