Dog Fennel?

I painted this postcard size watercolor at the lake:

I painted it outdoors – this was my view:

I used a little artistic liberty and removed the green sewer pole sign.  My intention was to paint the daisies.  I discovered that it was not easy to paint small daisies…

Painting these “wild daisies” motivated me to get out my book on wildflowers when I got home:

I still struggled to identify them.  So I took a closer look:

And with the help of the internet, I believe they are a member of the Aster family.  There most common name is Mayweed.   They are also called Stinking Chamomile and Dog Fennel.

According to USWildflowers.com, “Anthemis cotula is an introduced species which is now found in every state in the United States and in most of Canada.  It can be invasive, and is officially listed as a noxious weed in Colorado and Nevada.”  I had no idea!

I kind of like the name Dog Fennel.

Woof!

I encourage you to discover a new flower this week!  🙂

Happy Creating!

Sue’s Flowers

I painted a pot of flowers in watercolor this last weekend:

My friend, Sue has them growing at the lake.  I really like the color combination of flowers and colors:

I hope to paint some of my flowers too!  Here are some Impatiens I recently planted:

And a collection of old buckets – which make awesome planters:

I like these quotes on flowers:

Flowers don’t worry about how they’re going to bloom.  They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful.  – Jim Carrey

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.  – Claude Monet

Wishing you a day of sunshine and flowers!  🙂

Wild Roses

I did a little “plein-air” painting at the lake.  I found that painting outdoors helped me be a little looser with my style:

This is a wild rose bush that I painted – looking at this view:

I was a bit limited with my  paint colors so I added a little contrast with color pencils at the end.

I think painting outdoors allowed me more freedom to experiment with watercolors.

I painted this postcard (last week) from a photo I posted previously:

I don’t think I was able to paint as freely when following this photo:

I kept trying to add to it with color pencils and then a black micron pen and I think I lost some of the spontaneity.

I’m curious to hear which one you like best!  Thanks!  🙂

Happy Creating!