Three Yellow Roses {Bountiful Observations no. 48}

Three Yellow Roses

Hello,

Have you ever been inspired about something, and despite other obligations you jumped in and went for it?

This was such a painting. I had a ton of tasks waiting for my attention, but the pull of these three roses just won. And I am so happy they did because now this painting preserves the special quality of light that only shines into my studio when there is snow on the ground.

The light was so bright and vibrant, and these roses were just asking to be recorded before their time was over.

Here is an in progress photo I shared via Instagram {efloydstudio}

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

Click to Purchase

Framed painting: $400.00 + S&H

.............................................................................

This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

A Tulip {Bountiful Observations no. 47}

Pink Tulip

{8" x 6" (20.3 x 15.2 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Framed painting: $300.00 starting bid + S&H

Thank goodness for cut flowers during the winter months! It is during this time that I appreciate them the most.

What are you most thankful for during January?

{14" x 12" (35.6 x 30.5 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Still Life with Tangerines and Crock {Bountiful Observations no.46}

Still Life with Tangerines and Crock

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase

Framed painting: $400.00 + S&H

Every time I get behind a blank canvas, I get so excited about the coming opportunity to create something that shares my vision of beauty through my eyes. Then, when posting the resulting painting on my blog, I get excited about the opportunity to share it with you and the world at large.

Sharing and hopefully expanding on the idea that beauty if found all around us, even in the ordinary scenes that are our daily lives. Each painting is another addition to the open conversation we are having about art and beauty.

As we begin the new year and I further develop this series of chronicling seasonal changes through still-life paintings, thank you for being a part of my life. I feel fortunate that you are open to my work, how you leave a comment or send an email expressing your thoughts, and that we meet in this world, sharing a similar appreciation of life and all that makes it beautiful.

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Bountiful Observations {2012 in Review}

This series began with the idea of recording the passing of the seasons each week. A painting to celebrate what was in bloom, details that had captured my notice, and impressions of the day.

This series began as a way to commit to painting while also learning how to juggle my new life role - mothering my daughter.

This series defined the year that was, making 2012 one of my most exciting and rewarding ones ever.

And this series is going to continue into 2013, adapted to include new sizes for new compositions. Still with the goal of celebrating the present, the simple details that make up the day and make life so interesting. I hope you will join me as I continue on.

Wishing you the best and brightest in 2013.

Liz

45 paintings were completed and presented.

The Bountiful Observations Series {end of year review}

As we are near the end of the year, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorite paintings from this series.

Dandelions

In a Private Collection

This composition embraces my personal philosophy on art and beauty, in that even ordinary things have the potential of being remarkable. Here are common dandelions, weeds to many people, however as flowers taken away from someone’s perfect lawn, I think they are just beautiful.

Red Amaryllis

Available - $300 framed

The flower was the third bloom an amaryllis bulb gave me last winter, and I viewed it as a special gift. Like an unexpected gift from a good friend. Just because.

On the day that I completed this painting it was a bright and beautiful day, sunny and clear after a week of heavy overcast. Everything came together, and I just remember feeling the energy and excitement of it and how a sense of the promise that spring was not that far off was in the air...

Gray Symphony – Quite Moment

In a Private Collection

This was the first painting completed after two very stressful weeks as a mother caring for my daughter, Naomi. We came out of this time fine, better informed and able to adapt for her needs. When I returned to the easel, I was feeling at such peace with the world that this painting just seemed to flow out of me.

Like a symphony flows over you, with all the senses energized, but at the same time you are quiet, listening, and have a heightened sense of awareness.

Still Life with Crabapples, Hydrangea, and Canning Jar

In a Private Collection

The quality of light was going through the seasonal change from summer to autumn when this painting was completed, as were the plants in the garden. It was my goal with this composition to highlight these seasonal changes. I was captivated by the fleeting golden reflections on the glass, the ripening of the crab apples from green to red, and a hydrangea deepening in color due to the temperatures dropping during the nights.

I find it so amazing that there are so many subtle details that begin to announce the changing of the seasons. Often overlooked in the busy-ness of the day, however when a moment is taken to just notice, I always feel so much more refreshed and full of life.

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This series was my attempt to document the year, gathering flowers, plants, and observed impressions of the seasons and distilling these thoughts into the creative process of art making. I was inspired to embark on a project that would improve my sense of observation while also keeping me accountable to paint on a weekly basis while adjusting to the new demands of being a mother.

