A love affair with roses

I love gardening, I love roses!  They make me curse when pruning, and often when picking them I scratch myself.  But oh my they have a wonderful scent -they give off a fragrance that surpasses any other.

I picked these a couple of days ago and they have been giving pleasure to me and my visitors ever since.

They are starting to droop a bit and I decided to try my hand at doing a watercolour of them.  Next to painting people flowers are a hot favourite.  Anyway it is about time I posted some of my flower studies.

I am really pleased with this.  It is the first time that I used the technique I use for my painted ladies.  It took a bit of nerve to splash acrylic on the painting though.

I was on a roll and decided to do another of some climbing roses along the driveway.  (Yes there is a grape vine intermingled with the roses!) They are the old-fashioned cabbage type rose.    Oh my how the mighty are fallen!  I made a botch of them. 

Time for a bit of splashing.  Hey presto a saved painting.  Sort of looks abstract.  I don’t know why I keep thinking of starry night!

Well that’s it for today, thanks for visiting and have a great week.

Linking with Alexandra’s Sunday Sketches

Inspired by Francis Hodgkins

I have finally got around to doing some painting inspired by a well-known NZ artist for Art Journal Journey’s theme of Inspired by the Masters for November.

I have chosen Frances Hodgkins - 1869 -1947.  She is one of the earliest Women Artists in New Zealand.  It wasn’t until she left NZ at the age of 37 and went to Europe that she obtained recognition for her art.  Luckily, nowadays NZ women don’t have to leave NZ to follow a career in art.

For the first painting (Two Women with a basket of Flowers 1915) I more or less copied, but in watercolour rather than oil that Hodgkins used.  This painting was before her more well-known semi abstract work that was influenced by Henry Moore and Ben Nicholson..  Looking at it I would say that Matisse was an influence, as I think of him when I look at it.

My Version

For the second painting The Farmer’s Daughter I decided to do my own take. 

I actually found it quite hard to put my spin on it, made me realise that I need my girls to talk to me!  

My version

In 1912-13Francis Hodgkins taught in Paris at Colarossi's academy, the first woman to be appointed instructor in the school. I found a picture of her that shows her as a fun person as opposed to the usual photo of her looking very stern and school mamish.

Now this talked to me and inspired me to do this painting.

That is it for this week, have a creative week everybody and thanks for visiting.

Linking to Paint Party Friday hosted by Eva and Kirstin

And ArtJournal Journey hosted this month by Valerie with Susi

Paint Party Friday

This is Samantha, she is in a whirl!  She has been listening to grown ups talking when they thought she couldn't hear.  She is confused and  unhappy.  They are saying things she doesn't understand.  Why are they angry ?

There is shouting, she wishes they would stop, it makes her miserable she wants to go and hide.

She goes up to her Mum and says “Please Mummy, make it stop……..”

Her Mum says, “It is nothing dear, we are just talking, go and play with your brothers and cousins  outside.”

Samantha doesn't want to.  Her brothers and cousins are fighting also.  So she goes into her bedroom and hides under the bed with her hands over her ears blocking the world out.

At a family gathering I witnessed this sad episode.  I know that emotions were raw because it was a funeral.  I wanted to be like Sam and go and hide under the bed!  It is so sad that history will go on repeating itself generation after generation.  Children see more than we realise sometimes, they have big ears and copy what the grown ups do, or like Sam and me, we withdraw.

Being conscious of our behaviour and giving them good guidelines will create well-adjusted happy little people like the cutie below.

(The first of the four Samantha’s is the actual painting, the other three I played with the hues on my computer.  Proves that colour tells the story!)

Have a happy creative week and thanks for visiting.

Linking to Paint Party Friday hosted by the lovely Kristin and Eva.