Dendrobium

"Dendrobium"
14" x 11"
Oil on wrapped canvas
A friend send me a photo of these orchids about a month ago. They've been waiting in queue to be painted, and now that I have, I want to paint more!  This was a wonderful exercise in value and limited color. I loved it. Thank you dear friend for thinking of me. 

I toned the canvas in Cadet Grey acrylic just before I began painting. It made a nice neutral ground for the white. I liked using it as a toning color. I'll use it again.

Carol

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Camellia

"Camellia"
12" x 12"
                                              Oil on wrapped canvas
I had the good fortune to attend three different flower shows in Chicago yesterday. I lunched at Macy's on State Street, stood on one of those perspective-distorted chalk drawings, saw the Tiffany domed ceiling, photographed a man proposing to a woman, ate fine chocolates and met charming people on the train. 

This camellia painting is from one of over two hundred photos I took in the course of one magical day. 

Carol 


Pearly White

"Pearly White"
5" x 5"
$75
I loved the papery wrinkles on the petals of this hibiscus. They resembled the tissue that cradles oranges from damage when they're shipped. I saw a painting with that very tissue paper when I visited the Art and Appetite show at the Art Institute in Chicago on Thursday. Click here to see for yourself.  

She's not a rose, but she's pretty soft, delicate and feminine.

Carol

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White Poppy

"White Poppy"
4" x 4"
Pastel on gessoed hardboard
I shot a field of poppies at the Botanic Gardens in April, including closeups of many of them. This was one of the closeups of a white whose shadows appeared to be violet.  

A spring flower appealed to me tonight while I paint all bundled up in polar fleece, a beret on my head and thick wool socks. Winter is officially upon us with temperatures in the low single digits.  

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Some Kind of Posy

"Some Kind of Posy"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
I walked my usual path around the Botanic Gardens and shot this flower mid-way through my three-hour session. I did not, however, manage to get the tag that identified this flower into the photo.  I do that with new-to-me flowers, so I can learn more about them. Not this time, though.  It was more pure white, as I recall.  I embellished the colour painted here with a wee bit of creative license.  The green center was true to the pretty posy — a cross between a poppy and a peony and a sweet pea.

If you know what kind of flower this is, please be so kind as to let me know.  Pretty-posy-please :-)

Carol

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Spathe & Spike

"Spathe & Spike"
12" x 12"
Oil on wrapped canvas
The mostly white, singular petal of a calla lily is called a spathe. It lovingly wraps around the pistil, which in this species is called a spike. If you recall from past posts, I've admitted to being partial to petals that whorl, like rose and dahlia petals do. But this spathe puts a new spin on my affection for twirling petals. 

Here is number two in my series of calla lilies. I love the subtle color changes, the sweeping curves and the sudden burst of colour.

Carol

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White Peony

"White Peony"
8" x 8"
Acrylic on canvas panel
I found a companion flower to the pink one from yesterday and painted her in a similar fashion, also on a decorative background.  I enjoyed painting her ragged petals.  


A white flower on a nearly-white background depends on shadows and greenery to make her pop.  I feel this is a successful piece, despite the limited palette.


Thank you for being here today.
Carol

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Wiggle Water

"Wiggle Water"
6" x 12"
Oil on hardboard panel
A breeze tickled the surface of the water, wiggling the reflected reeds surrounding Miss Lily. She liked the vertical stripes.  Thought they made her look—slender. 


Surprisingly, I like the composition of this piece, despite the fact that the lily is dead center.  It forces a tension that only breaking the rules can create.

I appreciate your visits. I really do.
Carol

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Jonquil

"Jonquil"
6" x 6"
Oil on hardboard
The recent warm weather blew a kind of reveille for the trumpet-shaped flowers in my neighborhood.  I was amazed at the number of beautiful jonquils, narcissus and daffodils that bloomed and are now nearly finished!  I was also thankful to have had my camera with me.  

This one was the first flower I shot. Her open throat was actually visited by a bumble bee while I stood in awe of her full-blown beauty. 

Thank you for coming to look today.
Carol