Holly branch and berries ~

It seems with every picture I do there is a story...


I had so much fun working on this piece. I was having lunch with my friend, Vickie, and noticed the beautiful hollies she had growing in the foundation plantings around her house. I later went back and she was kind enough to let me snip a couple branches. Wrapping them in damp paper towels and sticking them in a plastic bag, I brought them home. I've had success in the past storing my botanical subjects in the fridge until I was finished with them so that is where it lived for several weeks. It made it through the Christmas season and, finally, I was ready to start the first week of January. (My family was very happy that they would soon not have to navigate around the "plant in the refrigerator" while getting out the milk jug. :) )


It was just the perfect branch. I did nothing to change the composition. I tookmany photos and made color swatches before I started in case I wouldn't finish before the leaves and berries would wilt and fall. Leaves tend to move and change color in the process. As I neared the end of the project I was very thankful for the photos and color notes. But the original holly branch served me well. I was amazed at how long it survived. (You can view the work in progress on my Flickr Photostream.)

Hydrangea ~ "Nikko Blue"

We have a hydrangea bush residing in the flower bed beside our front door. I wanted to do a colored pencil drawing of a flower head in the opening stages of bloom -- my favorite stage. I love the pastel blue, yellow, green and cream the petals begin with before the darker blue comes on as the season progresses.


As always, I draw first from a live specimen. I've found that this flower survives very well in a vase of water in the refrigerator. It lasted for weeks which was a blessing since I hadn't finished before we had taken a 7-day vacation. The flower was almost as I had left it though the leaves had changed position and started to wilt. That is why it is so important for me to take many photos and color sketches at the start.

Tulipa - "Apricot Parrot"

 

Part of the enjoyment I receive from botanical art is getting to know the flowers and plants from my garden on a different, more intimate level. I have always loved the frilly, multicolored shades of the Parrot tulip. This bulb was most interesting with the "sash" curving around the middle as the skin of the bulb cracked wanting to grow. So before it went into the ground, I made a drawing. Since this was a Mixture I waited  spring for the right colored flower. This one was my favorite. Hope you enjoy this bit of my garden.

"From a Late Winter's Walk"

The subjects for this page of botanical studies were collected while taking a walk in the field behind our home. These so called "weeds" were so striking set against the covering of snow. One of the things I love about botanical art is seeing the beauty in the intricacy of the ordinary.

"From a Late Winter Walk" ~ graphite ~ 16"x20"

Pink Geraniums ~

I've always enjoyed this old-fashioned flower that stirs up memories from my childhood. One of my earliest memories is of my mom and grandma taking my younger brother and I to the local greenhouse. We each came home with a geranium - my brother's was red, mine was pink.

Last fall I brought several geraniums inside to overwinter in the house. It was nice to see something growing on my windowsills through the long, cold winter that we had this year. It will most likely soon be on the drawing board as a new botanical drawing. I'm in the mood for something pink!

WELCOME!

......to my new blog devoted to botanical art. In the coming weeks I will begin posting the inspiration and process behind completing some of my botanical renderings of the plants and flowers found in my garden and around my home. I also hope to include posts about other botanical artists and other things of interest in the natural world.  

                        

                Thank you for stopping by ~