6/29/08

GAYLE'S GARDEN

For many years, I had the pleasure of filling my mother-in-law's small backyard with flowers. However, that eventually gave way to my painting - allowing less time (and interest) for landscaping.

I think that it's easier to paint a flower than to dig a hole in our hard packed, clay soil, plant the flower, and then have to fight off the rabbits and deer and slugs and bugs during our hot, humid summers.

This year, my mother-in-law moved from her home of 50 years, but she's still enjoying this painting that I did several years ago for her. She misses her garden, though.

These iris are painted on a full sheet of Fabriano Artistico, a paper that allows the paint to be lifted and blended more easily after it's dry. Fabriano is slightly softer than Arches, and works well for portraits, too.

Mother-in-law's are a lot like flowers - some more beautiful and special than others - which perfectly describes mine. When our older son was about 3, he wanted to help me plant some bulbs for his grandma. Each variety was packaged in its own bag, so he 'helped' by dumping them all out . . . in one big pile . . . over 300 assorted bulbs! I was mortified, thinking that now there was no way I could follow my carefully planned, color coordinated landscape design." My mother-in-law laughed and said it would be beautiful. The next spring, it was.

"MUMSY'S GARDEN" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Fabriano Artistico, COLLECTED

6 comments:

RH Carpenter said...

Sounds like she's one smart woman to know what's important and what's not :) Lovely, romantic, feminine painting!

Watercolors by Susan Roper said...

You got that right, Rhonda...sometimes goofs made by grandchildren are the kinds that hat make for a lifetime of memories. Our memories are made up of these little goofs and the reactions to them. I will always remember a time being snowed in with my children and their grandmother, who from the desert was unused to snow and "cabin fever"...she said "my, they certainly are busy, huh?" Life is good.

Susan

Dawn said...

a lovely painting and a great story! thanks Sandy.

Ann Buckner said...

You paint beautifully with words too, Sandy. Love the painting and the memory you shared.

Nava said...

You have a way to do flowers that takes them beyond obvious.
This is one of those paintings. Beautifully and sensitively done!

sandy said...

I love this story, dumping all the bulbs out and getting them mixed. What a surprise you had after everything bloomed, I imagine.

beautiful painting.