Purple Baby

Purple baby 2, watercolor study

Purple baby 1, watercolor study

Blue and yellow

Irises and muscari, watercolor 30 x 22 cm

No, no spring flowers here yet, still dealing with nearly winter weather. So, painting from last spring's garden photos is a good way to deal with the discontent.
I am proud of combining these two flowers in my garden, both blooming at the same time and going so well together.

Let there be flowers

 Честит Имен Ден, мили дами с имена на цветя!

Happy Easter!

Tulips, watercolor 25 x 22 cm

Winter sunflowers

Winter Sunflowers hanging in my yard

This is an acrylic painting I did back in the summer to help me go through the long an cold winter. Well, this year the winter has been neither so cold, nor I hope, so long. But it is still nice to look out the window and see flowers in the yard :)

Blue Campanula

Campanula pot, watrecolor 40 x 30 cm

I have never been a "long-stem-roses" kind of girl. A small bunch of violets or bellflower  are enough to make me happy. (someone please tell my husband...)
When I started painting this one, I found myself getting lost among the little bells, feeling tempted to see and depict each one of them. Then I thought how I could simplify the mass of little flowers and tried painting it a second time. I took photos at each stage, so here is the step-by-step:

Photo of my Campanula model

1. After a rough drawing, painted the background,
leaving hard edges on the side from where the light comes

2. After drying completely with a blow-dryer, painted
the cast shadows. Carried these also into the shaded part
of the objects and softened the edges there

3. Painted the flowers as a purple cloud of varying colors,
focusing on values - lighter  on the left and much darker
on the right and bottom. Tried to hint the shapes of
individual flowers at the edges. Also painted the pot.

Campanula pot 2, watercolor 30 x 22 cm

4. The last stage was details - green stems and leaves,
the ribbon, some details of the pot wrapping

And then I had to try it in Acrylic:

Blue Campanula, acrylic on canvas board, 23 x 18 cm (7" x 9 ") (n/a)

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea, watercolor 40 x 30 cm

It took me many attempts to find a way to paint this beautiful plant in a not too concrete style. It is not an easy one to simplify.
Bougainvillea makes me think of the white-washed Mediterranean villages. It spells warmth, serenity and beauty all in one. So, I could not resist the temptation to buy a small potted plant this spring, knowing all too well that it cannot survive the Canadian winter. Will it tolerate the air in the house? Remains to be seen...

bougainvillea studies

Bougainvillea 2, watercolor 40 x 30 cm

Sketches from my vacation

Windmills in Bodrum, watercolor 24 x 17 cm

Here are a few small watercolours and sketches I made while I was spending time with family in Bulgaria. A few of them are from a week-long vacation in Turkey. It was a nice break. Unfortunately, too short, as all vacations...

In the bay of Bodrum, watercolor 24 x 17 cm

The bay of Bodrum, watercolor sketch

The Bodrum castle, watercolor 24 x 17 cm

Wild flowers, watercolor 23 x 30 cm

Bulgarian mountain view, watercolor 30 x 23 cm

Sunset, watercolor 27 x 17 cm

Vitosha, watercolor sketch

Free and happy

Orchids, watercolor 28 x 38 cm

Orchids, watercolor 28 x 33 cm

I painted these directly with brushes, with no pencil drawing. Being unrestricted is such a nice feeling ...

Roses and Tulips

Roses and tulips, watercolor 28 x 33 cm

Teacup and flowers, watercolor 28 x 38 cm

Teacup and flowers, charcoal sketch

A small bouquet of roses

A small bouquet of roses 2, watercolor, 30 x 22 cm

A small bouquet of roses 2, watercolor, 30 x 22 cm

Gladiolus

Gladiolus, watercolor 36 x 54 cm

The Gladiolus flower is a symbol of moral integrity and power. Does moral integrity bring power!? I want to believe that, although sometimes it doesn't seem this way...

From the garden

Yellow daffodils, watercolor, 30 x 22 cm

Purple iris, watercolor sketch

Primulas, watercolor, 30 x 22 cm

More poppies

Poppies 3, watercolor, 22 x 43 cm

Poppies 4, watercolor, 12 x 43 cm

A couple of more attempts, but instead of the transparent colors from the previous post, I used cadmium red and yellow here. I like the spontanaety of the previous two much better

Poppies in the wind

Poppies in the wind 1, watercolor, 28 x 33

Poppies in the wind 2, watercolor, 28 x 33

I have been quite busy lately, and after a break it is sometimes hard to get back to painting. I decided to try to do poppies with the simplest possible brushstrokes. I like the result. Maybe I'll explore this some more...

Daffodils

Daffodils, watercolor 28 x 38 cm

There was a pot of small daffodils on my table, waiting to be painted. I've always found it hard to paint yellow flowers. I had to exaggerate the orange of the little "trumpets" to give the flowers some dimension. I cannot wait for all the spring bulbs to start blooming in the yard...

Berries and buildings

Berries, watercolor 24 x 21 cm

Berries, watercolor 24 x 21 cm

I picked these berries during a walk the other day and while the streets scenes below were not "cooperating", I painted the berries just for pleasure.

Back in January I found out that Alavaro Castagnet would be giving a workshop in the fall close to Toronto. This must be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I signed up immediately. I admire Catagnet's style. Back when I started painting, his works showed me that watercolors can be as vibrant and colorful as any other medium, and even more beautiful. I have been excited for months. But as the workshop approaches, I get more and more anxious. Am I going to be up to the tasks? Am I taking up the spot of someone better who would have benefited much more from the experience? Well, there's no going back now. It is next week and I have to try to make the most of it!  

Maybe after that I will be able to paint the cars in these boulevard scenes in a less childish way...

The boulevard, watercolor 38 x 28 cm

Hotel Bulgaria, watercolor 38 x 28 cm

Dahlias

Dahlias, watercolor 15 x 25 cm

White Dahlia, watercolor sketch, 15 x 15 cm

Two Dahlias, watercolor 38 x 28 cm

Dahlias in a glass, watercolor 38 x 28 cm

I have been trying to find inspiration in these flowers, still blooming in my yard. They proved challenging to simplify. Maybe I get distracted by their little yellow faces, smiling at me...

Purple

Clematis, watercolor, 38 x 28 cm

Siberian Iris, watercolor, 28 x 38 cm

The flowers keep blooming and I can't stop admiring them. This time I had purple in my palette...