Pride of Medeira

Yesterday's post with the blue of the rosemary reminded me of these paintings  of Pride of Merdeira. When I lived in Pennsylvania we did not have blue flowers. Here in California, there are often blue plant life that takes me by surprise. It was is like being in Oz, seeing something so unusual as a blue tree. I still remember screaming to stop the car, I had to get out and touch it. It was a full grown blue tree of wild lilac, Ceanothus. These paintings, of a the large blue spikes growing along route 1 somewhere between San Francisco and the Russian River. These paintings are from the same location, one facing north one south. These large paintings were painted over ten years ago while I lived in San Francisco.

both: 60" x 48" oil on canvas

rosemary

This is the pair of paintings I have been working on this week. They are similar to the work I posted march 4th; Red Quince. Yes, my fingers are stained with the wet paint, blue not red, but that isn't the reverent parallels. Again, I am working with the idea of a denser image on the bottom with the top painting concerned more with the space around the subject. I moved away from positing the top's subject against a blue sky. This time the top image more of a landscape above a more abstracted image. Again this is the first time I have the paintings positioned as I would have them hang. To bad I need to scroll this page to view them. Maybe after this is posted I will see them together. 

24" x 24" over 18" x 24" oil on canvas

Paint Day

Today was Paint Day, I almost missed it. I needed a reminder call. I painted among the almond blossoms today. The weather was perfect to be outdoors painting. I liked the rows of grass between the trees, green stripes where the fallen petals hide and the strips of exposed dirt freckled with the snow of fallen petals. The orderly ground stripes and the systematic rows of tree trunks against the chaos of the blooming branches make painting in an orchard a fun challenge. 

ground cover

It took me about an hour to up load these images. I wish I knew why sometimes it works and other times it won't.

These two paintings of the ground cover growing in Antibes, France. I believe the purple flowers are a geranium. It has been a while since I was in the south of France. These paintings are from a few years back, almost a decade maybe. I came across a photo where they were hanging in the background and it made me want to share them here. As I get ready to start a new painting, rosemary with it's blue blooms, I can see the similarities to what i have done with these. 

both:   24" x 24" oil on canvas

Ranunculus

This painting was done as a commission. Their home already had some of my floral paintings. There was an antique frame 300o miles away. They sent me fabric samples–the colors of the room it would hang with. and this is what came of it, salmon pinks and oranges, terracotta and muted spring greens. I found ranunculus in the appropriate colors and  joined them with some snapdragons. This painting with flowers very direct and prominent was to hanging a teenagers girls bedroom. I wanted the proportions of the flowers to be bold and direct maintaining a contemporary feel to balance the ornate frame.

14" x 24" oil on canvas

Show information

Here is the invitation for the show. I saw the space last week and it is a great space for a show.

red quince

Here is a preview of my quince paintings. Fresh off the easel, my fingers stained from moving them to take the photos. This posting is the first time I've been able to see them in the positioning I had in mine. Like the Cosmos painting having the denser image over the airier. 

I plan to show this painting in a show later this month.  

24" x 24"  &  18" x 24"  oil on canvas