"Peony, Nigella, and Foxglove" (watercolor on paper; 8" x 8")

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Pink peonies, nigella (love in a mist), and foxgloves--all from my cottage garden--make a lovely bouquet, don't you think?  Of course, these flowers are all gone; my garden looks dreadful these days, although a reblooming iris started blooming.  Apparently, it couldn't wait until the fall.  Neither can I!

These reblooming irises are more expressive than the regular ones, but you get to enjoy them twice a year!

"Bountiful Peony Bouquet" (watercolor and oil pastel on paper; 10.5" x 15.5")

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With this peony painting, I did something unusual and crazy.  After finishing the painting, I decided not to leave the background pure white.  I first tried several vertical stripes of dark colors, which made the background come forward.  Oops.  How about dark squiggly lines in oil pastel over those random stripes?  Then, I spritzed water where the flowers met the background to soften the edges.  It was a complete mess!  Finally, I strengthened the now fuzzy-looking bouquet with white gouache and dark paints.  I think the result looks rather dramatic and contemporary.  What do you think?

"Pink Peony Spring" (watercolor; 5" x 7") sold

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I was going through my 2013 spring photos.  Behold, I came across a picture that became transformed into "Pink Peony Spring".  Spring comes fast and furious.  When you don't have to capture them in paints, don't despair.  Just keep taking pictures.  Someday you will have all the time in the world and get to finally have fun!

"Bountiful Peonies" (watercolor; 8" x 6") sold

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Peonies are bountiful flowers. They are big; their perfumes are intoxicating; and so many buds on a stem that it is nearly impossible to prop them up to keep their pretty faces away from dirt!

"Peony Glory" (watercolor; 8" x 8") sold

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I said in an earlier post that I vary my approach to painting watercolors.  With "Peony Glory", I pretty much finished the flower and buds before moving onto the negative space.  There is no one perfect way of starting and finishing a painting.  "Be flexible and have fun" is my motto!

About half way through the painting.

"Peony Blush" (watercolor; 7" x 5") sold

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During the peony season, I go outside to check my peonies every morning: did any buds open today?  I fine one.  A pink peony bud opening shyly to the morning sun is a blushing beauty!

"Peony Brilliance" (watercolor; 8" x 6") sold

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Last year we planted a different variety of pink peonies from the one we had been enjoying in our garden.  You can imagine my joy when they started blooming.  For fun, I vary my approach to painting watercolors; this one was started loosely and I tried to maintain the spirit throughout the painting process.  How do you like the result?

A loose beginning!

"Peonies and Coreopsis" (watercolor on paper; 8" x 8")

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Pink peonies and yellow coreopsis from my garden make a gorgeous bouquet! Below are the step-by-step pictures of "Peonies and Coreopsis". Is this the way I paint watercolors?  Not always.  I vary my approach depending on the subject matter; I sometimes paint the background first.  I don't think one suit fits all.

I started laying down the first layer.

Developing more flowers.

The bouquet is almost finished.

At this point, I decided to add another layer of glaze to the background.

"Peony Glories" (oil on linen; 10" x 10") sold

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I took the reference photo for the painting at the Anne of Green Gables Museum in Prince Edward Island.  Yes, they were blooming in early July!  They were past the peak, but in my painting you can't tell that.

The first step of the transparent underpainting is finished.  

The opaque layer is down.  Now my task is to make sense of the sculptural form of the flowers.  It is not an easy job because the values are so close.  All I have to go by are the close warm/cool temperature variations.

Backlit, sun-struck flowers are beginning to emerge.