Sunny Summery Day

Hi Everyone, It's a lovely hot day in Florida. The back "40", as we call it, is really green. It is actually about 3 acres out back and I have often thought of fencing it off and putting a few goats or sheep out there instead of having to mow all summer!

I have finally got a beautiful living hydrangea plant and it's blooming! I planted it last year and just look how great it is doing. I simply LOVE hydrangea blooms. I have another plant that isn't doing so well, but some day I hope to have lots of plants, so I'll have many blooms to dry for all year use in the house.

Painting at Heathcote Gardens

Hi Everyone, I haven't posted in a while, as my husband had knee replacement surgery and I have been busy helping him with recovery. He is coming along nicely, now, so I will have a bit more time.

I took my watercolor painting class to beautiful Heathcote Garden in Ft. Pierce, Florida in April. It was a gorgeous day and the flowers there were beginning to put on a show, plus the garden is full of lovely tropical plants that always catch the eye.

I love the way the trees are back-lite in the above photo. Beautiful shadows on the palm leaves. As I looked for just the right thing to paint myself, while my students painted, I noticed these palm fronds.

I also liked this scene with the beautiful Wisteria and pond. One of the students is standing on the little bridge admiring it, too.

But I kept coming back to this scene and finally ended up with the plein aire painting below.

I was not very pleased with my effort, but hope to do a slower more thoughtful painting of the scene later.It is more "decorative" than I would have liked and the shadows didn't quite make it on the palm fronds. Oh, well, another day, another painting to come!