Dressed for Spring

After a week filled with snow and sleet, I am definitely ready for Spring!  My head knows that somewhere under the slush and muck a transformation is on its way, but my heart could really use a reminder.  Here it is...

I pass by this home on my morning run and when the azaleas bloom I am in awe.

 I chose a cropped, square format to minimize the house and emphasize the sunlit coat of blossoms.

There's surely no better garment with which to be dressed for Spring than a sunlit coat of blossoms :)

Dressed for Spring, 6x6 Oil, (available)

Framed:

Spring at Homewood Nursery

This small painting is one of my personal favorites (though I have many!)  Begun on location at Homewood Nursery in Raleigh, I loved painting the glow of the reflected light and colors in the shadows on the planter and the many layers of blossoms and greenery along the pathway.

Since my center of interest was the reflected light on the planter, I chose to contrast the warm orange-y glow by making the foreground flower a blue iris rather than yellow and then repeated this color in the background irises.  I also darkened the value of that flower so that it would blend in with the shadow and not draw attention to itself.  Another change I made was to continue the pink flowers all the way to the planter in order to lead your eye there and not have the pink flowers be so isolated.  One final change was to give more depth to the scene by using a blue haze to make the background recede behind the planter.  Happy Spring!

Spring at Homewood Nursery
6x8 oil, SOLD

One More from Colley Whisson

I had so much fun at the workshop I took last week with Colley Whisson that I wanted to paint more of his style this week.  Here's a painting I created in my studio using my favorite of Colley's paintings as reference.  I love how the warm colors of the dried grasses really add excitement to the cool colors of the rest of the scene.

It depicts a typical beach day, doesn't it?  You can get sun burned and rained on all in the same hour!  I call my rendition of his painting "Partly Sunny".

Partly Sunny, 8x10 Oil

I haven't posted any of my Colley Whisson paintings on my website yet because I'm pretty sure I want to keep them for my own reference.  Sorry!  :)

Workshop with Colley Whisson

Since being an artist means being a life-long learner (aren't we all?), I try to take at least one art workshop each year from an artist whose work I love.  Last week I attended a two-day workshop with Australian artist Colley Whisson.  I love the dramatic light that fills his paintings! He was a great instructor and his Australian accent was lovely to listen to :)

Here are two studies I completed during his fun workshop:

Window Light, 8x10 oil on board (painted after Colley Whisson)

The yellow Hat, 10x8 oil on board (painted after Colley Whisson)