"Spring Posy" (watercolor on paper; 8" x 6")

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Daffodils surrounded by a ring of pink lungwort make a lovely spring posy.

"Primavera" (oil on stretched canvas; 18" x 24") nfs

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Danni Dawson, my portrait painting teacher, gave the class an assignment for the spring break--either a large still life or a 3-4' full-length portrait in outdoor setting.  The operative word was BIG.  I considered painting a self-portrait, because I have a perfect reference photo.  But where do I hang a 40"-long painting?

Then, I thought of the picture of spring flowers with my darling daughter in the background that I took three years ago.  Get two birds with one stone, as it is both a still life and an outdoor portrait!  How big?  A 24" x 30" or a 22" x 28" canvas would make the girl's face larger than life size; do I want to see it day in day out in the family room, no matter how much I love my baby?

So I settled on a 18" x 24" canvas, with a 6 1/2"-long head of my daughter.  It took many sessions to finish the portrait/still life.  The subject, my husband, and myself are all happy with it.  We'll see what Danni has to say about the painting.

By the way, why did I title the painting "Primavera"?  Because it is about spring--the season and the phase in a life!

"Daffodils and Hyacinth" (watercolor; 10" x 7")

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We have many different kinds of daffodils that flower non-stop in the spring for almost two months as some are early bloomers and others, late ones.  In the painting, you can three varieties of daffodils.  For the darker, complimentary contrast, I stuck a stem of purple hyacinth in their midst.  Voila, a beautiful arrangement!

"Spring Delights" (watercolor; 10.5" x 15")

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A row of small vases filled with bright spring flowers--yellow and white daffodils, yellow woodland poppies, and pink and purple hyacinths.  Have you seen a more cheerful still life?

There was another, smaller version of this painting, which I finished on October 21, on the day of my fainting and big fall.  Unfortunately, the painting got spattered with my blood.  I decided to keep it as a memento mori, as the reminder of how short and precious life is.

"Daffodil Dazzle" (watercolor; 9" x 9")

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Daffodils are pure sunshine.  If you feel sad and hopeless, get some daffodils.  Every fall, my husband and I plant hundreds of bulbs, most of which are daffodils.  Come spring, we are in a daffodil heaven!

Two springs ago, I made a dazzling bouquet of white and yellow specialty daffodils in a white porcelain vase.  Then I threw in a small sprig of purple hyacinth to match the purple shadows.  Oh, I love daffodils! 

The Collage of My October 2015 Paintings

The collage of my October 2015 paintings

I was super productive last month until my accident!  Which painting is your favorite?  This month I will be probably busy with custom pet portraits for the holidays, but still intend to squeeze in a few watercolor florals.  Wish me luck!

"Daffodil Sunshine" (watercolor; 8" x 8")

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A dainty bouquet of yellow and white daffodils in a green vase casts a lovely shadow.  Do you feel the spring sunshine?

"Spring Miracles" (oil on linen; 12" x 12")

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Every spring is a miracle.  This spring feels more so than others.  In the studio scented with hyacinth, I transformed the first cuttings from my garden into a work of art.  The painting is filled with joy.

"From Spring Garden" (oil on linen; 10" x 12") sold

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Reference photo

A month ago, I posted the above photo on my Facebook fan page.  A fan who saw it sometime later asked me whether I was going to paint from it.  I wasn't; if I had planned on it, I would have put the vase on a piece of white paper so that I could see the shadows.  The bouquet seemed too complicated at that time.

On second thought, I decided to give it a try.  And I am glad I did.  Compare "From Spring Garden" with "Spring Bouquet", which I painted two years ago.  What do you think?  I have come a long way!

"Spring Bouquet" (oil, 12" x 12"; sold)

"English Daffodil Fields" (oil on linen; 10" x 10")

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During our trip to England last month, we had only one day to spare to "hit" a famous estate.  We chose Petworth House and Park in West Sussex, because it was close by and was famous for its art collection.  It is one of the hundreds of properties under the care of the British National Trust.  The village of Petworth is a little blip, compared with the huge Petworth Park.  Look at the stout stone walls that surround the property; it runs for miles!  If you want to take a hike along the five-mile-long trail inside the park, it will take a whole day.

We spent a pleasant day looking at gazillion paintings and other objet d'art at Petworth House.  You should have seen the beautiful sets of copper pans in its kitchen!  But you know what?  Acres of daffodil fields are what I will remember most about Petworth House and Park.

The timing could not have been better. Old-fashioned daffodils that William Wordsworth waxed about two hundred years ago were in full bloom.  Forget the cold weather and the shy sun that kept disappearing behind clouds. My spirit soared when I saw a field after a field, dotted with daffodils.  I ain't Wordsworth.  But I can paint the daffodil fields!

Impressive stone walls that surround Petworth House and Park

Petworth House, built in the late 17th-century, may not look impressive in this picture.

This nice "mansion" is the servant quarters; you can see it in the above picture on the far left.
This should give you an idea how big Petworth House is.

