Nature's Fireworks

"Highway Flowers"
8X8
Oil on Canvas Panel
Available

Happy 4th of July, America!! At the risk of sounding like a socialist, which you all know I am no where close to that label, I have to say I do like the flower program that Lady Bird Johnson began in the 1960's. Quite possibly, other than military defense and interstate highways, this is the only Federal program I do like. It's definitely not necessary. It's totally socialistic. Taking tax dollars to plant flowers on the highways is so frivolous, especially during bad economic times. But it is innocuous, too. It doesn't take away your choice of doctor or take away your choice of energy consumption. It isn't draining your bank account in order to give more power to the politicians who take your freedoms away. If we can afford it, it is nothing more than a little icing on the cake. Being an artist, I always admire the sweeping areas of bright flowers along the highways....and I am always looking for nature's beauty to remind me that there are still some of God's gifts I can enjoy under a totalitarian American government. Nature is my only refuge from man-made oppression.

So call me a hypocrite just this once. But don't try it on any other day.

Pansies and Periwinkle

"Pansies and Periwinkle"
9X12
Oil on Linen Panel
NFS

My pansies are having their last hurrah before the Peonies show up next month. I plant pansies in October and they sort of hang on in a lazy kind of way until March when they explode with glorious bounties of blossoms. This painting is of some antique variety of pansy that our local nursery has every year. And to be honest with you, since my Dad is still taking up nearly every day of my life lately, this is a painting I did a while ago. It sits in my studio, framed and on an easel, and it is one I especially like having around to remind that I can paint.

I did take a day excursion last week to Reynolda House in Winston Salem, the home of the R.J. Reynolds family, that is now a gorgeous museum home for tourists to enjoy. Attached to the house is an exhibit center. The reason for my visit was a current exhibit of American Impressionists' paintings. What a feast for the eyes! John Singer Sargent, John LaFarge, Childe Hassam, William Merritt Chase, Glackens, and more...it was truly a collection to savor. You can stand right up to the paintings and study the brush strokes. And then you can stand back from them and take them in for as long as you like. I hated to leave that exhibit hall...just wanted to look and look and look at them over and over. Very stunning. So that was my brief indulgence. If you get a chance to go see this collection, do it. You won't be sorry.

Daily Painting, "Irises"

"Irises"
12X9
Oil on Raymar Panel
SOLD

Click on picture for a larger view.

This was the first Iris to burst forth in my garden this week..and as you can see, there are more coming! Happy Spring!
I was thinking about how formal Irises are and wondering why I think so. While painting this one I realized the reason. They have padded shoulders with epaulets, all dressed up for a military parade!! They seem so elegant, don't they?

This was a very complicated composition. There are many areas of different textures and a thousand shades of green. The flower itself is full of nuances and challenges of light filtering through with soft lines and areas that are graduated from purple to pink to white. Then there was the boxwood background with the saber-like spears of the Iris leaves in front. Tricky.

Daily Painting Botanical, "Crimson Pansy"

"Crimson Pansy"
10X8
Oil on Board
Available
Click on picture to enlarge it.

I haven't painted flowers for a couple of months now, being busy with portraits. However, October here is the time to plant Pansies. Bless their hearts, they last all winter and keep a smile on no matter what the weather. Actually, this year we are experiencing a serious drought, so the pansies are a bit of a splurge and I bought fewer this year than usual. This is what they look like in my rock garden. I especially love the crimson ones for their cheerful bright color against the ground.