Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by. My garden gate is always open for you to come in and sit and relax in the cool morning with a cup of tea before the hot sun comes up while I share with you the inspirations for a new painting. I will be showing some new work at the Showcase Gallery and the show opening reception will be in conjunction with the International Orchid Show being held in the charming court yard outside the gallery entrance.
Let's join Bentley, my Studio Assistant, to look for inspiration. I want to paint a "garden day" scene with Roses and Orchids.
Our Lady of Guadalupe and Pink Iceberg Roses are still blooming sporadically in spite of our severe drought in Southern California - the blooms are much smaller - never the less the Roses are giving it their best. The color of the blooms of Our Lady of Guadalupe seem to have a peach tint now instead of all pink and I love the new colors. The pink Icebergs also seem to have a darker tint.
I want to add a few of my "signature" Sunflowers to the painting to balance the yellow Orchids.
I purchased pink and yellow Phalaenopsis Orchids as I felt they would look nice with the Roses I picked from our garden.
I want to add a cloche to the painting to give it a garden feel.
Before I start the painting I gather all of the flowers together to get a feel for the colors and harmony.
The completed "Garden Day" painting.
Thank you for stopping by. I sincerely appreciate your visits, e-mails, comments and those following my blog. I am working on 4 more small paintings for the show and will pop in from time to time to share them with you. I apologize for not staying with my regular posting schedule - between painting and on going physical therapy for knee replacements the time gets away from me.
Have a lovely week, Blessings, Erin
"The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps". Proverbs 16:9
Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by. My garden gate is always open for you to come in an sit and relax with an ice tea while I share with you some of the treasurers my friend Marilyn and I found at the flea market. You know it is a good day when you come home with 3 step ladders and 2 large bird houses in the back seat along with a tail gate filled with treasurers.
Let's take a quick tour of one of our favorite Flea Markets in Costa Mesa, Ca -Behind the Picket Fence - and then we will come back to my garden to see a few of my new finds.
How cute is this "Itty Bitty Vintage Shop"?
Love all of the rust on the vintage metal items.
New vendor, Pristine Gardens, had a beautiful display of succulents and containers and will come to your home for landscape and maintenance of your garden and can be reached at 949 -702-6955.
Her containers are beautiful and so well made.
Lots of unusual enamel ware.
Linda Bucci is a very talented jewelry designer and metal smith and her work is stunning and so collectible. She teaches jeweler making classes at her Red Vine Studio and her work can be seen on her ETSY shop at www.lindabucci.etsy.com
I love birdhouses made from recycled wood and my heart skipped a beat or 2 when we stopped at The Birdman of Orange's space. I ended up buying 2 large birdhouses and 2 signs and will share them with you at the end of this post. The Birdman of Orange can be reached at 657-600-2089 and is also on Facebook and Instagram ,. They also makes custom pieces hand painted to order. Their prices are very reasonable and I was able to buy all 4 pieces for what some shops charge for one piece.
Now for the fun part - sharing some of my new flea market finds. The Birdman of Orange birdhouse displayed with all water-wise succulents and plants.
Red ladder - love the galvanized trim on it - with new galvanized containers.
Love the red ladder with my red cushions.
Large red birdhouse made by The Birdman of Orange - I have been looking for one this size for a while and love how this one fits with my old vintage flag.
One of my favorites is the galvanized cow feed bucket as it has a big handle that can be hung on a fence or in this case old shutters.
Thank you for stopping by. I sincerely appreciate your visits, e-mails, comments and those following my blog. I apologize for not getting around to visit you as often as I would like - I am now showing my art in two galleries and there is not enough time in the day. I hope to be able to visit you again soon.
Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin
"They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness." Psalm 145:7
Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by. Today we are going to leave my garden and go to beautiful Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach, CA to look for Succulents to plant. I am gradually integrating them into our garden with other water-wise plants since we are experiencing drought conditions in Southern California. Roger's Gardens is located on 5 acres and is a fabulous home and garden store with magnificent gardens, floral shop, art gallery, home decor shop, books and gifts
The garden has Succulents planted in charming containers.
Wreaths
Drift wood planters.
The rusty metal containers are my favorites.
I have enclosed a photo of the paintings I shared with you last week that are now hanging in the Showcase Gallery.
I am looking forward to planting the Succulents I purchased in interesting and colorful ways using some of my rusty vintage containers and will share with you as soon as they are planted.
Thank you for stopping by. I sincerely appreciate you visits, e-mails, comments and those following my blog.
Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin
"How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity." Psalm 133:1
Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by. My garden gate is always open for you to come in and sit and relax with a cup of tea while I share with you the inspirations for my art - yes - we are still drinking tea early in the morning in the garden as we still have nice cool and cloudy mornings near the coast- our afternoons are bright and sunny once the cloud cover leaves.
I have been busy painting getting ready for an art show at The Showcase Gallery - the theme is "Post Cards From Europe" and I have been painting the colors of Provence (the southern part of France) where the Sunflowers and Lavender fields are. It is one of my favorite areas to travel and paint and I plan to return next year on an art trip.
Bentley, my Studio Assistant, is in the garden waiting to share some inspirations for the new paintings.
The lavender fields are so lovely and the farms usually have carts parked along the road with lavender for sale.
I named this painting "The Colors of Provence" as the villages have lavender and Sunflower combined and the colors are breath taking.
Thank you for stopping by. I sincerely appreciate your visits, e-mails, comments and those of you following my blog.
Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin
"For we walk by faith, not by sight." Corinthians 5:7
