Garden Painting Progress - Finally!

I finally made some more progress on my garden painting, by admitting that I am simply not making any progress, since my painting of the lupines in February 2007, so we may as well hang it as is. So we went to Michaels a couple of days ago to buy the hardware to hang it.

Since the start of this project in January 2006, it had become a permanent fixture in our eating area, sitting on an sturdy easel (provided by my brother John), but recently has been feeling "in the way", and I've been scared it would one day be knocked down by the kids. It was no longer the conversation piece that it once was, other than to solicit "I don't see much change since the last time I was here" observations.

Here it is, on the wall:

Since it is hanging in our loft, it is visible from the entrance lobby:

Perhaps with seeing the painting on display, I'll be inspired to pick up the brushes again. Or at least, I can enjoy it in the meantime, while my current lifestyle doesn't allow for indulgences such as painting.

Garden Painting Day 20 & 21 : Lupines

It has been some while since I've made time to work on my painting. Let's just say that when I paint now, the first step is to wipe off the dust with a damp cloth. I forgot what the last occasion was, that I painted, but this time it was a combination of my husband being out of town, kids going to bed early, being too tired of working most nights to midnight, Chinese New Year (I may not be Chinese, but it doesn't stop me from celebrating in my own way), and being inspired by some wood carvers showing off their techniques and projects in the mall today.

I was pleased to add some lupines to my painted garden, first the foliage:
Then tonight, the flower spikes:
I chose a dark purple, to contrast the other flowers. I would have preferred a fuschia colour, but it would have been too similar to the coneflowers. I would have also preferred to have more foliage, looking at it now. I had a feeling that night, when I was adding in the foliage, that I continue further down the painting, and a bit denser. But I think it will be okay.
I need some yellow, I'm thinking Coreopsis verticillata. Possibly the red and orange of a striped Gazania. And possibly some white Shasta daisy, or the burgundy veining of Heuchera americana "Dales Strain". I would love to also include the wonderful burgundy Geranium pratense "Victor Reiter", but I know I don't have room for all of these, so I'll see what I can fit.
In general, I'm very pleased by my progress. At an average of maybe 3 hours per night, I am only about 60 hours into the painting, and have quite a bit to show, even though I don't believe I'm even half way yet, if I consider the remaining plants, the flowers for the pansies and tree peony, and then the birds and bees and such. But I do feel optimistic that I will finish in 2007.

Garden Painting Day 18 & 19 : Cat

It has been some while since I started on the cat in my garden painting, first colouring in basic sections (not worrying too much about colour at this point)...

...adding in some details of the back and paws...

...and then finishing up the face, chest and tail...

I was happy to usher in the New Year doing what I enjoy most (next to gardening, anyhow), and finish up the cat. I'm now estimating that my painting is 1/3 of the way. 1/3 more for adding in more plants to the remaining blank area, and the final 1/3 to add in missing flowers, a bird or two for the birdbath, butterflies and bees.

Garden Painting Day 17 : Daylilies

Tonight I finally painted the daylilies into my garden painting (based on hemerocallis "Autumn Sun", although perhaps not exactly to scale). Now the garden is starting to feel pretty full. I'm guessing I'm 30% or 40% of the way to completion, considering I need to add flowers to the tree peony and pansies, and the final details (a few birds in the birdbath, bees, butterflies) will likely take a considerable amount of time. So far, I'm pretty pleased with the result.
I think I will tackle the cat next, I am still trying to decide what type and colour of cat to add in.

Garden Painting Day 16 : Patriot Hosta

After more than six weeks, I finally made some progress on my garden painting last night. Previously, I had outlined a cat and the white edges of a Patriot Hosta:

Now I filled in the hosta leaves:


And finally, after weeks of fighting with the Blogger.com site, which has been unable to upload my photos, I am hosting the images on PhotoBucket.com, and linking to them. We'll see how this goes, it will be nice to be able to add photos again.

Garden Painting Day 15 : Outline of Cat and Hosta

Last night I had the pleasure of putting a few more hours into my painting after the kids were in bed. I have painted in the outline of a cat...

...and a group of Patriot Hosta...

...and filled in the white outline of the Patriot Hosta.
Another night, I will fill in the green centers (not as satisfying, since the background is already green, so it looks almost done already). I think I will also mix a touch of the green into white, and soften the white borders. They are currently too white.

