Tasty Zinnia's

     Zinnia's are truly a candy shop rainbow wonderland  of the flower world. I kept very busy during the first 2 - 3 weeks in August working on this Plein Air painting commission.  It was a total pleasure, despite the intense summer heat and the chalky sunscreen I wore to keep from burning.  It was fun for a million reasons.  The family who commissioned it is happy, which makes me happy.  And it looks really great in their space, I love seeing my artwork in the context of someone else's life. 

     It was a challenge too, I painted pretty much every afternoon for 2 weeks, and flowers just don't hold still and stop growing for you.  Also, the light changes, this painting doesn't represent one split second, but kind of a rainbow of time within a short range.  To meet the challenge I started in the center and worked out to the sides so all the flowers and leaves connected realistically.  The painting is definitely on the graphic side, with it's saturated colors, which is interesting.  Funny enough, my personal favorite parts are the leaves, they kind of rustle if you stare at them for a while.  Anyway, it was good for me to be challenged as well, growth happens that way.