Archive
Two red camellias – a painting a day
sold 6″ x6″, 15cmx15cm, watercolour on heavy weight rag paper
This is the last of my mother’s camellias; they do not last very long in water.
Today was when I added more things to the new bed, I put in some aconitums which will be tall and purplish blue, I think I will move the delphiniums that are not happy over and I put in an ordinary day lily, it’s an orangey colour. I dug up the white Hedychium a ginger lily, which smell of fresh edible ginger, at least I knew I had dug up the right thing. The red one which came from Wilkinson’s (home of very cheap garden stuff) also had a growing point so may well have survived the winter. I don’t quite understand how it happens but I have tigridias that have survived three years in the soil outdoors, yet I know we have had temperatures down to minus 15 degrees centigrade. May be shelter from wind is key and dryish winters.
The whole bed will be a bit of a Great Dixter homage as it will have the banana plant or rather the Ensete, a foliage banana, which has to come inside over winter. The plasterers got so fond of it they asked where it was when they came back a second time. I will list all the contents of this bed another day and then take a picture later in the year when it starts to riot with annual climbers and all the big foliage things.
I should also go and get some more canna lilies.
Managed to get sun burn on my back today, although I was not out all day.
Alison
#25 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
The espalier apple tree, Old Farmhouse, Sussex – a painting a day
9″x11″ 22cm x 27cm watercolour on heavyweight rag paper
Today we all went out in the sunshine to visit a new garden in the National Garden Scheme, it was a good move, the garden itself is mostly new so has plenty of room to grow, in the oak timbered barn members of the family and friends played short concerts, there were very good cakes with tea or squash. All in all it was a really different day, the music was delightful, the garden interesting and the whole thing so friendly.
Caspian who has made the garden what it is, and is expanding it, kindly gave me permission to do a drawing there. I got a little bit over ambitious for the time I had ….i.e. the length of my sons’ patience + the time taken to eat cake and then a biscuit. However they found a dog and a cat having a stand-off on the new terrace so that helped give me the time to get this far.
If you want a taste of the garden look at www.musicmindspirit.org
I will post this tonight but I reserve the right to go back to it and rework it, this is my normal working practice but there has not been the time to do it today. I will repost it reworked if that works out.
Update: I’ve reposted a reworked version now, adding more detail to the tree
Alison
#17 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
Double Hellebore – a painting a day
4.5″x6″ 11cm x 15cm watercolour on heavyweight rag paper
This picture is quite botanical; the double hellebore flowers are absolutely exquisite.
Today I made the soup with the remains of the goose and the some ham plus stock, also in it were four leeks , a potato, a carrot, pasta, herbs and a reduction of white wine and sherry… really good.
In the garden it was hot and sunny the most beautiful day of the year so far, so what did we do? Yes we, I banned all forms of entertainment involving electricity until dusk and set to on two projects with the boys, yeh, they did grumble- almost nonstop. However we did spring clean the small shed and I found cooking apples still good from the Newton Wonder tree and shallots still good. I also found one of my favourite paint brushes and any number of spider webs. We also cut back the hedge and cleared it up. It makes a huge difference doing stuff in a gang. No2 son also got out the new tent and put it up, its really very good for £25.00 it’s got an inner tent and ventilation.
The postman stopped for a chat and thought I was being uncommonly mean as we cut the hedge…he did not think they looked happy…am I supposed to make them happy I could have asked.
Alison
#15 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
A deep red rose – a painting a day
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lemonaday 4.5″x6″ 11cm x 15cm watercolour on heavyweight rag paper
Ho hum I could stuff my face with chocolate or do my painting for the day; finish the Killer Sudoku or do a painting for the day; have a cup of tea or do my painting for the day; plant out the species clematis that are eking out a living in pots and reproaching me daily with their slender new growth or do my painting for today; go and encourage concreting maestro on final stretch of the shed base or do my painting for the day…. What about make a cup of tea and eat a small piece of chocolate…all the second batch of hot cross buns have gone …and THINK about the subject of the painting for the day….
Tonight’s meal is sorted, cold meat left from yesterday….I was persuaded to a small goose going cheap by the gamekeepers wife as an alternative to turkey for Easter, only once I got it defrosted did I realise it was a wild goose, it had been obviously been shot. It took a long time to cook but was very tasty and had a lot less fat than a farm goose.
First rhubarb of the year came from my brother in-law in Essex, he is not a fan of the stuff but will grow it; he is near the sea so it’s spring there a little sooner. I think I might paint the rhubarb.
Tried the rhubarb did not work so here is a rose for today, sometimes it is easy to paint the familiar, the rhubarb was rumpled and difficult to define.
Alison
#12 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
A leaf which fell from the camellia – a painting a day
6″x5.8″ 15cm x 14.5cm watercolour on heavyweight rag paper
I have a fascination with the leaves which are on their way out or attacked by grubs; they protest in colour. Plants release pigment into their leaves as a reaction to stress or as a precursor to dying. I love the patterns made and the junction between functioning leaf and the part already gone.
I also tried to do some daffodils but they were rubbish, perhaps the composition was a step too far for this small fast painting a day business.
Alison
#11 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
Hellebore -a painting a day
FOR SALE ON:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/45822346/hellebore-775inx6in-19cmx15cm
7.75″x6″ 19cm x 15cm watercolour on heavyweight rag paper
This is the middle plant of three hellebores which came as a free offer with a plant order, it is a lovely pink with a hint of peach. Actually I nearly did not get them, the company tried to fob me off with a substitute ….begonias corms…..excuse me but where do begonias come equal to hybrid hellebores? I complained and they said that if I reminded them the following year I would get my hellebores….I don’t know quite how but I did remember and have a glorious row of three which have now self sown for the first time. One is tall and white, one is green and double and this one is as you see. It flops in water a bit. Another theme to try again. There is also the big job of teasing the seedlings out of the ground and potting them up so that they all get a chance.
Alison
#8 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
Red camellia – a painting a day
6″x6″ 15cm x 15cm watercolour on heavyweight rag paper
I cut the camellia flowers at my mum’s house, things are further out there, here we are on the edge of a frost pocket. It’s drawn life size; these really are big and in your face red. She sat and did the cross word while I painted and told me that I was going to regret launching a painting a day as it would be too demanding. I got out a tube of red to help me get closer to the red here, the reds in the pans fall one either side of this red.
Geography course work came back finally, son who has no ability with tact said “Why did it take so long to mark?” He was told that there was a reason and that the reason would be given to his mother….she is waiting.
Alison
#7 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
String of acorns – a painting a day
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lemonaday 4.75″x6″ 12cm x 15 cm watercolour on rag paper, for sale on Etsy’ lemonaday’ shop
So after the lemons I went back to the garden for a little string of acorns that made me think of winter, it’s still quite wintery at times although the daffodils are actually out. The’ February Gold’ opened three weeks into March which has happened before but recently it had been living up to its name and opening in February. There were no free daffodils from the roundabout this year for the cheeky kids who pick them on Mothers Day, none open; still at least their Mums get flowers most years , I get a cup of tea in bed followed if I’m lucky by breakfast in bed . The best part about it is listening to the arguments and flaps downstairs I have to brace myself not to go down and sort it all out sometimes.
Alison
#2 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
Lemon a day 
