A Delicate Balance

One of the kitchen counter flower series.

All Glory Fades?

I try to paint each stage of the florals life. This includes the eventual wilting, falling off the stem and ending up in my kitchen sink. The shapes become more complex and the colors change. I posed the question in the title because of our societies obsession with youth and beauty. I try to find beauty in all stages of aging because I was raised that way. That translates into my approach to painting florals. Lately I've been frustrated with the quality of flowers that are available for purchase. This year more flowers will be added to my garden.

This is an Agave that grew in my old hood prior to the February freeze last year.

Died Lavender

Another in the kitchen counter series. I call this one died lavendar because I think these flowers weren painted this color by the florist. Do florists paint flowers?

The Star Lily

The title came to mind because of my focus on this one lily from a full bouquet of flowers that were on my counter.

The Show Off

I've been working from life with floral arrangements. This is one that started out as a fountain pen rendering of course watercolor was added later. I usually have a floral arrangement in the kitchen and living room. I do multiple drawings on various surfaces and paint them later. It keeps my eyes fresh and I think its good to draw from life.

Standing Ground

One of my many flower portraits. When I first scanned this in the initial thought was this was an image standing its own ground. Hence the title.

Family History

Pam had lots of family heirlooms in her house when I was last there. These items made for great still life subjects. I don't know the story behind these items but I know that they have some history in the Ziehe family.

Glads

This bunch of flowers was fun to paint. I worked with lots of water because I wanted soft edges. After it dried I sharpened some the edges to add a bit more variety.

Sunflower Triad

Finally finished this one. I painted the flowers long ago and couldn't think of a background. Lately I have been playing with color theory. So one night this background popped into my mind. There you have it.

Luck Ladies

I have been overwhelmed by living lately so the blog went quite. I have been painting a lot and I have much to share. I just get home from work and do not want to touch this computer. I work with computers a lot at work that may be my issue. I have been taking classes on Craftsy lately. Its fun and it makes me pay attention. I need a voice teaching me something to keep me in my chair. Otherwise I am easily distracted.

Coastal Peace and In The Eye

Okay I know we just had some horrible flooding but today I wanted to be near the ocean. I walked 10 blocks to and from the gym today and the heat is here. Add to that I walked in work clothes and shoes. This is a scene from Fort Bragg, California that I painted a few years ago.

One of my many flower portraits. I started out with an oil underpainting. After that dried I applied pastel and left some of the underlying stain visible.

Radish

I bought some radishes from the market because I wanted to paint them and I was inspired by last months cover of The Artist Magazine. I started out with an abstract oil underpainting. Once that dried, I applied the pastels. I did't want a tight painting so I kept some of the underlying abstract work.

The Music of Flowers

When you let tulips sit for a while they move as if to their own different beat. When I saw this image on screen my first thought was that these blooms were dancing to a beat of their own. I used felt paper because I had it lying around and decided to give it a go.

Bottom Feeders

I like painting tulips because they move around a lot. These guys ducked down for a while. I liked the positions of the flowers and that was my focus. The next morning they were completely different. Another in the counter top series.

Steroid Flowers

Another addition to my "Counter Top" series. Pam was in town while I was painting this series and of course she always tells me when its finished as she did with this one. She actually is of the opinion that this one is a bit overworked. I always value her opinion on these matters.

Mortality Is Beautiful 2

I like taping down multiple tiles and painting separate blooms in a flower arrangement. I like letting the line work show underneath the watercolor. Yesterday I purchased more daisys and some beautiful irises. I cant wait to play.

Close Friends

Last week I had both tulips and daisy's to paint on my kitchen counters. This is a grouping of four tulips. I worked in casein on a Creative Mark seafoam toned panel.

Up Close And Personal

I found some toned panels in California. I bought green and grey panels in multiple formats. This is an 8 by 6 floral painted right in my kitchen. I worked in casein.

Tulip Grace 2

I always enjoy purple tulips. The petals have beautiful shades to them. I made this painting about three days after purchasing this bunch of flowers. By then each tulip has its own posture and personality. Each bloom to me is a portrait.

Water Works

When I saw this image on the screen, one of my first thoughts was about how the water worked in this painting. I allowed the water to be its on brush in many passages. I experimented with various stages of moisture and really liked it.