This strange fruit brightened up the dreary winter day as I walked through my neighborhood and spied it on a small tree. Who can resist the cheery red fruit with the bright evergreen leaves? In photos I have seen, the Cornus capitata fruits seem to vary a lot as far as the bumpiness of the […]
The Road Map, SBA Assignment 7
January 20, 2012 by · 18 Comments
I find it helpful, even essential, to make a road map of where I am going with a botanical painting. This is where I try out my composition ideas and do a tonal study. Here I can freely erase and rearrange without the fear of damaging the delicate surface of my watercolor paper. Once I […]
Lemon Curd
December 16, 2011 by · 9 Comments
We made lemon curd to give to friends this Christmas, which afforded me a great opportunity to try my hand at painting a lemon for the label. I didn’t have much time to spend on it, but it felt good to be back at painting. Here is the finished label. I put suggestions on the […]
Clematis ‘Aureolin’, SBA Assignment 5
October 10, 2011 by · 13 Comments
Golden Clematis is one of my favorite vines so I was pleased to see that it had so many blossoms during September and October while I was working on this assignment, the fifth in the SBA course I am taking. I spent more time on composition and a tonal study than I did on the […]
A Handy Light Box
October 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
I am working on a very detailed graphite drawing that I will soon need to transfer to my watercolor paper. This handy dandy light box will prove to be invaluable. The thick watercolor paper I use (so I don’t need to stretch it) becomes as transparent as tissue paper when I lay it over my […]
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).