Garden Painting Day 14 : Coneflower Petals and Globe Thistle Blooms

I had a chance to paint last week, and I just realized tonight I hadn't posted my progress yet. So here it is (photo left), with the petals on my purple coneflower, and the tiny blooms (look like little stars) on the globe thistle.

I love the globe thistle, when it bloomed, it was a favourite of honey bees (photo right).

My friend Andrea suggested that I add a cat to my painting, since they are fascinated by bird baths. I am not a cat person, but I have been intrigued by the idea, and think I will try. Here is a "paper prototype" (although I will paint the cat to a larger scale, and perhaps different colours).

Garden Painting Day 13 : Coneflower Stems

This is a really good time of year to work on my garden painting. Most of the flowers which I have chosen for subjects are in bloom now, so it is great to be able to cut a few, and bring them inside for closer observation. I cut a purple coneflower (echinacea purpurea) a couple of weeks ago, as my model, and painted in the stems & flower centers. I intended to return to paint the petals, which is the fun part, but haven't gotten to it yet. So here is the coneflower, without petals, between the globe thistle, which is only in bud (I intend to make it bloom), and the red monarda.

The next morning after I brought the coneflower inside, I noticed that a tiny spider had made its web in the leaves, as you may be able to see in the photo on the right. I don't know if it has caught much, being inside the house for almost two weeks now, but it is still in its web, still on that flower. When I finally throw the flower away (it has lasted a LONG time!), I'll drop the spider in the garden.

I may not have put much paint to canvas lately, but I did take advantage of the long stretch of dry weather for a different kind of painting. One night, my husband & I went out after dinner, and stained the shed, working into the darkness to finish the job. Another night I started trimming the window, door, and railings. I'm about half way through, with a few more corner trims and the fascia boards (which will require a ladder or stool) remaining. (For some reason I am not able to post the photo!) Actually, only one quarter, since I was only applying the white primer. I should return to apply one coat of white paint... I think that will be a difficult one to find the motivation, since it already looks so smart with just the primer.

Okay, I'm really tired, I'm rambling a bit. I should try for an early evening tonight, if I can.

Garden Painting Day 12 : Monarda

Monarda didyma (bee balm) is a great flower for the garden, and one of my favourites. Its relaxed, shaggy appearance is a wonderful contrast to the more cultured flowers, and it is often visited by hummingbirds. It spreads rapidly into a nice patch (in its second year), so buying a monarda is good value, and there is good chance of acquiring one from fellow gardeners, too.

So here is my painting, after 12 nights, with a single monarda stem in front of it. It was fun to paint the flowers, and I like the brightness the red adds to the overall image.

I've also included a photo (right) of my monarda in full bloom alongside a purple butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). I have discovered that the butterfly bush is irresistible to hummingbirds, too, so that area of the garden is often humming.

My next flowers to paint, I think, will be a purple coneflower (or white one, perhaps). Then a daylily also. My five-year-old son has requested that I add a Lily (my namesake) to my painting, so I will happily oblige. If I was up to the challenge, I'd paint in a stargazer lily, but I may save that for my next painting, perhaps a closeup.

Garden Painting Day 11 : Globe Thistle "Buds"

I was happy to find another night to paint, and have started on the globe thistle flowerheads. At this point, they are in the bud stage (photo left). The next step will be to paint in the tiny star-shaped flowers which are so irresistible to the bees. PS. Double-click the painting for a larger image.

Garden Painting Day 10 : Globe Thistle & Monarda Stems

I spent a few more hours on my garden painting last night. I've been feeling very inspired to paint lately, but most nights I am too tired, or end up watching a depressing movie with my husband, such as "The House of Sand and Fog" tonight.

Anyhow, I have managed to add in the foliage for a patch of Globe thistle (Echinops bannaticus or Echinops ritro) - see photo right. I've added only dark purple balls where the flowers will be. I think they will be fun to paint in, and also very time-consuming.

I also painted in the stems and part of the red flowers of Monarda didyma (Bee balm). I will add in the leaves and finish the flowers another night. The globe thistle flowers may take a couple of nights.

