Ta DAAA!!!!!

I am finished! (I think) I have it propped on the mantle for some serious "staring time" to see if anything jumps out at me. If not, I'll sign it! On the whole, I am pretty happy. I have never done a watercolour this big- 22"x15" ( half a sheet of Winsor and Newton 140 lb NOT) and have not done w "serious " painting for - maybe 35 years!!! Anyway... here it is!

The copyright needs to be removed. That is from my photo. My "signature" is VERY small! Sorry, forgot to remove it!

I decided, in the end, on greens with some yellow as there are bits of light shining on and through some of the petals.

Then, I decided I HAD to do something to keep track of my paints! I have a LOT and wracked my brain for a way of keeping track of them and allowing me to see what a particular colour looks like when making up a palette for a new piece of work. They are only in spectrum order - red, orange, yellow, green etc but not sorted within a section. I used strips on watercolour paper, name on the back side and eventually, I will record a Munsell pigment number and other pertinent info on each colour too.

 I BELIEVE this is BRILLIANT- for me, anyway. May not work for you.

This is the weekend of the Memorial Picnic for Mum. The whole family of my Mum will be here ( DD et al arrive here on Thursday !!!!) and we are all ready to roll... and the weather sounds potentially VERY unpicnic-like!!!! Fingers crossed but my brother and his wife have a big house which they have kindly offered in case we get rained or worse- THUNDERSTORMED out! So, I am frustrated but not painting this week. I'll have two little boys to play with in a couple of days! That'll take my mind off my paintboxes! They are 4 1/2 and 21 months and FULL OF LITTLE BOY BEANS :-D

So, kind folk, Have a wonderful week yourselves and Happy creating! Back soon.

Almost done!

I have been dancing as fast as I can as I am trying to finish AT LEAST the flower itself before the little kiddos et al arrive on Thursday next :-) Cannot wait to see them . Here's where I am to date...

The peony ALMOST finished! A few more bits on the petals on the right side, then the BACKGROUND!!!!

I have NO real solid idea of what to do for the background. The photo was shot with a black board behind it but I do NOT want black. I MIGHT make a nice dark ....... ( fill in the blank colour) and do that or a couple of colours with a bit of the magenta sneaking in just to echo the bloom colours. Unless YOU have any suggestions, you'll just have to wait for my decision ;-)

Not even finished THIS one and I am already looking at THIS!!!! It is hemerocallis Mildred Mitchell. The colours are FABULOUS!! So is/are the detail(s).

Lovely, eh!! I bought two a couple of days ago and planted them at the back.

I really have High Hopes for these two plants. I have quite a nice little daylily collection. Hostas too!

OK, 'nuff for now. I am deaded and need to rest up before the family arrives. I think we MIGHT be busy!! BTW, Mildred has a stunning BLUEish bloom over the petals that doesn't show up here. That'll be fun to try to paint!!

Making slow progress

My loyalties are , currently, divided! On 21 July, we are having a Memorial Picnic for Mum and the WHOLE family is assembling in town for the event. This means that DD et al will be HERE WITH US so some organization / REorganization is required. As well, I am working on THE PEONY!!!

Cannot show you the picnic plans except that THIS is the venue...

A River runs through it... The Twelve Mile Creek, to be exact! USED to be great trout fishing!

The tables and lawn of "Our Site" -LOADS of room for the six Grandkiddos to run

The door of the "Limestone School" where generations of Bells, Robertsons etc went to school. My Granny and Mum and all their siblings, cousins etc attended classes here. This is the focal point of the park.

Now then, YOU ALL are charged with the responsibility of praying for a DRY DAY PLEASE! Thanks and Bless you all. If you were related to me, you could come!

AND... Here is the Peony so far.

LOTS of work still to do but so far, so good (sort of!) There ARE parts I would do very differently now but it is all a learning experience,  I want to find SOME time to work on it between now and the 21.

I hope you are all well, happy and managing to stay cool and safe in this awful heat! We have a cooler morning today so I am off to don grubby clothes and mow the front lawn! Take care everyone!

The end and the beginning

Well, one thing finishes... and I start another.

Finally finished the little painting of one of my favourite succulents. It was REALLY fun mixing all those greys- blue ones, green ones even some yellowish ones

Here's the plant. I love the powder blue "bloom" on the leaves.It was tough to capture but I am RELATIVELY pleased

This is a VERY coarse closeup crop of the centre! I really love it and may  just do  a blowup semi abstract. Stay tuned!!

And, the New Beginning, I hear you cry!!  Well, It is also a macro of a peony centre- I must be CRAZY to try this, having been away from painting for so long but I am going to have a go! This MAY be the last you see of this project.

Here is my starting photo- Catherine Fonteyn Peony

I printed the photo on an 8.5"x 11" paper and gridded it off in one inch squares. Then, on my wc paper, a piece of 140 lb Winsor and Newton NOT, I made a Two Inch Grid ( ie- the picture will be twice as large in the end)

I have drawn the picture as best I can and I photographed it. It is a horrid picture as I had to darken my pencil lines in LR so you could see them. In reality, they are quite faint.

Here it is. Does it make ANY sense to you?? 

I have finished the drawing but as I begin adding colour, I see bits I have missed or want to change a bit. What a job!!!

VERY faint first washes started. It is looking quite yellowish because I shot in under artificial light, in the evening and with my PHONE!! You, perhaps, get the idea!

It is very hard to tell at this stage how well this will turn out but I'll keep working slowly and try to post as I go along!!

Anyway, Our 52 Anniversary today (DH FORGOT! Thought it was tomorrow!) and HAPPY CANADA DAY, EH, EVERYONE!