Community Garden in Autumn

I love gardens in all seasons; a little chaos - tomatoes under the tangle, kale in the fog. Nature has her way of getting the upper hand, certainly by October. The gardener is no doubt sealing up those last quarts of sauce in the steamy kitchen.

This is  one of a series of 24 x 30 pastels; three autumn gardens, one winter garden that I have been working on lately. Please leave a comment. I'd like to know what you think.

Gardens in the Off Season

I love gardens in all seasons; blanketed under snow in winter, after the ripeness of summer and before the new shoots of spring. Their structure can be loose or geometric, their fences shabby, sparrows on the bean poles. It is all redolent of growth, sunshine, fertility....really good earth! 

This is Number Seven, one of a series of 24 x 30 pastels; 3 autumn gardens , one winter garden that I have been working on lately. Please leave a comment. I'd like to know what you think.

Day 2 of Bella's Garden

I told you yesterday it was going to be strong & wild & chaotic, didn't I? Today I added the colors. I started with the blooms and suggested foliage. I spread the colors all over, not just in one spot. I maintained the vibrant action in the painting and I had a great deal of fun doing it. Can you tell? I have quite a few layers of pastel in places, so I have had to resort to removing some of it with a #4 bristle flat brush, just in the places I needed to use a light color and didn't have enough tooth left to make it stick. Now I am reaching for my softer brands...Senneliers & Unisons. I need a day to look at it and analyze. A well-behaved painting will tell me what it needs. I think this is one. Check in tomorrow and leave comments, please.

Gibbs Garden Center

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Last Saturday I spent the day in LeRaysville, PA as the guest painter at Gibbs Garden Center. This 16 x 20 was an ambitious size for such a complex scene and it took me about 4 hours, by which time the light had completely changed. This explains the often small size canvas & boards that are preferred by many plein air painters. I prefer to work large...and I should have simplified accordingly...but I like it. The gardens are not in full bloom yet, so I'll be going back. It was a fun day...everone at Gibbs is friendly & nice and Grovedale Winery was hosting a wine-tasting while I was painting and the merriment crept into my painting I think. I brought home a couple of nice whites and three plants and a painting! My (artistic license) clothesline adds a nostalgic touch. It really is a very professional garden center that can answer your questions and help plan your gardens and solve horticultural problems.