Petworth House is renowned for its huge art collection; it has more than 20  Turners among other masterpieces!

The kitchen, located at the servant quarters, is where they filmed "Downton Abbey".  Just kidding!

"Daffodil Season Collage" (oil and watercolor; print)

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Spring has sprung in the mid-Atlantic region.  Actually, it's more like spring has gone HOT.  It was 76 degrees yesterday.  Today's forecast is 80; tomorrow's, 85!  I fear that my daffodils will be finished by the end of the week.  Fearing such an eventuality, I was busily taking pictures of flowers from my garden yesterday when my daughter popped her head into the still life setting!

My darling daughter with spring flowers

This afternoon I am going to go over to the Tidal Basin before cherry blossoms come down as pink snow.  In the meanwhile, here is a miniature cherry blossom festival in my garden.

Mini cherry blossom festival in my garden

"First Daffodils" (watercolor on paper; 6" x 8") sold

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matted size: 10" x 12"

March has such an unpredictable weather.  One day, it is a balmy day; people are out and about in T-shirts and shorts, basking in the sun.  The next day, it is breezy and chilly; it may snow too.  When I took the reference picture for the painting last week, my hands were freezing!

Daffodils uplifted the spirit of William Wordsworth two hundred years ago.  They will continue to work their magic until the end of the time.  I love daffodils.

"First Daffodils" is the 14th and the last of the "Spring Fever" paintings.  I could have done a few more, but I decided to stop before I start feeling burned out.  I may do another watercolor floral series later in the spring when I itch for watercolors again.  If you want to win a painting from my "Spring Fever" series at the end of the month, please sign in to follow my blog.  Thanks!

"Wisteria Song" (watercolor on paper; 7" x 5") sold

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A graceful spray of wisteria with petite, late-blooming daffodils makes an exquisite spring bouquet.  What do you say?

If you want to win a painting from my "Spring Fever" series at the end of the month, please sign in to follow my blog.  Thanks!

"White Tulips and Daffodils" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

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Aren't the intense shadows of the white tulips and daffodils on steps delicious?  A classy arrangement of white flowers in white concrete planters!

"Spring Beauty" (oil on linen; 8" x 6") sold; "Yellow Daffodils" (oil on linen; 8" x 6") sold

After
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Before

Reference photo for "Spring Beauty"

"Yellow Daffodils"
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Before

One of the trickiest things in painting, I find, is the treatment of the "background."  What do I with the environment the subject is sitting in?  For instance, if I had painted "Spring Beatuy" exactly as I saw in the reference photo, the result would have been a chaos.  When I painted this small gem last spring, I thought I did the right thing by making the "background" blue green--the complementary color of the peach iris.  For "Yellow Daffodils," I sublimated the busy, green, spring growth around the daffodils into a soft, grayed green backdrop.

Looking at both paintings with an objective eye, I realized that something had to be done about their backgrounds to make the flowers pop.  I changed the overall background colors to purples, then introduced warm colors into the darks, echoing the warmth of the sun and flowers.  Yes, I worked on the flowers themselves and spiky leaves of the irises and daffodils too, but they were minor adjustments. 

The difference between the original and improved states in both paintings is remarkable.  Their message has become clearer--the joy of spring.  The flowers look far more vibrant.  Despite the small format of the paintings, they carry themselves as if they are much bigger.  I learned another lesson in painting: the imporance of the background!

"Springtime at Manor House" (oil on linen; 14" x 11") sold

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Reference photo

The house in the painting could be any colonial-style house common in northern Virginia.  But it is not.  It is the Manor House at Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, VA.  The entire park grounds used to belong to a plantation owner long time ago, and you know what that means in the antebellum South.  It is now owned and maintained by the Fairfax Country Park Authorities; much of gardening work is done by volunteers.  A nice change, don't you think?  The Manor House is open to the public a few days a week for teas, gift shopping, and art shows. As a matter of fact, I have had a couple of solo shows in the building in the past.  Naturally, I am quite fond of the place.

I took the picture a couple of weeks ago, when daffodils just started blooming.  Right above the yellow daffodils you can see a big clump of Lenten roses, which I edited out in my painting.  Beyond the house the saucer magnolias are at their peak.  It is such a happy picture that I just had to paint it.

"Pink Trumpet Daffodils" (oil on linen; 12" x 9") sold

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Reference photo

The same kind of daffodils growing in my garden

Aren't these daffodils with pink trumpets lovely?   The reference picture was taken at Green Spring Gardens Park last Thursday, because I liked the composition, not because I didn't have them at home.  Indeed, they are blooming in my front and back yards in several different spots.  The composition, not the subject matter, is everything in a painting, my friends.

Do you know what?  I am onto something.  Without realizing, I have started a new series of garden flowers, painted from photographs.  Last year, in my enthusiasm for plein-air painting, I painted irises, peonies, roses, etc. on location with mixed results.  But I learned that, as long as I know how to compensate for the shortcomings of photography, it is so much easier to paint flowers from photos. 