I am feeling good that I've covered a good portion of the canvas now, so I can feel the progress. But I also realize that I am painting much larger than I had planned originally, so fitting in about a third of the flowers I had hoped. So maybe I'll have to paint two more paintings after this one... :-)

Garden Painting Day 9 : Hydrangea Bush

I was happy to have a chance to add to my painting last night, even if it was between the hours of 10 PM and 1 AM! Lately, our business has been very actively pursuing new opportunities, and I'm too tired by the end of the day, for doing much after getting the kids to bed.

I am struggling with what to put in the background / top of the painting, which I've discovered, is easier to start with, and paint my way foreward. I find it easier to visualize the front / bottom of the painting. Anyhow, I was thinking of a rhododendron, but most of those are spring-blooming, and I wanted something summer-blooming to go with the other flowers in my canvas "garden". So I decided on a hydrangea.

The hydrangea turned out to be pretty fun to paint, and the results were pretty quick and rewarding. I finished both the leaves (although I see now that they are a bit sparse, I should have crowded them a bit more), and the flowers in the one night.

The photos are a closeup of the hydrangea flower (sorry, I'm have difficulties uploading the image), as well as the painting in its current state. I am visualizing some orange tiger lilies in the left side, in front of the tree peony. In front of that, a variegated hosta and / or clump of coreopsis verticillata (threadleaf coreopsis). I am imagining a red monarda on the right side edge, with some white or yellow daisies between it and the lavandula stoechas (spanish lavender).

I also want to fit in these favourites from my garden : echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower), echinops ritro (globe thistle), lupinus polyphyllus (russell's lupine), geranium "Victor Reiter", osteospermum and alliums (even the common allium schoenoprasum or chives, which are absolutely outstanding in my garden this year). Since I am painting to a larger scale than my original paper layout, it will be tricky to fit everything into the painting. Perhaps I may end up painting a second one to fit them all in!

Garden Painting Day 7 & 8 : Bird Bath and Tree Peony Foliage

I finally got back to my garden painting a few nights ago, and filled in the bird bath. The change is very subtle, since I painted it a light grey (to look like concrete), and it was white before (from the unpainted canvas). So it was not a very satisfying couple of hours, trying to get the right shadows and hue, and having few people notice the change. (Since the work-in-progress sits in our kitchen eating area, it is often a topic of conversation with visitors.)

Last night I pushed myself to paint in a tree peony, even though I was too tired. I finished the foliage, and have placed 5 black dots where the flowers will be painted in (visible if you double-click the photo on right to see a larger version). Looking at it now, the foliage colour is quite realistic, but I think I painted it in a bit dark. Hopefully, the flowers will brighten up this corner of the garden painting. It is also a bit sparse, just like my dear tree peony. I think it could have been more lush, as are most of the tree peonies I've seen.

My tree peony, which was generously given to me by a gardening friend in the Fall, provided me with 5 gorgeous white flowers this Spring. When it was finished blooming, I cut back one of the main woody branches to a few buds. Next year I plan to do the same with the other main branch. I want them to grow in more bushy, and to be able to remove the supporting stakes I have it propped against.

The tree peony flowers I will paint, will be pink ones, inspired by the photo on the left. I'm trying to keep going with filling the painting with plants, so I will likely move on to more plants, fill in most or all the foliage first, before I move to the flowers, which will be most time-consuming, but also most rewarding. Then I will add in some birds, bees, butterflies and whatever else I can manage. That will be the truly fun part.

Garden Painting Day 6 : Spanish Lavender

With the pansy leaves on the bottom left corner of my painting, I started on the bottom right yesterday, with a clump of Spanish Lavender (lavendula stoechas). It was gorgeous weather yesterday, sunny and calm, and I actually took the easel (thanks to my brother John) on the deck and painted outside for a while in natural light - what a treat! Good thing I took the opportunity, the clouds had rolled in by the evening, and today was overcast with occasional showers all day.

I have now realized that it will be easier to work from top to bottom, so I can paint each successful flower on top or in front of another, rather than figure out how to paint the next flower behind this one. It is easier, though, to visualize the garden from front to back, so I'll need to do some more thinking about layout. I've already deviated from the paper layout, so I can't just follow that.

I also realized that I should not be hasty with adding the actual flowers. Once I was done, I realized that the foliage looked too flat or two-dimensional (photo left), and I added in highlights and shadows with two different shades (photo right). It would have been much easier if I didn't need to work around the flowers which were already painted in.

