"Anemone Bouquet" (watercolor on Yupo; 9" x 7") sold

matted (14" x 11")
sold

It snowed yesterday in northern Virginia.  It's snowing again today.  This winter is indeed the winter of snow!  I am waiting patiently for spring flowers to bloom in my garden for the fresh reference material.  In the meanwhile, I will have to make do with flowers from the florist shop. How about a bouquet of anemones in a blue glass vase?  Doesn't it make a simple, but exquisite still life?

"Still Life with Anemones" (watercolor on paper; 10" x 18") sold

sold

I used to take a watercolor class with Deborah Ellis at the Art League School in Alexandria, VA.  She believed in painting from life, and set up several fabulous still lifes for her students to choose from every week.  As I switched to the opaque mediums, I don't get to see my favorite watercolor teacher any more regrettably.  "Still Life with Anemones" that I painted in her class has been hanging in my kitchen for several years.

What I like about this painting is its abstract quality.  The fluffy leaves and oval petals of the anemones break up the angularity of the vases and cloth folds, while light and dark tones criss-cross the picture plane.  Today's entry is dedicated to Deborah Ellis, a fun, kind, and cerebral individual.