When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

Wildflowers

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Viper’s Bugloss

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021


 

Vipers Bugloss, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Viper’s Bugloss – Echium vulgare – beside Highway 15 near Franktown, ON  – this is the second version, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. The earlier version done in 2010 was probably my first success with soft pastels. I didn’t try them again until last year.

So cheerful and beautiful with pink buds and blue-violet flowers along tall stems, it’s tempting to pick them for wildflower bouquets, but the plant has tiny spines along the stem and leaves that are very irritating to the skin, so are best enjoyed left where they are, growing en masse in summer fields beside the highways in eastern Ontario.

I was curious about the name… according to the Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism edited by Michael Stuart (c. 1979, 1987 ISBN 0-9999-48911), they were formerly one of the most respected plants used for the treatment of viper’s snake bite venom.

Wild Lupine

Thursday, June 17th, 2021


 

Wild Lupine, Mount St. Helens WA, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Wild Lupine, Mount St. Helens WA, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Firewheels

Wednesday, May 19th, 2021


 
Firewheels, Grapevine TX, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Firewheels, Grapevine TX, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Here is a link to the Firewheels acrylics painting I did a few years back.

Chicory

Thursday, April 15th, 2021


 
Chicory, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Chicory, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper. Sold.

Indian Paintbrush

Friday, April 2nd, 2021


 

Indian Paintbrush, Mt. St. Helens, WA_ 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Indian Paintbrush, Gifford Pinchot National Forest regeneration, near Mt. St. Helens, WA – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Mt. St. Helens is still an active volcano about 50 miles north of Portland, OR and 100 miles south of Seattle WA USA. The last major eruption was in 1980. It disrupted all ecosystems near the volcano, except aquatic ecosystems in the area benefited from the amounts of ash. Most lakes in the area had returned to their normal state six years after the eruption. 42 years later, new growth forest is abundant, and many seasonal varieties of wildflowers thrive in the dry but mineral-rich soil.

Beautiful Invasion: Scotch Broom

Monday, March 15th, 2021


 

Beautiful Invasion: Scotch Broom, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Beautiful Invasion: Scotch Broom hugging the cliffs beside Netarts Bay beach OR – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. During early May along the west coast, hillsides, forests, dunes and ditches are covered with the deep, vibrant, most gorgeous yellow flowers of Scotch Broom. Cytisus scoparius is an invasive species displacing native plants, shrubs and trees.

Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white mat and white wood frame, crackle finish.

Milkweed

Thursday, September 24th, 2020


 

Milkweed along Hwy 69 Kentucky, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Milkweed along Hwy 69 Kentucky, a favorite subject of mine – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper

Blue Lupine

Sunday, November 17th, 2019

Blue Lupine, 24H x 36W inches acrylics on canvas
Blue Lupine, 24H x 36W inches acrylics on canvas, frame unnecessary.

Goldenrod

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019


 

Goldenrod, 12 x 12 inches acrylics on canvas
Goldenrod, 12 x 12 inches acrylics on canvas, frame unnecessary.

Queen Anne’s Lace, watercolors

Friday, August 10th, 2018


 

Queen Anne's Lace, 14H x 20W inches watercolors

Queen Anne’s Lace, 14H x 20W inches watercolors on paper

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