Like the rose between two thorns; today is a riot of blossom and blue skies between days of grey rain. Hooray for the sun, what a difference it makes! Seven hardy souls painted in the Triton Museum grounds today, even though it was a bit chilly for sitting around. (I wished I hadn't left my fingerless gloves behind.)
The Magnolias and Camellias were in full bloom amongst the redwoods and the wind blew the petals down on us as we painted. It was just beautiful. I started out with a quick sketch (below) using oil pastels I just got for my birthday. I haven't used them in a long time - so not very expert, but I have a lovely lot of colors to play with. After enjoying the oily pinks I decided to paint a closeup of some of the darker Magnolia blooms that were just beginning to open. I drew quickly in pen, then splashed on lots of water and had fun making the wet in wet background. Flowers aren't something I usually paint, but I'm pretty pleased with how these came out.