See also Garden Painting Day 5 : Pansy Leaves & Kids Projects.

Garden Painting Day 5 : Pansy Leaves & Kids Projects

Today both of the kids were home, still on Spring Break. Neither of them were feeling too well (some sort of cough and fever which comes and goes), so we stayed home and all three of us painted this afternoon.

My son finished the birdhouse he received from his Babi and Dedy (Czech grandparents) for his 5th birthday, with very little help from me. I was quite impressed, how he thought of the rainbow colour theme, and choose the colours with very little coaching, and persisted with two painting sessions. Last time, he did just the roof and canopy, and today the remainder. See the photo insets.

My daughter tried her hand at painting on a 5"x7" canvas board. Hers is not done yet.

I was happy to have daylight (although it wasn't a very bright day) to work on mine, this time on the kitchen island. I painted in the leaves and some stems for the pansies, wrapping the painting over the edges. I am quite impressed with the smoothness of the new paints, and how long they last on the palette without drying.

The kids are now in bed, it is still early (9 pm), and I planned to continue with the flowers, but I think I'm a bit too tired for it, somehow. I'll leave that for the next session. The flowers are the fun part, so I want to be awake enough to enjoy them.

See also Garden Painting Day 4 : Real Canvas and Acrylics.

Garden Painting Day 4 : Real Canvas and Acrylics

Yesterday I made it to Michaels to buy my 36" x 48" canvas. I bought the one with the deep (1-1/2") profile and no visible staples, so it will be hung without frame. $100 minus the 40% off a single item coupon. I also bought a set of acrylics. I chose the Grumbacher Academy Acrylics series, it seemed to be of good quality, real pigments not hues, yet still reasonably priced. I picked up the box of 6 basic colours (Burnt Sienna, Grumbacher Red, Raw Umber, Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Medium, and Ultramarine Blue). I thought I had read that these were a non-toxic series, yet there is a warning on the box about the Cadmium Yellow and Ultramarine Blue pigments. Since my mom was with me, we were also able to get 40% off the box, regularly $28. I also picked up 3 additional tubes : the Hooker's Green, Thalo Yellow Green, and Mars Black Hue. These were on sale for 25% off the regular price of $6, so $4.50 per 3 oz / 90 ml tube.

Last night, I already started the background of the painting. I decided to use a colour straight out of the tube, not mixed, for the background, thus the Hooker's Green tube. I was pretty pleased with the texture of the paints, the box says "classic buttery texture", but it's more like a soft margarine. Smooth to apply, and doesn't dissolve much at all when the brush is dipped into water. I mixed it with a bit of water to spread it easier. I was trying to achieve full coverage of the canvas (no glaring white spots), but with a fair amount of variation in the colour density, and smooth texture (no brush strokes). The result of yesterday's efforts is shown in the photo.

I haven't decided if I want or need an easel. The two kitchen chairs are working fairly well for this, so far. Tonight I flipped the canvas upside down, to finish the bottom corners and edge (which I am painting also). I also filled in some of the lighter areas, and softened the lines of my brush lines. The two chairs may be fine for the actual painting, too. For the bottom part of the painting, laying the canvas flat on the table may also work. The lighting is not the best (since I'm always working at night), but again it may suffice.

See also Garden Painting Day 3 : Trial Canvas, New Brushes.

Garden Painting Day 3 : Trial Canvas, New Brushes

Yesterday I visited Michaels (arts & crafts store), and bought myself a set of 15 assorted brushes for $20, a small plastic palette with 10 paint wells ($1.30), and a set of three 5"x7" canvas boards ($5). I stopped short of buying artists acrylics, because this was the big-ticket item, the choices were bewildering, and I didn't have with me the notes I had made from their website (which had good descriptions but not prices!). In the store, there were prices, but not much descriptions. :-(

For my first experiment with the 5"x7" canvas, I am using the craft acrylics which I already have, as a starting point at least. I started by filling the background with dark green. Then added foliage, and my first pansy. I will add several more pansies on top of the foliage. I will also decide which other flower to place behind the pansies. I'm thinking of painting the 4'x3' from front (bottom) to back (top), so this will be a small test of my approach. The photo shows my progress after a few hours of work.

