Daffodils

I've decided that most flowers look best from the side. At least, when you paint them. I wonder why. Daffodils are a perfect example. Maybe it's partly because of their long graceful necks.

Pink Evening Primrose

These adorable little wildflowers always attract my eye. I just adore their soft pale pink color and their delicate petals. They don't make good bouquets or arrangements, because they're so small and they fade quickly, but I think they are the Grace Kelley of all the wildflowers. For this painting, I used Rose Madder Genuine, Hookers Green Deep, and some Gamboge.

DAFFODIL

I've been thinking about planting some daffodil bulbs. It's that time of year, I think. Problem is, it's Texas. Bulbs don't do so well here. We don't have cold enough winters. I've planted so many of them in the past, and they don't come back. Anyway, I like to paint them. This was a little aceo. I used my favorite blue for the background: Schmincke Paynes Grey Bluish. A wonderful blue. It's great whether you use it full-strength or diluted. And it's very compatible with alot of other colors, especially greens.

PINE CONE

Here's another in the series of pine cones that I'm painting. This one is my favorite, because it's a little crookedy. Pine cones are so charming, and every one is different. I'm painting these on Fabriano CP paper. Fabriano is my favorite paper, both CP and HP. I know most watercolorists prefer Arches, but I don't like it at all. I think it's too soft and absorbent, and it's too hard to get crisp lines on Arches. I experiment with alot of different types of paper. It always surprises me how different the same brand and type of paper can be when you switch between a pad, a block, and a sheet.

COFFEE CUP

Here's another of the coffee cup studies that I did. This one reminded me how much I like certain blues and browns together. They must be soft and muted, but the right tones are very complimentary. I used permanent ink in this one. It's alot of fun to use ink sometimes. I sometimes feel like that's not a "pure" watercolor...but it's fun anyway. I use Pigma Micron pens. They are super - don't have to refill them, never get clogged, excellent quality and cost.

PINE CONE #1

I LOVE pine cones. They come in so many different types and sizes. I especially love the little tiny "rosebud" pine cones. I've been wanting to do some small studies of different kinds, for fun. My intent is to, later, try to paint a glass bowl of pine cones. I started with pen and ink and watercolor. Their natural color combinations are very complimentary: sienna colors with green pine cones. Couldn't ask for a better subject.

YELLOW PEONY

I used three yellows in this peony - WN Transparent Yellow, WN Naples Yellow, and Graham Gamboge. The center is painted with Burnt Sienna (love that color - it's complimentary to so many colors). Peonies are so lush and perfect watercolor subjects.

PINK GLADIOLAS

I've tried painting a closeup study of a Gladiola a couple of times now, and find them more difficult than I'd expected. I've got to keep trying till it comes more naturally. Gladiolas have such wonderfully soft-textured petals...I really want to reflect that.

COFFEE CUP

This is a part of a series of coffee cups that I did for fun. I was attracted to this subject because I love to paint ordinary, personal objects...and coffee cups give you an opportunity to mix wonderful colors. This is an aceo size, and I used Hookers Green Deep, Sepia, and Burnt Sienna. The creamy coffee color is Burnt Umber with Rose Madder Genuine. Why do so many artists dislike RMG??? I love it, and use more tubes of RMG and HGD than any other colors. I've discovered that sometimes, after I make my initial drawing, I do better if I throw my reference photo out the window, and just concentrate on colors.

WHITE FRINGED PEONY

Normally I'm hesitant to put darker blues and purples next to each other in a painting. But this time they were so subtle, I felt more comfortable with it. I was really surprised that the burnt sienna and the lavendar worked side-by-side. This was just sort of an experiment in color. Maybe it worked because the background was so dark. The background contains Schmincke Paynes Grey Bluish, one of my all-time favorite colors! SOOOO much nicer than Paynes Grey!

WILD YELLOW PRIMROSE

It can be tricky to use yellow and blue together. If you place a dark blue, like Ultramarine or Winsor, next to a saturated yellow, it can look...well...like a couch fabric from the 70's. I think this combination worked pretty well. The yellow is a mix of Naples Yellow, with a faint touch of Gamboge. The blue is a very light wash of Indigo.

PINK AND YELLOW TULIPS

For this watercolor, I used WN Rose Madder Genuine with WN Naples Yellow. It usually makes a really gentle combination. I LOVE Naples Yellow...but I've noticed that in some brands, it is not such a gentle color. For instance, in the Graham brand, it is more orangey. I generally LOVE Graham paints (they're so juicy), but I don't like their version of Naples Yellow. Anyway I love to paint tulips! I think they are wonderful subjects for those just learning to paint watercolor, or even experienced watercolorists who want to change their style. This is available in my eBay shop.

BLUEBONNET PAINTING

Another, in my continuing effort to paint the Bluebonnet. Available in my eBay shop. I just keep trying.

BLUEBONNET AND DRAGONFLY

A close-up.

WHITE ROSE WATERCOLOR PAINTING

White Rose - this painting is available in my ebay shop. For this painting, I used gamboge, indigo, hookers green and sap green, plus some burnt sienna for the center of the rose.

