Flowers for weeks 7, 8 and 9

I'm fortunate enough to live in a sub-tropical climate for half of every year.  The tip of Texas is about the same latitude as the Florida Keys, shares the Gulf of Mexico and has some amazing winter weather, especially for this Canadian Gal. 

The flowers are endless and I have no shortage of subjects.  What I am short of is time to paint them. I'm falling behind on my promise to myself of one flower painting a week. 

I actually have 3 paintings to share today, weeks 7, 8 and 9. 

We took a week at the end of February to explore the north east side of Texas and the west side of Louisiana, an area that is known as the Piney Woods. 

Magnolias blooming at the Melrose Plantation on the Cane River in Louisiana

While there, the Magnolia trees were blooming and I just couldn't resist bringing a small one back to our place to plant in my yard. 

I picked one covered in buds and it seems it loves it's new home as all of those buds opened and more are coming. 

Ana Magnolia blooms just opening.

My little Lemon tree is blooming and smells like heaven. 

My lemon in bloom.

Lemon Flowers

The last flower painting is from the huge Olive tree that lives on the corner across the street.  I have been told that the tree is over 100 years old.

The ancient Olive tree that I see out my front window.  This is as close as I get to snow on the ground.

Olive flowers

Lessons learned

I like to keep a list of artists who's work I admire, I call these artists my Art Ancestors.  Some of them like Monet and Emily Carr, did their work a long time ago and some I have found through Facebook or their blogs so are current.

One of those current artists who I admire is Jodi Ohl.     http://sweetrepeats.blogspot.com/

Check out her work for yourself if you like. 

I wanted to learn some of Jodi's techniques for her mixed media paintings and the best way to do that was to take one of her classes.   I down loaded her lesson from the internet and got to work. 

I purchased a video lesson called "Tandem Techniques: 15 Mixed Media Techniques for Canvas and Art Journals" from www.interweavestore.com.  You can follow the link at the bottom of this blog if you want to check out the class yourself. 

I watched the video, took notes and then went out into my studio and started painting. 

Jodi taught her 15 techniques while painting feathers so that is what I painted.  When I was done I had finished five paintings. 

I took her techniques and added some of my own.  I used my own paint colours but picked those closest to Jodi's.  It is important to put your own personal style on your paintings.

This is the first one I did after the class. 

These others, and I apologize for the poor photos, were all done since the class. 

Here are a few close ups.

What a Good Artist understands

is that nothing comes from nowhere. 

All creative work builds on what comes before. 

Nothing is completely original. 

>Austin Kleon<

  Author of the book " Steal like an Artist".

http://www.interweavestore.com/tandem-techniques-15-mixed-media-techniques-for-canvas-and-art-journals-dvd