Pink Cereus

Pink Cereus

16x20 Oil Painting

The pinkish buds of the night blooming cereus have such a graceful rhythm to them.  All the nuances of tone in the slender tendril like petals are difficult to capture. This painting also went through quite a few changes before I felt the shades were quite right.  I hope to paint more flowering cereus' soon they are so intriguing. Thanks for viewing my blog.

White Cereus

White Cereus

16x20 Oil Painting

This painting of a night blooming cereus cactus began my interest in what I consider somewhat mysterious night blooming plants. I must have changed the coloring in this painting ten times trying to achieve the qualities I thought it should have to depict the night surrounding the magical night blooms. I intend to do quite a few more white blooms at night they are so dramatic! Thanks for viewing my blog.

Evening Iris

Evening Iris

20x30- Oil Painting

In this painting I am continuing my series of still life florals depicting moonlit and flowers at dusk.

My paintings of the night blooming cereus flower initiated my interest in flowers blooming in evening and night. The night blooming cereus only blooms at night and often goes unseen because one must be outside and looking for it in the late evening to ever catch a glimpse of the cactus plant blooming. The idea of the luminous white petals against a night sky and the silvery tones it creates captivate me. I am inspired by the works of many of the early storybook illustrators such as Maxfield Parrish (A Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics) and Kay Nielsen (East of the Sun, West of the Moon) to name a few.

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Yellow Prickly Pear

Yellow Prickly Pear

Acrylic- 9x12

In this painting from my series of cactus paintings I wanted to capture the delicate petals of the yellow prickly pear cactus. The intense center of the flower seemed to be on fire with the gradual step from yellow to orange to red. It reminds me of a flame! The double flower of this particular study was intriguing and unusual so much to I knew it would be a painting. Thanks for viewing my blog.

Brickaway

Brickaway

Acrylic Painting- 30x30 

This painting of a prickly pear cactus incorporates the concepts of surrealism into the image. My photograph of the cactus with a gnarly post dividing the picture virtually in half suggested to me the idea contrasting a wide open space or big sky in the background on one side to the contrast of a brick wall appearing out of the "blue" on the other side. The idea of the painting is the feeling everyone experiences of just breaking away from their concerns or that brick wall whatever it is in their life that is holding them back from what they really want to be doing. Thanks for viewing my blog.

Cactus Arboreal Aureolis

The barrel cactus set against the suggestion of a dreamlike night sky remind me of the Alaskan night skies referred to as the arboreal aureolis. The flowers seeds float into the evening sky suggesting birth and new life. The idea of painting moonlit flowers continue to captivate me. Stay tuned I am currently undertaking a series of white moonlit flowers. Thanks for viewing my blog.

Bleeding Hearts and Cactus

This post continues to present my southwest cactus series. This painting, like my previous post of Chimayo Cactus contrasts delicate blossoms this time the flowers of the bleeding heart flowering vine against the sharp prickles of the barrel cactus. The blue- green teals are very cool which is contradictory to the typical extreme warm tones associated with the desert and a barrel cactus. With this painting I wanted to make the viewer feel as if they were peering into a forest of barrel cactus. Thanks for viewing my blog.