"Cherry Blossom Tunnel" (oil; 10" x 8") sold; "Spring Orchard" (oil, 10" x 8") sold

"Cherry Blossom Tunnel" (oil, 10" x 8")
sold

"Spring Orchard" (oil, 10" x 8")
sold

"Apple Tree Blooming" (oil, 12" x 12"), sold

I have a thing for flowering trees.  Cherry blossoms passed the peak where I live. Apple, crab apple, and pear trees are blooming now.  Double cherries will open soon too.  It's time to be joyous!

Mini cherry blossom festival in my garden, a week ago

Cherry Blossom Festival at the Tidal Basin,  a week ago

Crab apple flowers in my backyard

"Spring Woods" (oil; 10" x 8") sold; "Spring Woodland" (oil; 14" x 11")

"Spring Woods" (oil, 10" x 8")
sold

"Spring Woodland" (oil, 14" x 11")
click here to buy

When trees start budding, they turn yellow green.  Leaves are not yet big, so they don't cast heavy shade.  Walk in the early spring woods.  It's airy and bright; it's an enchanting place!  Both paintings are based on a real place--the Virginia native plant trail in the Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, VA.  I haunt the park in early spring, which has always been my favorite time of the year.

Did you notice a red bridge up a small stream in the first painting?  Many flowers populate the second painting, In the distance, one can see the pink redbud in bloom. In the middle ground, the dainty white bells of the common silverbell arc gracefully above the carpet of yellow woodland poppies.  I think I captured in both paintings the light-filled atmosphere of springtime in the woods.

"Old English Church" (oil on linen: 8" x 10") sold

sold

St. Mary the Virgin, the 12-century parish church, is located at the end of Church Lane in Sidlesham, West Sussex.  We attended the Good Friday service at the church, which was conducted by the parish priest and our host, a retired Lutheran pastor.  It was full moon that night (for some reason, the service took place on Wednesday).  About the only light on the dark lane was the moonlight, which cast long shadows as we walked back home.  We were all silent and reverent.  It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Church Gate Cottage used to be haunted!

Do you believe in ghost stories?  If so, you are in for a treat.  Church Gate Cottage, right by the church yard, used to be haunted.  We had dinner with its current owners one night.  When I learned that they had horses, I managed an invitation for horse riding for my daughter.  Alas, it had been raining for several days; the fields were soggy with lots of puddles.  It was also cold and windy.  Riding was out of the question.  After a short visit to the cottage on the following morning, we went back to Chimes Cottage for elevenses.  That is when I heard a ghost story from Jane, the mother.

There used to be ghosts in Church Gate Cottage.  An Anglican priest who lived there in the 17th century died before his time.  He had a wife and two little children.  Jane's four-year-old daughter could see the ghost kids.  Jane could only hear them laughing. Her husband saw the priest ghost.  Jane was too scared to look up in one of the ghost incidents, but could feel the sudden drop in temperature in the room and hear the sounds.  She contacted an exorcism expert of the Church of England, who treated her with ill-disguised contempt!

Jane called up some spiritual experts, who came to the house to talk to the priest ghost.  He assured them that he would never harm the living children.  What about adults!  The experts firmly demanded that he and his ghost family should move on. And they did.  I don't think Jane was pulling my leg.  After all, she is a no-nonsense special education teacher.  What did I tell you?  Church Lane in Sidlesham is enchanted!

"Chimes Cottage in Early Spring" (oil on linen; 9" x 12")

nfs

It's already April 11th and you are probably wondering why I haven't yet announced the theme for the April Challenge.  Here we go.  I am going to paint a series of paintings based on the pictures I took during my recent trip to England.  The April Challenge is "I Love England"!

You know I haven't painted for three weeks.  Furthermore, I haven't touched oil paints for a month and half!  It took a while to get my mojo back.  A sudden heat wave in the mid-Atlantic region didn't help either.  My garden is going absolutely crazy.  Cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin were spectacular on Tuesday. I am in the midst of spring fever.  It is hard to sit calmly in my studio and paint.  To prove my point, I am sharing just two pictures of my garden this morning.

tulips and grape hyacinths

daffodils and woodland poppies among other flowers!

But I digress.  Let's get back to today's painting.  For eight enchanted days, we stayed at this thatched-roofed stone cottage, which belongs to my husband's first cousin and her husband.  Chimes Cottage on Church Lane in Sidlesham, West Sussex is 380 years old, and is on the British National Register.  There were several such cottages on the lane. It was as if we had walked into a fairy tale.  The painting is a gift to our wonderful hosts.  I hope they like it!

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

click here to buy a print

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

"Bleeding Heart Love" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

You don't have to be a bleeding-heart liberal to love the bleeding heart. It has attractive mounded foliage with arching stems of delicate, heart-shaped flowers. Indeed, I consider it, not the rose, the most loving plant. Its heart is so full of love that it splits up to show its innards! When she was little, my daughter used to pick a bleeding heart in my garden and give it to me as a token of her love.

By the way, I would like to say thank you to everybody who contacted me for the drawing of a print of "Spring Flowers Collage II".  The lucky winner of is Jeannelle Walker.  Congratulations!  I have already ordered the print.  As soon as I receive it, I will send it to Jeannelle.

Next month, I am going to widen the circle for my monthly drawing to all my Facebook fans.  If you haven't checked out my Facebook fan page, please click here.  I post a painting or a photo everyday.  It is the best place to get the most up-to-date information about my artwork.  Please "like" the page!

Collages of Spring Flowers

click here to buy a print

click here to buy a print

I am back!  What do you think of the collages of my spring flowers?  I used the free site called iPiccy.com.  Try it.  It's addictive!  The top collage doesn't show all the paintings I did for my "Spring Fever" series; the bottom one includes two additional floral paintings.  My personal preference is the top one.  How about you?

Both prints are available for purchase.  I will announce the painting to be given away tomorrow, so stay tuned!