These small paintings, requiring careful drawing, take hours to finish.  They are essentially still lifes, or portraits of flowers, under natural light.  However, I no longer have to worry about the moving sun, bugs, winds, heat, and an uninvited audience.  If I get tired, I can take a break or finish the painting the following day.

What the launch of the new series means is that I will never run out of painting subjects for months!  Furthermore, I get to go out to gardens and parks on a beautiful day.  I may bring my painting gear and paint landscapes en plein air.  But I won't be sweating over one or two flowers; instead, I will saunter to take pictures of flowers of different species.  Spring is already here in northern Virginia.  Cherries at the Tidal Basin are in full bloom, one week ahead of the original official forecast.  I'd better grab my camera and go over to a park.

"Peony Garden" (oil on stretched linen; 12" x 12") sold

"Peony Garden"
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"Pink Peonies Bursting" (oil, 11" x 14")
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The peony is one of my all-time favorite flowers.  What is there not to like about this gorgeous, fragrant flower?  The only thing I can think of is that peonies droop terribly because of their heavy blooms.  You can try staking the stalks, but there are usually too many flower heads.  You can't get to all of them in time.  One heavy rainfall; alas! they are shamefully dirtied by dragging their pretty faces in the garden bed. 

Last spring I painted a mini series of still lifes from a bouquet of fragrant pink peonies from my garden, as a bud opened and a full blossom faded.  By the time I finished the third painting--"Pink Peonies Bursting," peonies outside were gone.

I painted "Peony Garden" yesterday.  No, they are not blooming yet in northern Virginia.  Everything is early this spring, but not that early.  As I am in full spring mode, impatient to wait for peonies to flower, a photo came in handy.  Do you know what's happening in my garden at the moment?  Daffodils!  Any guess what I may be painting soon?

First daffodils from my garden

"Spring Bouquet" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

"Spring Bouquet"
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"From Spring Garden" (oil, 12" x 12")
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I painted "From Spring Garden" last spring after having taken Robert A. Johnson's still life workshop, excited at the realization that I could paint floral still lifes in oil.  I picked out three favorite spring flowers from my garden, challenging myself with some with florets--lilac and hyacinth.  I did a few more still lifes, always tormented by the conflicted desire--shall I go outside to paint flowers on such a beautiful day or stay put in my studio to learn to set up and paint still lifes?  The pleasure of companionship of fellow plein-air painters usually won out.  By late fall, the pickings from my garden were slim. Japanese anemones were the best I could do; "White Japanese Anemone" was the result.

"White Japanese Anemone" (oil, 12" x 10")
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I love flowers with multiple tiny florets. Think lilac, cherry, hyacinth, hydrangea, etc. They are hard and intimidating to paint though.  It is funny that I used the word "intimidating."  How can anybody be intimidated by such small and lovely things?  But I do.  That is why I had printed out the reference photo for "Spring Bouquet" last spring, but never got around to paint from it.  The familiar delay tactics, if you know what I mean.

Spring is just around the corner in northern Virginia, with the temperature in the 50's day after day in late January!  I finally got inspired to paint "Spring Bouquet."  The setup on the kitchen table in front of a large window was backlit by the natural light from outside.  I got rid of the window panes and trees clearly visible in the picture, and painted the daffodil first.  After taking a deep breath, I began to paint gesturally the floret of hyacinth one by one.  It went surprisingly fast!  Many initial rough-edged brushstrokes were left alone to suggest movement.  After all, the hyacinths were alive and would have moved follwing light if I had painted them from life.  I let the painting dry a little, then refined the flowers and wobbly stems in the vase. How about that!  No reason to get stymied by flowers anymore.

I took a picture of snowdrops blooming in my garden yesterday.  Do you think I will paint them soon, or sit on the picture for a year?

"From Spring Garden" (oil on linen, 12" x 12") sold

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This still life has three quintessential spring flowers; two of them--hyacinth and lilac--are fragrant and all three are my favorite flowers.  I have tried still life in watercolor in the past, but have found it difficult.  Sometimes I would set up floral arrangements, stare at them for a while and give up even without trying.  Especially, with the flowers with many florets like hyacinth, lilac, and hydrangea, it seemed too daunting. 

So I was being very brave when I sat down to paint "From Spring Garden."  As somebody said, die trying.  And I never heard of anybody dying while painting some flowers.  Guess what!  It wasn't that hard to paint either lilac or hyacinth.  I guess it's because oil is a forgiving medium and, as long as the paints are still wet, you can manipulate them to suggest the gesture and characteristics of different flowers.

Another concern that I had about floral still life was "what happens if the flowers die on me before I am done?".  Although it took two sessions to finish the painting above on two consecutive days, none of the flowers changed too drastically to force me to abandon the project.  I am very much encouraged with my new-found passion of still life painting and am going to go shopping for more fabrics.  Did I tell you that I sew sometimes and love to go to fabric stores?  My art just gave me a good excuse!