Flowers are Popping Up

I've been steadily working on my newest painting, and I thought it was time for an update, as well as some more info on this painting.

 

The flowers are slowly starting to emerge on this piece that contains Stargazer lilies, stephanotis, ivory roses and mango calla lilies created by Flowers by Christine located in Bartlett, Illinois.  Christine was such a delight when I met her to take the photos.  Owning her business for 25 years now, Christine prides herself on supplying the Bartlett and Bloomingdale area with quality floral arrangements and personalized customer service.  Her shop is a haven of flowery smells and beautiful gifts for any holiday or occasion.   If you are in the Bartlett area, I highly encourage you to stop by and visit Christine and all the fabulousness in her shop.

Indian Summer

Can you believe that just last weekend it was Halloween?!  We are in the thick of fall where the colors are changing all around us.  This was evident in the bouquet I shot last weekend for my next painting.  I was delighted to see some fall color in a bouquet I am calling a representation of an Indian Summer.  It has the autumn look with the mango calla lilies, but then there is this burst of bright pink from the starburst lilies that remind me of the summer that has past.

The stephanotis have these fantastic large rhinestones in the center of them giving the bouquet a little "bling".

I am so excited to start this painting that I have already sketched it in!  I've got the painting bug, and after my last one, this will be a great breather.

 In my updated posts, I'll let you know who this secret florist is and the generous folks giving this painting as a gift.  Happy weekend!

A Masterpiece!

And, end of day.  Yes, I have finished Katie and Patrick's painting!  55 hours later and this puppy is complete.

I'm very excited about this piece.  For one thing, I love that this painting is being given as a gift to the couple by a group of friends.  I wish more people would do this...not just because it would give me more business, but because I think a gift like this would steer away from the lame registry / awkward cash gift that usually happens at weddings.
Secondly, this bouquet stands out from many of the other pieces that I have done.  It has such a wide variety of flowers and colors that created heavy detail and complexity that I am happy to have in my portfolio collection now.

 A big thanks to the vendors that gave me so much to work with.  Nature's Touch in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan created such a stunning bouquet while Widdis Photography captured it perfectly and provided me with the images to use for the painting.  Since this wedding was in Michigan, and I was not able to attend it, the gift of having such beautiful images of a fabulous bouquet provided for me was priceless.

Congratulations to Katie and Patrick!  I hope your painting is a reflection of the beautiful marriage you will have.  Cheers!

Quicky Update

The start of today...

Growing Flowers

Just a quick update....

See How I'm Fairing

I've been putting some quality time into Katie and Patrick's painting and it's coming along quite well.  What I've noticed about this one is that I tend to be gravitating toward the smaller brushes.  The flowers are so small and the detail is kind of crazy.  It's coming alive though....

You may be wondering what the little blurb is in the bottom right hand corner.  Well, let's just say that was the result of me painting on site at the Lemont Art & Music Fest.  It was a terrible cold and windy day.  Not much painting was done because I was on wind patrol most of the time, and painting in gloves is not ideal.
Thank you to all of you that came out to warm my spirits.  That was the best part of my day!

It's a Doosie!

Now that I've finished Christine and Mike's painting, it's onto the next one, and like my title states: "This one is a doosie!"  A generous group of friends has purchased a Reenie Rose painting for a lovely couple, Katie and Patrick, whose bouquet turned out to be a whimsy of wonderful things....it even has a butterfly!

 I've sketched in this piece though it looks to be a chaotic group of lines that I will have to play detective to.

 Visit me this Saturday at the Lemont Art & Music Fest to watch me paint in person outside in the chilly fall air.  I'll need some warm support to assist me in this piece!