The hosta is my crowning achievement in this painting so far, I think. I’m ecstatic at how it turned out. I can see me doing more of them in the future. I’ve also put in a few of the lily plants with buds, just haven’t gotten very far on flowers for them. Throughout the rest of the garden are some either beginning greens for plants or just plain sketches for them.

Overall, I’m very happy with my progress, and am looking forward to starting on the dogs. I think they’ll look really good against this background.

Right now I’m debating on whether I take this with us to NY for our vacation. I hate to take it and not work on it at all, just seems like transporting it for no reason, but at the same time I hate to not take it. My mother’s back porch is really just the perfect place to do some painting and with this painting actually being for her of her garden, I think it would be awesome to work on it there where I can go see the garden in person.

For now, though, enjoy the painting.

Finished hosta and more plants started.

Hosta detail

I’ve gotten both the base of the tree into the garden as well as a few of the plants. There are still more to go, but I’m quite enjoying this step! The hosta wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be but, of course, I’m not quite done with it yet so there’s still time for it to annoy me. The mulch in the garden is still dark, but I want to get all the plants in before working on it as it’ll be easier than trying to actually shade under a done plant.

I’m not at all sure what half of the plants I’ll be painting are, which will make things a little difficult. heh But I’ve got pictures of flowers in my Mom and step Dad’s garden for a few years, so I’m trying to make a ‘through the years’ painting that way.

Nicely, with the hosta as far along as it actually is I might be able to get the rest of the plants and flowers in fairly quickly. None of the ones I’ve chosen are nearly as hard as the hosta.

So, enjoy these two pictures. One is an over all shot, and the other is a close up on the hosta and the flower next to it. Hard to keep the glare off it today, it’s a very sunny day out here.

Tree, hosta and flowers into the garden.

A little close up detail picture.

Got some good work done on the fence today and I think it’s mostly done. Next is to start the tree and the garden right behind the dogs, as well as some plants directly along the fence to give a little extra depth.  Just have a little bit of adjustments to do to the fence first, but since I’m losing light I figured I’d take a picture of it now.

A little bit of fence work.

This is a painting for a wonderful woman way over due. There have been many problems with this painting, not the least of which is it sort of scared me. When you’re not at all sure what direction to go in a painting and you know it has to be ‘just right’… it’s a little hard to start.

Tonight, though, I had an inspiration. As I scrolled from picture to picture, sipping my fake daiquiri, it hit me, and I started to sketch. And it just landed on the surface just how it should be. Granted it’s not much to look at for most people at this point but, in my head, it’s now a painting. Now I just have to get the paint into the right shapes. And, really… it’s landscape and dogs. I’ve got this. I’m good at this. I won’t say it’s easy (nothing ever worthwhile is), but it is something I’m comfortable and confident in. And now I’m finally looking forward to it.

Enjoy the bare sketch and know that as you read this, I’m already putting more paint to surface and creating another work from my soul.

The beginning of another painting.