Sunday, September 18, 2011

On my own in the Botanical Gardens

Pots of Color
8 x 10
oil on canvas
$175
     Anyone who knows me knows that when I paint out I usually have a group along, but today I went out to the Botanical Gardens on my own. (I probably will do a bit  more on this painting, but if I wait until then it might not get posted until next weekend.) It was a bit warm today since I didn't have much shade but I enjoyed it. I chose these pots because of their shapes and the colors of the flowers in them. (I decided to paint them last weekend when I was at the Art in the Garden Show and I think they had more blooms then.)

My subject before I took some liberties with it.
      The good thing about planting in pots is that you can add color to almost any spot . Plus it is easier to keep them watered than large beds, especially in times of drought,  like this year.
Monarch butterfly
    As I painted I noticed that there were lots of monarch butterflies flying around. I haven't seen any butterflies in quite a while. Every year the monarchs migrate across our state on their way to Mexico. It is one of the signs of fall, and something I always  look forward to, just like the long v formations of ducks and geese that will be heading south later.

Hibiscus in the center pot.
      Hibiscus are one of the plants that do so well in pots. They have large blooms and come in a variety of colors including red, yellow, pink, and peach. The bad thing about them in my opinion is that the blooms don't last very long and if you don't bring them in they will freeze in the winter. I  think there may be some now that are more hardy.

View of the garden. The best thing about this photo are the puffy white clouds. There is a chance of rain tonight!


4 comments:

  1. Beautiful!! Love the colors, Doug! I hope Texas is cooling down for you!!!

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  2. This is a lovely choice for a subject Douglas, beautiful!

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  3. Beautiful Doug. I like how you simplified the background.

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  4. I really like the variety of form in your pots, such a very nice composition. Isn't it wonderful how certain subjects seem to beg to be painted!

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