Wednesday, June 09, 2010

vines and lilies

(7x9)
My trumpet vine has a few blooms on it--for the amount of foliage it produces, which is nearly terrifying, it doesn't bloom much.
I'm especially fond of trumpet- and bell- or cone-shaped flowers for painting: Canterbury bells, gloxinia, Easter lilies. I also have a few stella d'oros, which, against the blue-greens of the yard are a heart-stopping yellow-orange.
Every day I berate myself for not painting them ... but I've been busy with work (so busy I've temporarily suspended my wall painting) and other stuff too--you know, all the stuff that keeps you from painting, real and imaginary.

Yesterday I cut a few branches of trumpet vine and a couple of my not-so-numerous stella d'oros, along with a hybrid lily (a white one; I overdid the shadows on it here and so made it orange! Maybe I can add a wash of pink later) ... I knew that once I cut them I'd feel compelled to make the most of it.
So last night I finally began.
These should have a few more days in them.

"If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily." Chinese proverb
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3 comments:

A Brush with Color said...

Oh, magnificent, Laura! I'm glad you cut them. You do such a delicate job on flowers, and as always, your color palette is perfect.

Cathy Gatland said...

You've reminded me that I used to have quite a few trumpet-shaped flowers in my old garden, and now I have none - and they are so lovely to paint. This is beautiful Laura!

RH Carpenter said...

Beautifully painted and no one would know that lily was supposed to be white if you didn't tell them :) I especially love the way you've rendered the pod...so simple, so beautiful...so accurate!