Archive
Lavender and cotton lavender – a painting a day
size 8 in x 6 in 21cm x 15cm watercolour on heavy weight rag paper
Yesterday there was no painting; I went to George’s funeral. It was a lovely funeral and so many different people came, family from Australia and South Africa, artists from all over, old colleagues, old pupils, friends and neighbours. It was a good thing the neighbours were there as we ended up singing jazz, Irish songs, Greek dirges and anything we remembered from a long time ago. He would have loved the wake had he been alive and well. Lovely stories were told and there was an abundance of food, fifty people could not demolish it. Yes it’s sad to die, but not so sad when there has been so much quietly achieved in a life and life itself has become hard to live enjoyably.
Today there is a little sketch of the plants from the corner of the garden that I drew just over a week ago on a very hot Sunday. The bright lavender and the bright cotton lavender flowers contrast with the grey stems they share. They grow with a pale lavender under planted with golden marjoram.
#93 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
Blush pears and poppy petals – a painting a day
If you are interested in buying this painting use the link below:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/85812407/blush-pears-with-poppy-petals
size 6 in x 9 in 15cm x 23cm watercolour on heavy weight rag paper
It was eerie and strange today, the whole family disappeared from midday to nine this evening, leaving me to get on with food for Georges funeral and my painting. To emphasis this the sky clouded over and the wind got up making it feel as though there just might be some rain coming …there wasn’t of course.
I half wondered about getting some pickled walnuts to take as my grandmother also came from Portsmouth and she was insistent that you had to have them at a funeral. On the other hand stuffed vine leaves and filo rolls stuffed with feta and olives, courgette tomato and basil will probably suit the modern funeral better.
The lavenders are out in the garden next to the cotton lavenders ,I like the contrast but want to get a plant of the lemon yellow cotton lavender so that I have vibrant and pale in each.
The Colocasia in the bed with the Banana is coming up from the side tubers that I tore off and from last year’s tuber which was hollow and semi-rotten.
Watering is becoming a complete pain in the bottom
#92 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
A Blush Pear – a painting a day
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lemonaday. size 6 in x 4.5 in 15cm x 12cm watercolour on heavy weight rag paper
I am going to compile my list of the top ten genera or plant families that form the backbone of the garden for me, then I shall see if there are gardening forums out there who beg to differ.
I think I have to start with the roses:
1) Rosa or roses
2) Geranium
3) Penstemon, important as they take you through from June to October
4) Papaver or poppies these are just such brilliant show offs, but delicate with it
5) Clematis I think I have nine different ones and there are more that I want( like the one in that mans shopping trolley in the supermarket)
6) Lilium or lilies I don’t have many at the moment that that could be changed at the stroke of a key on the computer this autumn,the ones I have I have had for ten years and I love them they are regaining strength again after being dug up three times in four years.
7) Narcissus or daffodils and jonquils etc
8) Tulipa
9) Allium they steal the bed in a way little else can do.
10) Lonicera or honeysuckle this is a canny choice as it can give you hedging plants climbers winter flowering shrubs and summer flowering shrubs.
11) Lavendula sorry I can’t leave this out.
This list will need revising….
We did not go to the allotment today. I went to the market stall in Burgesshill and today I painted this pear, the white peaches will maybe do tomorrow.
Alison
#74 a painting a day by Alison Warner on her lemon a day art blog
Lemon a day 