Sunday Sketches

Getting excited to see color and spring flowers after the doldrums of winter!

I am intrigued by the unique looking Hellebore flowers. They come in various colors of purple, pink, green and also white. They are a wonderful delight this time of year and bloom for a long time. They have been a subject matter of several of my paintings and sketches.



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Sunday Sketches

THE RETURN OF THE PRIMROSE!

I get sooo excited when those dead looking primroses of winter start to bud and grow green leaves. It is a miracle!

I also like the shapes of the leaves and the contrast of the dead brown color to the new green and bloom. I found this one growing out from the hole in the pot which use to hang.

Sunday Sketches

A few years ago I fell in love with a hanging cactus plant that had the most incredible, huge blooms. The plant was full of buds and it was one of those "must haves".




How could one resist this beauty?!

Needless to say it has never bloomed again :( The new growth is pencil thin and would never be able to support a massive flower.

I can dream though......



Only one more sketch to complete my Sketchbook Project 2012. YES!

Resiliency

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have experienced just about every kind of weather; snow, freezing temperatures, unusually warm temperatures, buckets of rain, wind, you name it.

Today as I survey my yard during a rather balmy break from the rain, I notice little shoots of daffodils poking their heads out from the ground. To my amazement, I found primrose in bloom and buds forming.

Talk about resiliency!



What a refreshing break from the drabness of winter.

Hope the slugs are hibernating :)

Bella'roma

What a delight out my kitchen window.....


Isn't she a beauty!?!

Bella'roma is a Hybrid Tea Rose and a new rose selection for my garden. So far, this is the first bloom for the new plant.

I am ecstatic!

Bright yellow buds slowly spiral open, revealing gorgeous, warm yellow petals blushed rich pink at their edges, and set off by glossy, dark green foliage. The classic, high-centered blooms are said to hold their rich color and flower abundantly all season.

It won top honors as a 2003 "Rose of the Year" winner with both sumptuous blooms and a strong, tantalizing scent evocative of 'French Perfume.' But, in my opinion, although nicely fragrant it does not compare to the incredible smell of Gertrude Jekyll.

Another Fabulous Bloom

I cannot resist sharing photos of beautiful flowers that have crossed my path. Many of which will probably become subject matter for watercolor paintings. Stay tuned!

This plant was a compulsive selection at the garden store. Thankfully, two of the three plants survived the slugs and a small child visiting.

Daily, I watch the unveiling of blooms.

It is a Lily named Black Spider.



Today's display looks like this:


The full name on the tag reads; Tango Asiatic Lily Litium asiaticum 'Black Spider'

What a beauty, wouldn't you agree?

The Trail Is In Bloom

Summertime on the Chehalis Western Trail!

Everything is green and blooming.......

Looks like we will have a GREAT crop of blackberries.


When I lived in Colorado the Fireweed did not bloom until the end of summer, but here in Washington along the trail it is blooming profusely.

Ebony likes to get in the picture
The weed I just love is the Foxglove.




I have done several paintings of this flower as I think the spots (I call freckles) are charming.

My favorite spot to sit for a break......


The view from the bench.....



I am so fortunate to have such a beautiful place to spent time on a daily basis.

Now Blooming on the Trail......

As spring has been progressing, I have been posting what is currently in bloom on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.

You can call me the trail eye-witness reporter!

The Red Elderberry is currently the star bloomer with its lacy foliage, large white flower clusters.


The Red Elderberry is a showy large deciduous shrub or small tree of the Honeysuckle family that grows 10-20 feet tall with a broad arching form. Older specimens have large, multiple trunks with coarse bark. Red elderberry begins growth early in spring and produces abundant, small, creamy white flowers in large, conical or pyramidal shaped clusters between April and July. Large clusters of small, bright red, fleshy berries appear in summer.

This deciduous shrub is very common west of the Cascades. Large attractive clusters of red berries are very popular with the birds, but may be toxic to humans when eaten raw. When ripe however they can be cooked and made into processed products, or fermented into wine. The rest of the plant (flowers, leaves, seeds, roots) is toxic as it contains cyanide-producing glycosides.

The flowers have a rather unpleasant, skunk smell. Butterflies enjoy the nectar of the flowers, while birds will feast on the ripe berries.

New Bloom on the Trail

It is exciting to walk the Chehalis Western Trail on a daily basis and watch for the new blooms of spring.

My master gardener friend, Janet Mandell, has been assisting me in identifying the different native plants.

The newest bloom is the Coltsfoot which is also called Sweet Coltsfoot and Palmate Coltsfoot. It blooms from March through to July in wet or marshy ground in woods and in roadside ditches. You will find it mostly west of the Cascades from Alaska to California and found east to Michigan and Massachusetts.

This patch of Coltsfoot I found blooming happily in a boggy section of the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.

More Day Light to Create

That extra hour of daylight and the signs of spring sparked my creative juices today.  How about you? 

In between the desire to be outdoors in the sunshine, I began my second painting from the series of photographs which I took while in Mexico. I am mesmerized by the ice plant in bloom which grew profusely, cascading down the cliffs toward the ocean. There is something about the colors and movement?

Stay tuned as the next painting evolves..........