Catch-up time!

I'm still busy painting, although I've also been spending time gardening with the weather perfect at the moment!

What have I done since the evening primrose? Well first were the ox-eye daisies, beautifully sunny and completely about summer! The challenge in this painting was in depicting the movement of the flowers in a gentle breeze.

Summer Breeze
15" x 11", watercolours on Fab. Artistico 140lb

Then Mollie Jones suggested I might enjoy painting hollyhocks, so I thought "why not?" and dug out a reference I photographed in the gardens of Hereford Cathedral a few years ago. I really enjoyed this one, especially the foliage towards the bottom. Choir Practice
11" x 15", watercolours on Fab. Artistico 140lb

And this one, painted between gardening sessions, is of cowslips which, unusually for me, are actually growing in my garden right now!

Spring Celebration
11" x 15", watercolours and acrylic ink on Fab. Artistico 140lb

Painting summer in spring

This seems to be my normal habit - through winter and spring, I am more likely to paint summer and autumn, then through summer I might paint spring. Winter doesn't usually come into it, there is little colour in the garden, the lighting is poor, so the inspiration isn't there.

I think it's because I need time to allow ideas to develop in my head, or maybe I simply procrastinate too much!

Here's another work based on last summer. The evening primrose in my garden put on an amazing display, with the clearest yellow, papery flowers opening every day and giving out a delicious scent that filled the air. Yellow is an incredibly difficult colour in watercolour, avoiding muddy shadows is a challenge, but I am fairly happy with this one.

Evening Primrose
11" x 15"
Watercolours on 140lb Fab. Artistico X.white CP

Something different!

It's unusual for me to be inspired by something other than flowers, they seem to call to me unlike anything else, but last weekend it happened!

I saw this adorable little girl, obviously totally absorbed in the task of feeding pigeons with scraps of leftover bread, and couldn't resist her charm.

Feed the Birds
Watercolour on 140lb Fabriano Artistico extra white