I have learned a few techniques so far. The foliage first followed by flowers seems to work pretty nicely. When mixing up the paint colours (I have basically only the primary colours), instead of mixing them well, I crudely mix them, so I can show some colour variation with my strokes, to give a more 3-dimensional or shaded effect (I don't know if it shows up in the photo at all, perhaps I need to work on a bit more variation). The craft acrylics are quite fluid already, but to hide my brush strokes, thinning with water, and painting a second coat works really well.

I will make another attempt at investigating and purchasing a set of acrylics. Having been made aware of toxic pigments by Linda's blog, I will look for non-toxic ones. I would usually dismiss such concerns (after all, I'm not planning to eat the paints!), but I soon found out how easily it is to get the paint on my skin, and table, and then in the sink when cleaning up. Not to mention I'm using one of our drinking glasses in which to wash my brushes. With small children in the house, I won't take the chance.

Garden Painting Day 2 : Finished Paper Layout

It was a clear sunny day today, but the ground was frozen this morning, so I didn't feel guilty to spend the day indoors with my son, painting the bird house he received for his 5th birthday, and working on my garden painting layout.

I'm not being too precise about the paper layout, just getting an idea of which flowers and colours I will be using, and roughly how many I will be able to fit onto the canvas, to achieve a full-but-still-orderly garden effect. The scale of the printed flower themselves, and the colours, are not quite right, but will give me some sort of guide as I paint.

I'd love to hear any criticisms or comments on the layout. I've chosen a bird bath as a feature. I plan to add in a few birds, maybe one bathing, and one sitting on the edge. Lots of bees and butterflies, wherever I can fit them in, especially on their favourite flowers. The flower attached to the bird bath is a passionflower, I am considering painting the vine winding its way up the bird bath, so it will become part of the garden, rather than stark stone (I think I'll try for a light grey cement look) against the flowers.


I think my garden is a bit messy, and I may end up painting a smaller variety of flowers, but in larger clumps. As I was putting it together, I became aware that I really do have a tendency toward purple and blue flowers, but I don't see this when I look from a distance - there seems to be enough colour variety.
My next step is to buy a set of acrylics, and some small canvas boards, so I can practise with a few flowers. I don't yet know if I should start from the back (top) of the garden, and work forward, or from the front (bottom) and work backward. I'd love any advice in this area, otherwise that will be something I'll need to experiment with.
See also Garden Painting Day 1 : Paper Layout.

Garden Painting Day 1 : Paper layout

My creative side has gotten the best of me again. We have a large empty wall which has been calling out for a painting or other artwork for over a year now. We've looked, but haven't found anything we've liked which is large enough to suit that wall, and if we ever found it, I'm sure we'd be discouraged by the price. So the joking about painting my own may soon become a reality. Yesterday I started the project.

My first step was to decide on the dimensions of the piece. I cut out a large paper to the 36" x 48" which I had guessed would fit, taped it to the wall, and viewed it from all angles. Yes, it suited that space.

The picture in my mind is one of a mature flower garden, solid with flowers (no soil visible), in orderly patches of colour and texture. The layout will be a real garden on a hillside, so each successive flower rises above the one in front of it. Very much inspired by the garden I am trying to create in my back yard. I want each flower to be identifiable, and large enough to see the flower detail. My thought about creating a stained glass stylized image of the garden was given the thumbs down, so I will work in photo-realism, which is my natural style anyhow.

To layout the garden, I am using many of the flowers from my garden, and using a cut-and-paste of flower images printed from the internet, to get a feel for the composition and colours before I commit to it on canvas. I'll hang it occasionally, to make sure it looks good from a distance as well as close up. The photo shows my progress so far. I will continue to fill in the flowers until I have a layout. It needs a feature, such as a small statue, or basket & clippers, or a cat amid the flowers, but I haven't decided yet. My husband suggests I paint the kids in, but that may be too challenging for my first painting!

When the layout is near completion, I will invest in a set of artists acrylics, and try my hand at a small canvas board painting. If that goes well, I will buy the 36" x 48" canvas, and dive in. I've not given myself any time limit, and wouldn't expect it finished before the end of summer. My biggest challenge may be finding ways to involve the family, so they will allow me to work on it during waking hours, rather than waiting until the kids are in bed (which is my usual tendency). Wish me luck!