Sunday Sketches

Spring would not be spring without a new trillium painting!

I could not resist this subject matter for my Sunday Sketch.


More Sunday Sketchers....

Sunday Sketches

TRILLIUM

I do not know of anyone here in the Pacific Northwest that does not get excited by the appearance of the trillium in the woods. For one it marks the beginning of spring, but the wildflower's appeal seems to me more for its grace and beauty.

I found these two tall trillium flowers growing next to the base of a cedar tree and captured them on paper.

It was my first sale yesterday at the Gull Harbor Art & Gift Fair!



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Spring Teasing

It is so exciting to see the green tops of the spring bulbs protruding from the earth. A sure sign of spring coming.

Surprisingly, other spring signs include flowers blooming NOW! Some of the previously planted primroses have been developing leaves, buds, and flowers from rather dead looking plants. A subject of last week's Sunday Sketch.

The unusual looking Hellebore are blooming. I sketched and painted one of these flowers today which I will post for tomorrow's Sunday Sketches.



Did you know that there is a outdoor hearty version of the favorite indoor cyclamen? I planted these last year and they made it through the winter. They are a delightful addition to the early spring flowers which are such a joy after the doldrums of winter.

Check out these tiny gems:

Strange Beauty

Last month as spring began to unfold, I blogged about the strangely interesting flower, the Hellebore.

It has become one of my favorite flowers because of its unique details and untypical colors. I took several pictures of the ones blooming around my house and knew, one day, I would paint from them.

In this watercolor painting, I have captured the three stages of the flower and exaggerated their shapes with black ink. As the flower opens, inside you see the tubular nectaries whose shapes I find fascinating. I also like the way the stamens open and seem to dance. Finally, the center elongates into pod-like forms. The flower lasts this way for months!

Hellebore Trio
Joanne Osband
watercolor and ink
15.5" X 22"

Sunday Sketches

Tulips make spring magical. They just show up and splash color on the winter barren landscape. Tulips make me smile.

Not only do they provide a gorgeous showing, but also when they begin to die their shapes and contours are wonderful. I am more prone to drawing or painting them at their senior stages.

Senior Tulips
Joanne Osband
watercolors
8" X 11"

Hellebores Are Not Boring

One of the first flowers of spring are the Hellebore. Strange name for a rather amusing looking flower. They are not the kind of flower that you pass by. The detail is quite amazing; I think they look rather prehistoric. Hellebore come in various colors; white, yellow, green, pink, and purple.


I like the colors, shapes, and center of the flower......great subject matter for a sketch or painting.

Here is a closer view:


I learned that Hellebores have a long history in cultivation, particularly in Europe. For centuries they have been used for various medical purposes, and all contain alkaloids and other chemicals that could lead to poisoning if ingested in large quantities. Hellebores are even mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman literature, but it is not certain if the references are to the same plants of today. They have also been cultivated in western Europe and can be found naturalized around ruins of old monasteries and other structures. Extracts from Hellebores have been used in homeopathy and traditional medicines in several countries.

Color YES!

It is that time of year when a splash of color in the yard instantly puts a smile on my face. I do not know about you, but the browns and grays of winter tend to become monotonous after awhile. Spring bulbs to the rescue!

Color speaks to the artist in me. With a couple of non-rainy days here in Washington the daffodils and anemones are showing their heads. I planted about 300 bulbs last spring and am rejoicing at their appearance.



I am learning patience. Last spring I planted English Daisies from seed and surprisingly I was able to distinguish the plants from weeds. All summer long I kept weeding around the plants. To my amazement, they are now flourishing and blooming!




Now the challenge is to keep this beautiful color from the slugs!

I have my defense.....a six pound jug of Sluggo.

Spring Surprise

Having purchased my home last summer, I have not experienced the unfolding of spring. I knew that there were two large lilac bushes, but I did not know more than that. To my surprise, I have a lovely dark purple lilac and a light purple one.

I took photos today, but even with photoshop I cannot correct the color. I do not know why purple is such a challenging color to reproduce. I have that same situation with prints of my watercolor paintings.

Here is what I came up with...

light purple(?) lilac
dark purple(?) lilac
You need to use your imagination :)

My favorite place to see and smell lilacs this time of year is Hulga Klager Lilac Gardens in Woodland, Washington.

