orange you happy?

Zinnia with Gomphrena | 6" x 6" oil on panel | Flanegan | nfs

I was asked to look after a friend's home and cat while they were on vacation recently. What a joy it is to explore another's garden, especially those of my creative friends. Zinnias have always been one of my favorite flowers. They're a festive little firecracker of a bloom.

Zinnia's make you smile and so do good friends.

: ) 

Umlauf's Pond

Umlauf's Pond | 11" x 7" oil on panel | Flanegan | sold

I began painting this outdoors and finished it in the studio yesterday, a year and a half later.  A friend's comment had given me pause, rightfully so. It's good and necessary to periodically discern what we're trying to say with our work.

Some say water lilies have already been done. This may be true, but I learn so much while painting them. And I'm not competing with the Masters anyway - what if we all gave up painting subjects that have already been painted? What a loss that would be.

Hopefully we learn from the Masters, but make each composition our own. I love that the sound of rippling water from the fish surfacing for food still lingers with this painting. 

Here's her twin {I chose to split the panel} posted in January of last year.  In my painting above I used a reference photo with the sun behind the clouds as you can see with the tighter range of values as compared to the sunny skies with the linked painting.

Happy to see that I've loosened up a bit, with a little help from my friends.

: )

happy independence!

dog gone these pie tins that flex! Incidents and all - Jeannie's apple pie will still be delicious! I hope you, too, will be gathering with family and friends this holiday weekend.

enjoy!