It was such a rewarding process, that I have decided to continue working on this series into the next year. Adapting the format some to account for another layer of exploration. So where this year every painting of the series was 8 x 8 inches square, in 2013 I am going to allow a bit more freedom of size. I am thinking to work within the sizes: 8" x 8", 8” x 10”, 10” x 12”, and 12” x 12”, varying the format depending on what type of composition I am inspired to capture.

Having another year to explore the impressions of how bountiful the seasons are will hopefully enable the opportunities to incorporate some of the blooms and details that went out of season before I had a chance to paint them this year.  I am particularly looking forward to the spring time!

As this series continues, please signup to receive email updates so you do not miss a new painting.

Thanks for visiting and reading,

Liz

December's Bounty {Bountiful Observations no. 45}

December’s Bounty

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Framed painting: $300.00 starting bid + S&H

Sometimes a painting just comes together.

Last week I focused on another painting for this series, but my heart was not in it, and it did not express the feelings I have for this festive month. I wanted to create a painting that did, so I thought a bit about it, what I wanted to include that would distinguish and celebrate all that is available during the month of December.

When I found a potted hellebore at Whole Foods, I brought it home knowing it had to become part of the painting I wanted to create. Hellebore also goes by the name, Christmas rose, so it seemed perfect to include in the painting I had been building in my mind. I am drawn to the delicate structure of these flowers, and wanted to emphasize how luminous the petals are, even on a gray, low-light day in December. Thus the painting is darker in key than usual to emphasize the white petals.

Everything else just fell into place, the holly had been gathered earlier in the week and during the winter months I always have pomegranates around.  So after several days of thinking of a painting, one just seemed to come together.

I hope you have a wonderful Monday and enjoy this festive season.

Liz

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

High Tea {Bountiful Observations no. 44}

High Tea

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Framed painting: $400.00 starting bid + S&H

Do you have a dream? Something that falls within the lines of a new focus or spending your energy on a new path?

I like to think that art inspires greater awareness in life, thus art inspires embracing life more fully. Encouraging an openness to what is in front of you, actively asking you to find ways to appreciate what is nice, what is pleasant, so that things begin to add value in unexpected ways.

All this enables the possibility of dreams being allowed in, allowed to grow, and maybe someday attained.

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Autumn Reflections {Bountiful Observations no. 43}

Autumn Reflections

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Click here to purchase

Framed painting: $400.00 + S&H

A new round of autumn color appeared this week in the DC region. It is more delicate and sensitive than the early exuberant colors that announced the changing of the season.

The subtle colors and near naked trees are inspiring a more thoughtful state of mind in me. I feel encouraged to savor the simple beauties of life, like holding with two hands a hot steaming mug of tea, hugging Naomi and bundling her in layers of blankets for our morning walk, and in the evening having a hot plate of stew or soup.

How does the autumn inspire you?

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{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Quinces & Apple {Bountiful Observations no. 42}

Quinces and Apple

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase

Framed painting: $400.00 starting bid + S&H

When I purchased these quinces from a local farmer's market, the guy tending the stall said that it was a rare person who knew what quinces were and who so determinedly made a selection of them, so he wanted to know what I was going to make with them.

I smiled, probably a little sheepishly, and said I was an artist and planned to use them in a still-life painting because I liked their shape and form.

Though maybe I will make this quince paste, and serve it with my favorite manchango cheese...

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Petunias II - Second of a Triptych {Bountiful Observations no. 41}

Petunias II

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Click to purchase

Framed painting: $300.00 starting bid + S&H

I look forward to the day when Naomi begins to play make-believe and wants to start hosting tea parties for her dolls and stuffed animals.  In a way, I imagine these times will be full of color, chatter, and a sense of friendship, with a table set with flowers, an old and maybe chipped tea set, and some of the embroidered linens from my collection.

Maybe a scene similar to this will be set on her table...

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Petunias I - First of a Triptych {Bountiful Observations no. 40}

Petunias I

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Click to purchase

Framed painting: $400.00 starting bid + S&H

The first of three, inspired as the fictitious centerpieces of a table set for tea with friends.

This painting began when the DC region was experiencing warm and sunny days, so much so that my petunias were thriving!  They were so beautiful, they deserved to be the focus of more paintings before the first frost occured.

I was drawn to their varying pinks and how they paired with the colorful and whimsical vases and bowls I have from the store Anthropologie.

Anthropologie has the wonderful aesthetic of combining vintage one-of-a-kind items with a colorful and hip feeling.  I just love going into their store and browsing, inspiration abounds, especially in the house goods section!

