PEONY BEFORE AND AFTER

 

The beginning of a half sheet (22 x 30 inches) painting on Arches 140# cold press paper.  I like the way it’s flowing right now.  

This is a painting of a peony from unopened early bud to finished flower (center).  

HONEYBEE

 

Not as good as I’d like so might try once more for a little bee.

THE LAST OF THE 17-YEAR CICADAS

 

The last one I’ll paint for a while :). 

I should be able to unwrap my mimosa tree soon - the adults are almost all gone now.

BLUEJAY

 I put out peanuts for my blue jays (and for the little chipmunk that comes by and stuffs his cheek pouches = too cute!).  So I get some good photo references of the jays swiping down on the table and picking off the nuts, sometimes trying to get 2 in the mouth at one time (but that never works out).  I’ve had as many as a dozen jays at one time but, right now, have a family of 4 (one youngster is still asking to be fed by mom or pop).  

BLUE

 

An iris in pale blue.

BROOD - X

 

Well, I had to try since I had some photos of the little pests.  How can something so small be so LOUD???

MUSHROOMS, ANYONE?

 A break from the iris - painted earlier from a photo of a few little mushrooms at the base of a tree.  

MAYBE VIOLET IS NOT MY COLOR?

 

Well, shoot!

This one is so flat.  I did try darkening areas and lifting areas but it just didn’t seem to make much difference.  Maybe it’s the colors used?  No, I think I’m missing something here in trying to paint irises - you want the curvy shapes and it should look more delicate than this…

Okay, one more try and then I’ll give up for a while and let this subject rest until I can work it out.  

WELL, THEY CAN’T ALL BE WINNERS

 

This is one of those paintings that looks so much better in the photo than in real life.  Although I could play with it more and darken or lift some colors, I think I’ll just move on to something else and try out those purple/violet pigments again on another iris painting.

PURPLE

 The next thing I’ll paint is going to be….

Purple!

But I won’t use every one of these violets I have…have picked out 3-4 to use and see how it turns out.

Stay tuned…

PINK PEONY X TWO

 

Finished the first peony painting by just slightly darkening areas here and there - not too much and I may be able to see it more than you see it from the previous version.

Also, painted a second pink peony just because they are so pretty.  This one has a much darker background to set it off.  

PINK PEONY - SECOND LAYER

 

A little bit more done.  I think it’s almost finished but some tweaking to do.

PINK PEONY

 Started this painting of a pink peony.  More to do to darken and shape the petals.  

TULIP POPLAR TREE BLOOMING

 

From a fallen tulip poplar blossom that was on the path during a recent walk in the woods.  I brought it home to use as model.  It didn’t last long, so glad I took a photo of it before we left (while it was still fresh).  

BROOD X - 17 YEAR CICADAS ARE ON THE PROWL

 Who is this spooky woman in my back yard?  It’s just my mimosa tree draped in protective covering to keep the dreaded Brood X 17-year cicadas from laying eggs in the limbs and trunk.  To me, it looks like a woman standing out in the yard!

We have hundreds of the cicadas out and screaming their lovely mating scream now and they are all over, crunching underfoot, on everything that’s close to the ground (plants, shrubs, etc.).  Some people find them a nuisance and others find them terrifying, while biologists find them interesting and just a fact of life every 17 years here in the our area.  

Here’s just one of the red-eyed beauties.  Think about that, times 100 or more!