In our Fairfax house, the sunniest spot is the side yard – we had to walk around the house to reach it.
One day just before Easter 2014, I found a single rose in full bloom and one lilac cluster—the first ever from a bush that had never flowered. All other roses were still in tight buds, weeks from blooming. These two, so early and alone, just had to be painted.
I placed them in a simple vase on the upstairs deck railing and took several photos. I started the painting in June to demonstrate for a “Finding the Color in Whites” workshop in July, layering cobalt blue, cobalt teal, yellow, and a touch of pink to bring color—and life—to the shadows.
Then, it sat unfinished until spring 2015. Painting the glass was fun, reminding myself, “paint what you see.” But the lilacs—ho, Nellie! The detail was overwhelming. Hours of work covered only a few inches as I carefully built the violet hues.
The rose, a Peace rose, gave me a working title. But when finished, it didn’t feel right. I had long wanted to use the title Still—a word with layers of meaning: calm, quiet, yet enduring.
Looking at this piece, when I see past the parts that still bother me, I am reminded: be still and still be.
April 2015 – 30″x22″ – Watercolor on paper
More from the Floral Still Life Gallery
Broadway
This painting started in a tiny moment. It was early May. I had picked some roses from the garden and put them in three small vases on the dining room table. Sometime in the next few days, late in the afternoon, I breezed by while heading back to my studio. The...
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