Hydrangeas in Terracotta Pot

Lately I've been using lots of blue paint along with the purple that I've always favored.  I swear I have to refill the purple pan in my palette more often than any other except yellow.  Both seem to disappear very quickly.  What better to paint using these favored colors than hydrangeas.  Add a touch of red violet or opera and they almost paint themselves.  On another note a new student looked at my blog before joining one of my classes and said she liked that my paintings are 'happy'.  I like that too.

Hydrangeas

This painting I call a 're-tread".  Like the tires with that name I decided to try and give it new life. (After first discarding it in a pile used for painting on the back)  When I lived on Long Island my hydrangeas flourished on my property.  These bushes had a long history of coming first from Brooklyn in my grandmother's garden, to my mother's garden and then when I had my first home, cuttings were given to me.  I developed a love for these large, colorful blooms that filled my yard with beauty.  So now when I can, I happily paint them.  Good news!  When I moved to Florida my daughter Heather took some of these plants and now they flower beautifully in her garden in Sturbridge MA!

Goin' Bananas

I love to use an 'oiler boiler' otherwise known as a fine line applicator.  This is a little plastic bottle that has a long needle like tip which is used for enhancing a painting.  It can be filled with acrylic paint in whatever color you choose.  Generally I like to use black or even white but this time I decided to try silver to see the effect.  First I painted the bananas and added a loose colorful background.  Then I outlined the the bananas in silver paint to add just a touch of whimsey to this painting.  Am I goin' bananas?

Dune Walk II

This painting was done with a neat little technique that allows it to be framed easily and without a mat.  Cut your paper to fit a frame before you begin.  Then starting with blank watercolor paper use masking fluid to paint a line about 1/4 inch thick around the perimeter of the paper.  Place this line about 1 1/2 inches in from edge.  Make it a bit wavy to give the painting some charm.  You do not want  nor need the line to be rigid and absolutely straight.  After the painting is complete, remove the masking fluid.  Add some additional touches by breaking through the edges in several places.  You will see I added some grasses and a seagull this way.  Creative and a bit different?  I think so.  And you can immediately put it in the frame and you are done.