Their goal is not only to preserve the lilac heritage developed by Hulda Klager, but to maintain the gardens for visitors to experience the tranquillity of a pioneer Victorian farm and garden. The Hulda Klager Lilac Society fully funds the care and upkeep of the farmhouse and grounds from donations, sales of lilacs and proceeds from our gift shop sales. With the help of volunteers, friends, and members the Lilac Gardens continue to carry on the work of growing and showing the beautiful lilacs hybridized by Hulda Klager many years ago.

It is a MUST SEE GARDEN!

Red Flowering Currant

Now in bloom, the red flowering currant is one of the most beloved and showy of native northwest shrubs. The brilliant display of carmine red flowers in spring are welcomed by gardeners and hummingbirds alike.

A few facts:

Red-flowering currant is native to western coastal North America from central British Columbia to central California. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 4 m tall. The bark is dark brownish-grey with prominent paler brown lenticels. The leaves are 2-7 cm long and broad, with five palmate lobes; when young in spring, they have a strong resinous scent. The early spring flowers emerge at the same time as the leaves, on racemes 3-7 cm long with 5-30 flowers. Each flower is 5-10 mm diameter, with five red or pink petals. The fruit is dark purple oval berry 1 cm long, edible but bland.

Serendipity

Another fabulous spring day in Olympia, Washington!

Having had dry weather for a couple of days, I decided to get out the Landrollers and take my dog with me to skate on the Chehalis Western Trail.

Being that I am a bit out of shape for the season, I took a break at my favorite spot by the water. This is a late spring photograph; it is a bit more sparse in the foliage category today. Although the water lilies pads are beginning to rise.



The sun was popping in an out of clouds. I told myself that I would sit on the bench as long as the sun was shining on me. When the next cloud covered the sun, I would roll along again. After a few minutes, I was graced with a bald eagle cruising not far above my head.

Our encounter was serendipitously aligned.



I am always thrilled whenever I have a close encounter with a bald eagle!

More Spring Sightings

Indian Plum also called osoberry, is an early blooming deciduous shrub native to the entire West Coast.

It is a member of the rose family, and thrives in low land habitats near forested areas. Typically it is found west of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest and west of the Sierra Nevada in California.

In the Pacific Northwest, blooms of white bells begin appearing on the branches as early as February. The flowers turn into clusters of small, seeded fruits, that attract birds, including hummingbirds.

There is a history of Native American use of the shrub for food and medicinal purposes, however very little commercial harvesting of the fruit is undertaken today.

I have had several sightings of Indian Plum while walking my dog on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.





I have had several sightings of Indian Plum while walking my dog on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.

Spring is coming!

Primroses

I have a bad case of spring fever and it is only February!

Yesterday I saw some rhododendrons blooming and color in branches (photos in yesterday's blog).

Today, I could not resist the primroses with early spring blooms in almost every color of the rainbow. I love their sweet fragrance. I bought a flat and planted them in my front yard where I can see all the time.

Oops! I just learned that they appreciate full sun in the spring, but must have semi shade as the temperatures warm. Good thing they are quite tolerant of being transplanted, even when they are in bloom, because I will have to move them as they are in a very sunny spot in my yard.

Until then, I will enjoy them as they are.....

Color Coming!

I realize the groundhog saw his shadow, but on my walk this afternoon around Capital Lake in Olympia, Washington, I saw color in branches and flowers BLOOMING!

Signs of spring in Olympia taken with my camera phone:


Rhododendrons starting to BLOOM in February!


Notice the colors of the branches of this bush

YES, spring is coming!

Crocus Watercolor Painting

In my opinion the first sign of spring is seeing the crocus pop up from the barren earth. This spring I was excited to see this lovely patch of crocus which my neighbor planted a second time after my dog dug them up. I was amazed they grew considering they were chewed on by my dog, and their beauty was exquisite! I took several photographs and found the shapes and stripes compelling to paint. I finally sat down to put this feeling into a watercolor painting.

Spring Thoughts......

A few nice spring-like days and my mind travels to gardening.

How about you?

There is something special about the earth connection and helping things grow that is so heart warming. Similar to the human connection to personal growth.

Are you growing?

What nourishes your soul?

Signs of Spring?

About this time of year the stores tease us with colorful flowers to lift our spirits. I am definitely a "sucker" to buy. I could not pass by the primroses without loading a couple in my basket. Eagerly, I planted them in pots and set the primroses on the deck railing so that I could enjoy the vision of spring from every vantage point.

It looks like the ground hog was right! To my surprise this morning my beautiful primroses were wearing snowflakes. And the daffodils look rather charming with dapples of snow.

Still a lovely picture of spring, wouldn't you agree?