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Garden flowers

We have beautiful roses blooming in our garden right now and I decided to paint them. This is the result on a 16x20 canvas. As you can see I didn't stop with the roses, somehow other flowers found their way onto the canvas too. It might have been the sunshine, the 70's music playing in the background or the garden itself, but this is the end result. I like it.

                            

Like all the paintings on my blog this one is for sale.

A Thatched cottage and flowers

I just love the thatched cottages in England. This was from a photo reference and the roofing with the thatching was very different as it came over the doorway. What a lovely touch. While visiting England I particularly noticed that some rooves showed  the thatchers unique signature with a design, along the peak of the roof, done in the thatch. The homes  look so homey and comfortable and are a pleasure to paint.

                          

As usual this oil painting on a 16x20 canvas, is for sale. I can be reached at hazels pleinair@gmail.com

Birch Trees

                                         

The weather here has been gloomy with clouds, intermittent showers, and very little sunshine. We have finally had a chance to buy our bedding plants, to fill out our perennial beds, but the ground and lawn are too wet to work in. We have had this weather for what seems like weeks now. But our glum outlook is nothing compared to those that are working every day to fill sand bags and protect their property from the rising waters of Lake Ontario. The Lake is higher than anyone has ever seen it, and the experts are saying it will not reach its maximum height until the middle of June. The people faced with these flooding challenges are not worried about planting their bedding plants, just saving their properties. When you see what challenges others have, it puts your own challenges into perspective.

Because of all of this, painting outside has not been possible. My latest attempt was painted using a photo reference and is on an 11x14 board.

An English Town

I downloaded this photo from the internet because it is so typical of a small English village. There seems to always be a river or canal with a lovely stone or brick bridge and a small street with the houses crowded closely together and bordering right on the street or sidewalk. Most of the homes are constructed of the same brick or stone and appear comfy and well-loved. I don't really know if the reality of living in one is different. The whole composition makes a lovely photo to paint on an 11x14 board.

                 C 

Like all the paintings on my blog, this one is for sale.

                            

A Beautiful Street

Someone sent me a photo of this street, somewhere in Italy, I think. One look at the photo with those beautiful flowers, tended with loving care, and I knew I had to paint it. I knew it would be challenging and I knew I could not grasp all the beautiful colours, but maybe I could convey some of the care and love that had been taken and still was taken, everyday, to keep these pots of flowers looking so lovely. I thought of the number of mornings, when people just did not have the energy, but got up anyway to water the flowers. On the second floor, who carried up the soil, to put in the window box, and who carried all those plants up the stairs, to plant in the boxes. The people who live on this street, love where they live and take pride in their homes. It shows just in the simple fact that someone must sweep their colorful street everyday because there are no petals or leaves on the pavement from all the pots above. I hope I captured some of that for you.

                    

 This oil painting is on an 11x14 board and of course, is for sale.

Our Saucer Magnolia

A few years ago we planted a Saucer Magnolia in our backyard. Finally, this year, it has bloomed in all its glory. The first year it was in, all the buds fell off. The second year, the buds and some small flowers, drooped then fell off. My husband, who has green thumbs and green fingers, decided maybe it was too dry. After it was given a very long drink with the hose, the tree perked up and the blooms looked healthier, but it was a little late in the season then, and the tree did bloom but nothing really outstanding. This year, the tree is bigger, the buds were numerous and healthy in the fall, and this spring they have bloomed. What a glorious specimen. When I wake up in the morning, I can see the blooms and they appear to glow, especially when the sun reaches the flowers. I attempted to capture some of this in my painting. I have included a photo of the tree also but it is a cloudy rainy day today and the photos certainly will not show the glow that the tree has in the sunshine. This was painted on a 12x24 canvas.

       

                   

This painting is for sale for $175 and if you are interested in this one, or any of my paintings, I can be reached at  hazelspleinair@gmail.com