"Oh, So Sweet"

5¾ x 5¾"

Watercolor on mounted Arches Cold Press (Art Boards)

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I am sorry it has been so long since my last post.  I have been crazy busy teaching kindergartners, and last weekend I took a much needed break and went skiing.  The photograph does not do the blues justice on this one.  I waited too late in the day to take the photo, so had to resort to scanning the painting.  My scanner does not always produce the richest of colors, so it's slightly flatter than the original.  The trickiest part of this one was getting the outer petals to look slightly transparent.

Reference photo was taken on January 23.  This is the most amazing Fragrant Wintersweet tree.  I was walking up the path from the Asian collection, when the air was filled with a wonderful sweet aroma.  I looked around and saw this fabulous tree whose yellow buds were just beginning to open.

I could feel my whole body relax as I stood taking long deep breaths of this luscious fragrance.  I wanted to replicate that experience yesterday, but while visually the tree was beautiful and in full bloom, the aroma was not as strong and intoxicating.

Note to self: visit the Wintersweet in late January, or better yet - plant one in my yard!

"Warming Up"

5¾ x 5¾"

watercolor on mounted Arches Hot Press (Art Boards)
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Well, I'm back.  It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I've been very busy with my new kindergarteners -- assessing, lesson plans, report cards -- and it's just worn me out.  I finally feel like I'm caught up, so can find more time to paint.  This is the first watercolor I've done on Hot Press paper.  This paper is very smooth, so it should allow me to be very detailed.  At the same time, however, it doesn't let the paint play as much, so it's harder to get those nice blooms that watercolor is known for.  

Reference photo was my favorite snowy day - December 27.  This is a glossy abelia that was peaking out of the snow. I loved the yellow against the blue sky.  These bushes are right by the Ayamebashi (Iris Bridge) near the bamboo.

"Solo"

5¾ x 5¾"

watercolor on mounted Arches Rough (Art Boards)

$75 + $10 shipping within the US

The hardest part about painting this one was getting the underside of that sideways leaf the correct color. You'd think dark green since it's in the shade, but it was reflecting the snow, so had a gray cast. Tricky.  I think I pulled it off.  Also worked hard to get the main leaf to look waxy and thick. Again, a bit tricky, but it turned out to my liking. Still, it took longer than expected, which is why this is posted today and not on Friday.  Hope to get back to posting three a week.

Reference photo taken on December 27. Yes, that same snowy day.  This lucky camellia bud was in the sun, so all the snow had melted off.  

"Thawing Beauty"

5¾ x 5¾" 

watercolor on mounted Arches Cold Press (Art Boards)

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Sorry for the long hiatus, but hopefully this one will be worth it.  I've got a new job which will make it difficult for me to paint daily, but I'll post as often as I can.  Once I was able to find the time, this one actually did not take as long as it may appear.  I love the contrast between the soft background and the sharp berries.  It's similar to "Droplet" in that respect.

Reference photo was taken on December 27, the day after the "winter wonderland" snow we got in Durham. This is a beauty-berry or callicarpa cathayana. I remembered to take a photo of the sign this time.  There's a beautiful bush located just to the right of the path close to the parking lot as you are coming up from the Gate of the Maple Stream. 

"Passage"

5¾" x 5¾"

watercolor on mounted Arches Rough (Art Board)

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This one is a bit of a departure.  No little blurred circles in the background.  I was just taken by this photo.  I never move or arrange anything I photograph, so these two leaves were just sitting like this on the rock.  The rock, by the way, was a bit of a challenge to paint.  I probably spent too much time on it, but at least it shows the texture I wanted.  

Reference photo was November 17. I know. It's not very seasonal, but I promise to get better about painting from more current photo sessions in the garden.  In fact, today I had a great time taking photos in the snow.  We'll see how those turn out.  For now, enjoy the ginkgo.  It is my favorite fall tree.  This one's right by the Dawn Redwood.

"Budding genius"

5¾ x 5¾"

watercolor on mounted Arches Cold Press (Artboard)

$50 + $10 shipping within the US

Sorry for not posting on Friday, but I took a short break for my birthday.  I thought I'd have this one ready to post, but it just wasn't quite there.  I added a few details this morning to get it where it needed to be.  I'm very pleased with the contrasting colors.  The dark blue background sets off the bold pink bud nicely.  

Reference photo was taken on October 16.  You would not normally expect to see azaleas budding in the fall, but there it was.  I believe it was one of those year round azaleas.  It was located just above the wall right past Azalea Court.

"Together but One"

5¾ x 5¾"

watercolor on mounted Arches Cold Press (Art Board)

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I played around a lot with the composition on this one.  I wanted it off center, but I also wanted there to be some interest in the background that draws the eye.  I was a bit worried that the background and the focal flower would compete too much.  It's a tight balance. This was the first time I tried the self adhesive board from Art Board.  I wanted to see if the Arches Cold Press would be different if I adhered it myself.  It was a little different, but not by much, so I'll probably go back to using their pre-mounted Cold Press.

Reference photo was taken on September 26.  Again on the terrace.  And again, I don't know the name of these little yellow flowers. 

"Mum's the word"

5¾ x 5¾

watercolor on mounted Arches Cold Press (Art Board)

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I think I'm just trying to make it more difficult for myself.  What was I thinking with this image?  Lots of little detail.  I was just drawn to the buds and blooms at various stages of opening.  Love how chrysanthemums just explode with color. Individual blooms working together for one big pow.  Chrysanthemum, chrysanthemum, chrysanthemum.  A mouth full and a great book by a nice Wisconsin boy.

Reference photo was taken September 26.  Mums out on the terrace.  Love how Duke Gardens pairs them with this spiky spider grass (? - sorry I really should learn the names). Nice contrast of textures.

"Droplet"

5¾ x 5¾"

watercolor on mounted Arches Cold Press (Art Board)

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What did I say about wanting to paint loose brushstrokes?  Guess that did not happen here.  I don't know why I kept it so tight.  I was really drawn to these lovely little water droplets, especially the one at the tip of the leaf.

Reference photo was taken on October 16.  I decided to go the the Gardens early to catch the morning sun.  They had just watered the plants on the walk down from the rose circle.  I took many photos of leaves with water droplets, and liked this one the best.

"Rose for Texas"

 

5¾ x 5¾"

 watercolor on mounted Arches Cold Press

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I'm trying this Artboard mounted watercolor paper again which really soaks up the color.  It has a softness to it. It felt good to be working on paper again because you can layer it.  Seeing through the various layers gives a nice glazing affect.  I am very pleased with how I was able to make the tiny roses pop using the contrasting colors as well.  

Reference photo was taken on April 10.  These rose bushes were right at the end of the rose circular path over the higher wall.  They are small clusters of blooming tiny yellow roses.  The lusciousness of the blooming bush is a treat.  Zooming in on the details that creates that is what I love to do.

"Peachy"

 

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This watercolor is a slight departure in that I've gone back to using watercolor paper.  This is Arches Cold Press paper mounted on a natural fiber board by Artboard.  It is thicker than the other panels and has a slot for hanging on the back.  So, I've gone from working on the aquaboard which is not as absorbent as regular watercolor paper to this mounted Cold Press which is very absorbent.  The mounting process must fuse the fiber with the paper because it has a very soft, almost fuzzy surface.  The painting, therefore, has a very soft appearance which is perfect for this subject.

The reference photo was taken on March 31. Unfortunately, I can not recall where these peach colored blossoms were.  It was either on a small tree on the terrace or on the path walking towards the small iron bridge.  Sorry.  If anyone knows, please tell me.