Chocolate Sunflower

6x6 oil on board

I was inspired this week by my bounty crop of Chocolate Sunflowers.  These beauties were seeds from the Chocolate Flower Farm in Langley.  I carefully selected where each one would go, placed a couple of seeds in the ground, then marked it with a bottomless pot, so I would know where to water.  It was touch and go between me and the Jays, but out of 12 seeds, I got about seven plants and they love to bloom!
I've given them as thanks for dinner and to cheer up friends under the weather.  It is a wonderful way to stay connected.

Some of the flowers were dead Chocolate, others had streaks of orange and deep dark red.  This is a 6x6 oil of a brighter flower.

Playing around

The weather has been stifling for the Northwest.  We are staying cool by closing up the house, going near the water and generally laying low.
We love to go to the movies, but our theater is not air-conditioned.  So we sit at home watching Netflix or some semi interesting TV program.   This week I sketched from a photo just for fun.  I even started sketching it upside down.  This image is from the Whidbey Island Garden Tour after party a few years ago, arranged by flower arranging magician Kay Lagerquist.

The magic of flower arranging by Kay.

On Monday, while sitting at the Langley Marina I sketched the Schell's new home.  Love the stacked box look and the feeling Pam probably has of being up high in a birdhouse view the water and Marina.

Schell home

Stansberry's garden

I've been working on a making a small book of sketches.   Small is handy to carry, you can sketch from your purse at different venues, but I can't quite get the hang of making my normal outdoor scene work in this small format.  Darn!  I guess I am use to big brush painting for setting in the basics, then defining when it dries.  Maybe I'll get better; stay tuned.  Pat

Barb's kitchen door

Stump from Stansberry's garden

On the other hand, I like flowers, Pink Flowers!  Here are a couple from some recent get-togethers.  I used permanent rose to make the fuschia like color.  I think Opera would have worked better, but it wasn't in the palette of the day.

Amazing flower

Last Wednesday's Durandii clematis is still going strong.  I took it with me to the Gallery today to sketch and because it wasn't busy, made two different sketches.  I was exploring different viewpoints and lighting.  Some good music and sketching kept me occupied on a slow day.  Here are my efforts.

Tarnished cup

Durandii clematis back

Durandii Clematis

Durandii Clematis

This particular Clematis is not a natural climber (clinger) and needs to be supported or allowed to wander over and through bushes.  Its very pretty draped over the Rhododendron and our red Barberry.  I cut these flowers on Wednesday and they are still going strong.  The petals are stiff and don't wilt like other Clematis.  I would call this plant a winner!  I found the blue vase and children's silver cup at Good Cheer Two in Clinton.  The spoons have been hanging around waiting to be included in another painting.
The still life sketch was to distract me from the pain of recuperating from Dental Surgery.  Boy, that was a lot of Lidocaine!

Pink and White, Is it Spring?

When the Rhodies are in bloom, I always enjoy our Whidbey Island expert Frank Fujioka's rhododendron, because it makes a transition from a beautiful warm pink to translucent white.  Here is a sample of the rhodie that I painted with Qiang Huang in April.
Just now while taking a picture of the painting, our resident Hummingbird reminded me that I have not refilled the sugar water.  He makes a sound like chukcharu!

Frank Fujioka rhododendron

Oils

Recently finished oil paintings.  I've been hovering over these on and off all summer.  The Fort and the mountain were painted plein air on a very hot day at Double Bluff.  I've never seen so many people coming to the beach.  Fortunately, we had primo parking places and were able to re-pack the car without traveling down the road with equipment.
Yes the pickles are dill and the lid is open on purpose!

Winter cabbage 8x8

Are they dill?8 8x10

Blossoms Peak 8x10

Cezanne's table 8x10

The Fort & mountain 8x10 plein air

Salmon berries  8x10 

BZZZ,

Like the bees, I have been busy, sketching, painting, monitoring a three day class, then working in the garden replanting a section where we lost a tree.

Last week was the busiest I have been in a long time.  Dreama Tolle Perry, a very colorful artist from Paris, Kentucky came back to Whidbey to paint at Whidbey Island Fine Art Studios.  I have painted with her in the past and really enjoyed the experience.  This year Cary asked me to monitor her class.  This allowed me to paint with the group and enjoy the "Dreama" experience once again.  I will be posting the paintings I did in her class soon.

After that, our church St. Augustines, put on their annual Trash and Treasures sale, so I worked at the church for three days helping buy and sell the goodies.  This was the place I sent some of my stuff from the house and studio cleaning frenzy that I posted about last time.

The garden was screaming me, me, me, so my pal Al came and we chopped down a number of trees which Ted took to the composting place.  The garden girls and I also spent a couple of days cleaning and mulching beds.

The one thing I gave to myself was Friday afternoon to rest and sketch with the sketchers!!!  Here is a compilation of recent sketches.

Cynthia's colander

Coupeville Crater on Hwy 20

Full Moon Maple at Froggwell

Marian & Phil's gazebo

Lilacs

Froggwell peonies

The tractor shed at Amy's

La Conner fun

 A day off having fun with the Sketchers!  My life these days has been following a roller over the walls of the new Art Gallery we are opening in Langley. So, I made an appointment to have some fun and sketch in our lovely La Conner. Brunch at the Farmhouse Restaurant, Tulip Fields Christiansen's Nursery, Wine Bar and then a delicious burger. Thank you to our lovely hostess's from Anacortes for the most wonderfully organized day.  They excelled in making us feel special!
The Whidbey Art Gallery www.whidbeyartists.com will be opening on May 5th.  Our Grand Opening will be Memorial Day Weekend.  The location is 114 Second Street in the former Langley Clinic and conveniently located across from Useless Bay Coffee.  We have four jewelers, eleven wall artists, including three photographers, two Metal Artists, Weaving by Wendy, Birds by Bennett, Raku by John Kloeck and Pottery by Christi Shafer.  Check us out on the Artwalk May 7!

Primary colors!

Dee and lap cat

Jan and Lisbeth 

Phyllis sketching at wine bar. 

A little tradition; a little inspiration

Meyer Lemons are at Trader Joes and Costco.  If you are not hooked on the juicy sweetness of these wonderful fruits you should get some.  First of all they are beautiful to look at, not that cool lemon yellow for these lemons, no, they have a bit of orange in the skin.  They pose so nicely in the blue bowl.  They are gone now but live on in my traditional still life painting.

Symphony in Orange = pure play again.  Started with my usual mess in various colors and thought about black as a pure dark.  After that it was a bit of orange and green until I thought Spring flowers.  I was actually thinking about the Primroses waiting for me to plant them, but Toni says oh no, Calendula and Ligularia in background.   I wasn't representing a plant exactly, just thinking happy plants and lovely colors.  Both are painted on gessoed paper and mounted on board with a dark background.  Happy painting, Pat

Meyer Lemons mounted on 8x10 board

Symphony in orange, 9x12 board

Impressionistic Flower paintings

Playing with paint.  I have had a lot of fun playing in acrylics this week.  These two paintings are painted on watercolor paper(5.5 x7.5).  The background was a variety of reds that I had painted onto the gessoed paper a couple of months ago.  I started by thinking of flowers, values, color, vase shapes.    Also, I am continuing to be inspired by www.josephraffeal.com. The border and clear bright colors are influenced by his paintings and my decorative art background. I encourage you to let it go and have fun.  Till next time, Pat
ps.  You may want to select each of these paintings, then stand back from your screen for full effect!

Blue Vase 5.5 x 7.5

Flower Pot 5.5 x 7.5