Say it with Flowers

This afternoon the sun has been shining into my little studio space with such consistency and strength that I can almost believe there will be flowers sprouting up out of the ground in no time flat. But while I'm waiting, at least I can have some fun with flowers of the drawn and painted variety. A few years ago I worked out something of a botanical alphabet and while there's a bit of awkwardness involved with contorting plants to shape letters, I just can't help doing it anyway. The photographs you see below are of a thank you note I made today.

And now a little story about why I made a thank you card: I was recently sent a very lovely rejection letter from a local craftworks store. The kind letter writer informed me that their store hasn't had any luck with selling art gallery type work but I was given many good suggestion for other venues and organizations to approach. I guess I wasn't too surprised by the answer, I did apply to sell paintings at a craftstore after-all, but I thought I'd give it a try and now I've been happily reminded that not only does trying not hurt, it helps. You never know what you'll get out of doing something unless you give it a whirl (with the exception of things you just know you really shouldn't try--like slathering mustard all over a piece of pineapple). So my fun with flowers is a thank you note for the kind letter writer who gave me compliments and encouragement while saying no.

                                                                                                           

 

A furry friend of a friend

                                       

I thought the next image I'd share would be of the portrait I finished this past week, but I haven't had a chance to give the portrait to its intended recipients, so its electronic debut will have to wait.  This afternoon has been unusually quiet, and I really felt like doing some sketching to pass the time.

The little canine seen above is Cady, a friend's pet. Ever since my friend sent me some photographs of her dog, I've been thinking about doing a picture. When I have a painting in mind, I usually start with doing a few sketches in pen to see which image I'd like to turn into a more polished piece. I'm not sure which of Cady's poses I'll go with -- time to keep on drawing!