It was still too breezy tonight for close-up photos of sunflowers, so I backed up and got a more distant view of them along the patio. I’m still waiting to see any orange Mexican sunflowers or any seashell cosmos.
August Evening on the Patio
In The Yard
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Sunflowers along the Patio
Monday, August 23rd, 2010Iris and Rose
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010We are having a magnificent summer day here in Bowman! Here’s a shot of an iris from last night and a rose from this morning.
Evening in the Garden
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010Here are some more studies of the colors and curves of iris blossoms taken in the garden this evening. As I went in the house, I spotted the sunrise rose glowing away, and got another image of that as well. I finished putting plants in the gardens today, and got some work done on another new badlands drawing this afternoon.
Roses, Irises, and Drawings
Sunday, June 13th, 2010The roses and irises beckon me out to the garden every morning to see the unfolding beauty of the season. I’ve been studying the work of Georgia O’Keeffe to see just what she did with the iris. My favorite images of hers are: White Iris no.7, White Iris (1926), Dark Iris no. III, Light Iris (1930), and Black Iris VI. It can be intimidating to choose subject matter that others have become so well known for, but in truth, an artist’s time and energy are limited, while nature is not. Different varieties of irises, time of day, lighting, and stage of growth all create infinite opportunities for ever-new expression. A lifetime could be spent just studying and painting this one flower.
It’s been cool and cloudy, so I’ve been back in the studio working on some new drawings of the Badlands in September. All the seedlings in the gardens have been watered, so while I pastel away, the orange, white, and pink cosmos and all the yellow sunflowers can keep doing what they do! Here’s a shot of the unfolding blush rose from this morning.
Rainy Morning
Friday, June 11th, 2010It’s a grey, rainy day on the plains. A good day to rest and recover from all the gardening chores. Maybe even get back into the studio! I just had to go out this morning and look at the plants with raindrops on their blossoms and leaves. What a lovely world!
One of the New Lilies
The New Blush Rose
New Iris Blossoms
Bleeding Heart Leaves
Iris Buds and Blossoms
Thursday, June 10th, 2010Here are some photos from the iris garden this morning. Everything about this flower is graceful, from its leaves to its buds, and its magnificent blossom. I wonder how many varieties there are, and if it is the flower with the most colors and patterns.
Irises in the Evening
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010The wind picked up in the afternoon, but it calmed a little at the end of the day. I decided to go back out to the garden and photograph the irises in lower light. What stunning flowers! It boggles the mind to think about all the varieties of color and pattern on these ruffled gems.
Iris with Adjusted Hue and Saturation
From the Garden
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010The irises and roses are starting to bloom, and what incredible beauty they bring to the world! I’ll have to keep my camera handy as I paint patio furniture and flower pots and work in the gardens. It’s another gorgeous day!
In the Lovely Month of June
Friday, June 4th, 2010It was a marvelous day in June, with plenty of sunshine, the singing of birds, and the fragrance of lilacs in the air. I finished planting marigolds, created a couple more short blue trellises, touched up the patio chairs while I was at it, and put more vine seeds and orange sunflower seeds into the garden. Here are some lilac photos from this afternoon.
Marigolds, Sunflowers, and Daylilies
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010I spaded up a little more grass today to make room for sunflowers. By now, I have a mixture of orange tithonia torch Mexican sunflowers, lemon queen sunflowers, vanilla ice sunflowers, mammoth Russian sunflowers, moonshine branching sunflowers, and teddy bear sunflowers. What wonderful names! Who knew there were so many kinds of sunflowers? I sure didn’t, and I can’t wait to see them spring to life. As I sat on the patio for a rest, I noticed how bright the marigolds in pots looked. They really made the lime green and lapis blue patio colors pop. I decided to go get another flat of them to give the gardens some zing while the other flowers get up and get going. It will be good for my budget when the plant places close!
The wind came up in the afternoon, so I went inside to have a break. While putting my feet up, I paged through a garden book, and was inspired to see roses mixed with daylilies. So, back out I went and transplanted some old daylilies alongside the new rose bushes. Much better! Tonight I’ll soak some more heavenly blue morning glory and white moonflower seeds so I can plant them behind the roses and below the new blue trellises.