It's hard to believe that I could be away so long from blogging. I've been visiting and thinking about painting, but have been consumed by errands and a quest for getting a cooler set up for the homestead. But...
Whoo-hoo! It's spring and a trip to Trader Joe's inspired me to buy some beautiful yellow flowers...daffodils, the label said, on the hottest day so far in Tucson this year. In 1989, the temperature here was 104 degrees (40 degrees celsius). Why do I mention this? My boy was only a month old that year and it got over 115 degrees during that summer! You can imagine how challenging having a newborn with that kind of heat can be! I like to tease him that it was his fault. So, today's 97 degrees was pretty balmy. This happens nearly every year--a few really hot days, followed by normal, warm days, ramping up to June's furnace-like temperatures that build up to the monsoon.
Painting the daffodils (Jonquilles du Canada 8" x 8," oil on canvas) that came with the lovely tag, "Product of Canada", made things nice and cool. Of course, turning on the air conditioning in the studio was much better than having only a fan on in the house!
I thought of all of you today and must ask, how are you all doing? Are you ready for summer?
This painting: $200 (Sold)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Spring, Flowers, Product of Canada!
It's hard to believe that I could be away so long from blogging. I've been visiting and thinking about painting, but have been consumed by errands and a quest for getting a cooler set up for the homestead. But...
Whoo-hoo! It's spring and a trip to Trader Joe's inspired me to buy some beautiful yellow flowers...daffodils, the label said, on the hottest day so far in Tucson this year. In 1989, the temperature here was 104 degrees (40 degrees celsius). Why do I mention this? My boy was only a month old that year and it got over 115 degrees during that summer! You can imagine how challenging having a newborn with that kind of heat can be! I like to tease him that it was his fault. So, today's 97 degrees was pretty balmy. This happens nearly every year--a few really hot days, followed by normal, warm days, ramping up to June's furnace-like temperatures that build up to the monsoon.
Painting the daffodils (Jonquilles du Canada 8" x 8," oil on canvas) that came with the lovely tag, "Product of Canada", made things nice and cool. Of course, turning on the air conditioning in the studio was much better than having only a fan on in the house!
I thought of all of you today and must ask, how are you all doing? Are you ready for summer?
This painting: $200 (Sold)
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21 comments:
Hi Melinda,
This feels pretty miraculous, because we're racing against the spring clock in the garden. And...one sign that we don't have much time is the daffodils just about to open in our tiny front garden.
Your painting is lovely. I'm always happy when you write an entry. Woo sure is hot there. Not here. It was a very hot July when my oldest was born. Not that hot, but plenty hot in a house without air conditioning. Does that affect a child forever? Are those of us born in cold temps happier when the mercury drops? Maybe. I'm not too good with heat, and my summer born boy loves it.
xoxoxoxBarbara
It's good to hear from you! I have to tell you that I've been to Trader Joe's a couple of times in the past couple of weeks, too. My flowers are coming up in the rotation soon.
I especially like your edges on the flowers in this one.
And, YES, Chicago is ready for Spring. Of course now that it's in the 40's and 50's many of us have already put on the flip-flops.
:)
Hi Barbara,
I've been visiting blogs tonight and just have to say that we artists so often think alike and seem to feel similarly! I thought of you and all of your gorgeous flowers and paintings of flowers when I bought the daffodils.
A few hours after painting these flowers, I went back into the studio so I could return them to the living room. Mirabile dictu! They had opened and are just like the ones I see in pictures!!
Thank you for your kind comment. We're big babies here when it comes to heat. We're so addicted to coolers and air conditioners that we have trouble taking high temps. I think anything over 80 degrees is tough. Although, without humidity 100 degrees feels like 80 degrees.
Hmmm, interesting about the kids. I don't really know. My boy is not liking heat and is very happy in the snowy climate of his current residence. I'm hoping it's just a stage....
Best wishes with your daffodils!
Hi Karen,
You know, I've seen these daffodils so often at TJs, but have so little knowledge of them that I had no idea they would bloom within hours after cutting and putting them in water!
Yay for Spring! After the kind of winter you've had in the Chicago area, 40s and 50s do sound like flip flop weather. And, no more long pants and sweaters for awhile, right?
I was just having fun with these today and decided to outline the buds with a bit of red. Glad you like it.
Looking forward to your flower series, too.
The yellows and oranges in the daffodils are so pretty; teh blues and greens set them off beautifully--a really lovely painting!
Fantastic daffodil painting! Reminds me of Van Gogh's palette. Funny, I was just at Trader Joe's yesterday and spotted the little bunches of daffodils by the entrance. I pick up an arm full every year.
So happy it's Spring!!!
Melinda, Hi! Your work is always color filled, spring like and beautiful. The daffodil painting has a wonderful oval motif... in the flowers, the water and the glass....I wonder what would happen if the line separating the background green and pink were eliminated/diffused. I get the feeling it would highlight beauty of the flowers. What do you think?
PS thanks for your support during this time:-)
Love your 'dils. Melinda, I'm just in awe of the fine work you've been posting. I know it's just one string of beautiful work among many that you've had... but I really like this. Thank you for making my world a little more meaningful.
I'm chuckling over this lovely painting. It's hard for me to believe that these daffies could have come from Canada... I know we produce them but it was snowing at home today (I live in Calgary). However,I spent the past 5 days in scottsdale area so I've enjoyed this heat wave. Lovely painting... looking forward to seeing more.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment. I love your profile photo!
Hi Silvina,
So you know how fast these guys blossom after putting them in water! They were on sale and I couldn't resist. Glad you have them too.
I was really wanting to punch up the color and make the yellows intense, but I'm fairly pleased with this first attempt. Thank you so much for the reference to Van Gogh! Wow. I'm honored (as I pull on my ear, shyly).
Thank you, Edgar. I'll keep the art fires burning and hope you can find some time to post again soon.
Hi Loriann,
That's a really good point. I didn't even see the repeating ovals. It was an unconscious thing. Yes, I think if I diffused the line between the green background and pink, the vase and flowers would pop forward.
Take good care of yourself and take your time. Art is such good therapy--a way of working through things, healing and finding joy again. And, having such kind hearted, fellow artists online is also good.
Hi Cheryl,
Thank you for visiting. Goodness. You've got a neat perspective. You live in Canada and were just in Arizona! Such a huge difference when you still have snowy days in your region.
You'll understand, then, when I write that these daffodils are strange and exotic manifestations.
I love this painting, Melinda,it's full of joy and spontaneity! Your fearlessness is showing! (And, yes, I'm so ready for summer, "season of freedom and spontaneity"!)
Thank you, Linny. It really does feel liberating to have summer on the way.
Wishing you many days of happy spontaneity and full-of-life painting!
This is a really wonderful piece Melinda and your unique pallette and bold brush work are just right here! I too love how you isolated the Daff's with the red! Love to see this one in a much larger formatt...
On the Saanich Peninsula not far from Victoria there are farms with fields of daff's growing...who knew they would make it so far away...Hmmmm I can see the headlines now, artist found stowed away in Tucson daffodil shipment... =;-))
Jeffrey
Ready for summer but somehow never truly ready for the shock of the relentless temps of July...
Awesome painting.
Hi Jeffrey!
Ha! That's such a great image--"Artist found in daffodil shipment." Just make sure this happens in the cooler months.
Thank you for your kind remarks. I really need to study these flowers a bit more. I wish I could paint them at about four feet by four feet!
Hi Jala,
I'm with you. While some look forward to the warmth of summer, many of us wax nostalgic for winter!
Glad you like the painting. Time to go buy some more exotic flowers.
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