Sitting on our porch now is a real delight, because so many birds come to our feeders at this time of year! The harried parents rush back and forth to feed their babies. I rarely make a journal page with commentary and several separate images, so this was fun.
A wide variety of greens are showing off at this time of year. For a painter it’s a challenge to differentiate the many greens — unfurling leaves, mature leaves, grass, a variety of plants, all in either sun or shade. How many greens are in this painting? The sheep are just simple shapes.
These are the final two variations I made for the “Painting in Series” class. (Scroll back at www.lynnholbein.com to see the photo and six other paintings.) The top painting was done with just red, blue and yellow, mixed in different ways. The B&W was made tracing the original photo on a lightbox, using pen, pencil and three markers.
“Those of us who are truly lucky have more than one mother. They are the cool aunts, the elderly ladies, the family friends, even the mentors who whip us into shape,” wrote Heather Cox Richardson.
Giving thanks to the mother who gave us life, and to the other women in our lives who have mothered us.
Taking a break from my Mother & Baby series, I painted this last week, inspired by Danish artist Lena Gemzoe. She works fast, squeezing watercolors from bottles, tilting and scraping with a credit card, welcoming “happy accidents.” Here is a mesmerizing 7-minute video where she creates an entire painting. I love the mystery of these landscapes.