WHITE ROSE WATERCOLOR PAINTING

Close-up.

SUNFLOWER

We had the most wonderful crop of wild Sunflowers in Texas this summer. Great big stands of them. Probably 4 feet tall or more! I always wonder how they can stand up when they get that tall and heavy. Course you can't paint Sunflowers without the most amazing yellow color ever invented - Gamboge. No other watercolor color is so luminous. Whatever brand you use, Gamboge is beautiful.

FREESIA

This Freesia was painted with a Paynes Grey background. For the flowers, I used Graham Gamboge, but I toned the Gamboge down in places with Naples Yellow and WN Transparent Yellow. You always have to go easy on the Graham Gamboge - it can be overwhelming. If it's too strong, it gets very orangey. I do love my Graham paints! They are actually made with a honey binder! It makes them so juicy and soft. Every watercolorist should try them.

PINK PEONY

I painted this peony with a greyed pink that I mixed from Quinachrinone Pink and Sepia. The greens are my favorite Sap Green and Hookers Green Deep, also greyed. Pinks and greens are so complimentary - especially when there aren't too many distracting colors around them. This one is available in my eBay shop.

WATERING CANS

Occasionally I take a break from painting flowers, but I don't stray very far. I love old rusting metal watering cans. They turn into works of art. In this painting, I used mostly Indigo and Burnt Sienna, with my old-faithful greens, Sap Green and Hookers Green Deep. This is available in my eBay shop.

RED BOTTLE BRUSH

I've been wanting to do a study of a Bottle Brush for quite awhile. They are amazing and they really do look like baby bottle brushes. There are tiny yellow flowers along the stem, from which the red "brushes" extend outwards. Apparently the hummingbirds are crazy about them. For the flower, I started with some Schmincke Madder Brown (one of my favorite colors), and ended with some old Grumbacher Carmine.

WHITE IRIS

The blues and the background of this painting are my favorite dark color: Schminche Paynes Grey Bluish. A fabulous color. Almost my favorite color. I also used Sap Green, Hookers Green Deep, and Gamboge.

BLUEBONNETS

I'm always looking for new ways to paint Bluebonnets. It's been a never-ending project since I started painting over 30 years ago. Why? Because I live in Texas. We're Bluebonnet nuts down here. I'm constantly trying different blues and greens, different techniques. Periodically I get completely burned out and swear that I'll never paint another one. It lasts awhile, and then I get the urge to paint them again, to try and do better. I have to admit, I think it's the most frustrating subject I've ever painted.

PINK EVENING PRIMROSE

Recently I was inspired by the great variety of wildflowers that were on display along the highway here in Central Texas. It prompted me to paint a series of mini watercolors of wildflowers. There weren't alot of Bluebonnets this year, but there were so many Mexican Hat, Indian Blanket, Thistles, and these lovely Pink Evening Primrose. I love this little jewel - it's so clean and innocent looking. I painted it with Rose Madder Genuine, some Transparent Yellow, Sap Green and Hookers Green. Here in Texas, we benefit from the efforts of our late Lady Bird Johnson, who was devoted to beautifying Texas highways. Because of her, The Texas Department of Highways seeds these little beauties along our highways.

WALKING IN THE RAIN

This is a little painting I did a couple of years ago, but I've been thinking about re-working it because it was so much fun. You know how sometimes you wish you had kept a painting for yourself. I want to try the rain effect again. I used Indigo with a touch of Antwerp Blue here and there for accents - for the rain. I guess all my friends know how much I love "Controlled Blooms" in watercolor - this painting was just perfect for the techniques that I like!

MAGNOLIA BLOSSOM

I loved the way this Magnolia blossom turned out. Magnolias are such dignified and elegant blossoms, especially in their early stages. The foliage is fun to paint, and the tiny buds are fun, too. They are just made for watercolor artists. In this painting, I used Rose Madder Genuine. I love this color, but it can be tricky because it sort of granulates if you're not careful to blend well. Some artists love the granulation, though. Schmincke makes a wonderful color for small tree branches called Transparent Brown. LOVE it!!! I'm crazy about alot of the Schmincke colors.

YELLOW AND WHITE IRIS

I've been pretty frustrated, in the past, trying to paint Irises the way I wanted to. Dozens of Iris paintings have ended up in the dust bin. Lately I became so determined...I had to figure them out. It just takes alot of trials, I guess, cause I'm finally getting some of them to come out the way I like. This one has Windsor & Newton Transparent Yellow, Gamboge, and my favorite greens (Sap Green and Hookers Green).

YELLOW FLOWERING MAPLE

Flowering Maple make the most unusual flowers. First of all, they grow on TREES, for goodness sakes! They also come in such unusual shapes and such beautiful colors. There seems to be alot of variety in these blooms. I love this yellow variety. Available in my eBay shop.

WHITE CROCUS

There is something so brave and so pristine about white Crocus. They pop up their beautiful heads when all the other flowers are too cold to come out. It's kind of like they are advance lookouts. Available in my eBay shop.

YELLOW CROCUS

These flowers would be wonderful teaching lessons for beginning watercolorists. The simple shapes allow you to focus on the play of the colors, and the movement of watercolors.