Spring Flowers

White Tulips

I finished this painting last spring, but have taken my time in posting it. While I was working on it I wasn't feeling very well and had been back and forth with different Doctors, going through a lot of testing trying to figure out what was wrong. They had put a stint in the day after Christmas, but I was still slowing down. Not enough energy or stamina to walk from room to room or sit and paint for very long. This painting was finally finished in mid March, I was scheduled to go in for another test where they shoot dye through the arteries to see if there are any blockages. The put me out for the test and the next thing I knew I was in an ambulance being taken to another hospital for emergency surgery. An amazing Doctor did a triple by pass and I am still here today to tell the story. After a week in the hospital I had to spend a month in a rehab facility, not a bad place but not home. I missed Albert and Elvis terribly, they are after all my family! Time passes slowly when you are recouperating, the mind is willing but the body is unable to comply. This painting was one of the things I asked to be brought to me for my room. It hung on my wall in the facility for most of the month, I painted and repainted it in my mind, changed colors and composition. It was my focus point for the bad times and encouragement for the good days. It made me look forward to the day that I could start to paint again. I am feeling great, I am home with Albert and Elvis, the sun in shining and all is well!

A little more information about this painting. My friend Rick found the milking stool and porcelain watering can at an estate sale. Both probably date back to the 1930's. Someone at some point had painted the watering can a matt white but the rust was coming through in places giving it a wonderful color and the places where they had painted over the chipped porcelain gave it even more texture. Same thing was done to the stool, only they used an off white color. Absolutely wonderful shapes and texture on both items, but what to put with them to make a great composition. I really didn't want a lot of color to take away from the shapes. I found a pot of white tulips, not open, just the buds peeping out from the green foliage. Perfect!! I wanted just a touch more green so added a primrose in the back. This was a really limited palette, I used titanium white, sap green, dioxazine purple, and some cad yellow light. I was delighted with the very rich browns I was getting from the sap green and purple, something I had not tried before. I used the green in pure form in three areas to compliment the composition. Even though it took me longer than usual to paint this picture I am very happy with the results.