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Work in Progress: Petunias Triptych {Bountiful Observations Series}

{what is on the easel and the current setup}

Have you ever started a project, and once you were in the middle of it you realized it would require a LOT more time to complete? This happened to me last week when I began to work on the next painting in the Bountiful Observations series.

The DC region has been having such warm weather that my petunias have just been fantastic, and I wanted to paint them before a freeze occurs and kills them off. So instead of setting up one composition for a single painting, I was inspired to create three setups. All coordinated around three vases and some bowls I have from the cool shop, Anthropologie.

The first two paintings of the triptych are in different stages, somewhat near completion but not quite. And the third painting has been blocked in but I am still not satisfied, so will probably tweak it some more as this week progresses.

Next Monday I hope to have the first of this series ready to offer. So please stay tuned...

Autumnal Colors {Bountiful Observations no. 39}

Autumn’s Dawn

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

NFS - Collection of the Artist

This year I am learning to look at everything that marks the changing of the season, the leaves, the berries, and colors.

Before this year, I had never noticed the yellowish berries from a weed. They come from a silver-leaf nightshade plant, horsenettle, and because it has beautiful purple flowers I had allowed it to grow in my garden. During the summer I never got around to painting the flowers, so the berries have been a happy surprise and I loved how they added a bit of color to this composition.

Have you noticed anything new this year that marks the changing season?

UPDATE:  Steve and I decided to keep this painting in our collection, we tend to select one painting a year to keep in our private collection.  This way we also get to keep some of the best paintings for our own enjoyment also.

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Heirloom Apples {Bountiful Observations no. 38} SOLD

Heirloom Apples

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

SOLD

Hello,

I am getting a late start this week, running behind a bit, and trying to catch my breadth after a VERY busy weekend. Saturday's Art on the Avenue arts festival was a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone who came out and introduced themselves, it was fun getting to meet everyone in person.

Another fun aspect of the arts festival is that this painting of the apples was purchased by a nice couple first thing in the morning. I hope they enjoy owning it. These apples were picked at River Farm, they have an orchard of heirloom apples (the species has not been identified) of beautiful and tasty apples that make great cider and applesauce. Naomi and I dropped by one sunny morning and brought home about 10 apples, so far they have not made it into the kitchen because they are too lovely and I want to capture the simple beauty of these not quite perfect apples...

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Nasturtiums {Bountiful Observations no. 37}

Nasturtiums

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}
Sold

Framed painting: $300.00 starting bid + S&H

The summer flowers are beginning to fade now that we are entering October. For this painting I gathered every nasturtium and bachelor button in the garden.

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Autumn Marigolds {Bountiful Observations no. 36}

Autumn Marigolds

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Framed painting: $300.00 starting bid + S&H

Yesterday I came across a list of things that exemplify autumn. things like sweaters, falling leaves, crisp apples, and pumpkins. The only thing I felt was absent from the list were the flowers that also bloom prolifically in the fall.

To me, all the russet tones marigolds are an important part of autumn, as are the dense bushes of mums and asters.

So I think my list for fall would look something like this:

sweaters

walks in the woods

the fireplace

falling leaves

crisp dry air

pumpkins

crisp apples

scarves

hot stews and soups

roasted root vegetables

and

mums & marigolds

...what would you add to your list?

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Sunflowers and Lemons {Bountiful Observations no. 35}

Harmony in Yellow
Still Life with Sunflowers and Lemons

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

SOLD

Framed painting: $300.00 + S&H

It seems to me that sunflowers are the most open and friendly of flowers, with their broad faces following the sun across the sky and how when they are bunched together, they just seem gathered as if in a group in pleasant conversation. Like ladies on a school day morning visiting after dropping off the kids.

Funny how some images will pop into the mind's eye.

However, I like it that connections are made and that looking at a sunflower reminds me of friends and acquaintances, creating a sense of familiarity in my life, and inspiring me to take notice of it. Painting a scene asks the same thing of me, to be more aware. And by actively raising my awareness, I feel as if my world becomes larger and more colorful.

This is an idea I hold true, that art inspires greater engagement in the world we live in.

Have a glorious day, my friend, and thank you for being a part of it.

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Watermelon {Bountiful Observations no. 34}

Sliced Watermelon

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}
Sold

Framed painting: $300.00 + S&H

Have you noticed any signs of the changing seasons?  This past week I began to notice some, like acorns littering the sidewalks and longer shadows earlier in the evening.

Then I also began to notice that the watermelon in the garden had also quit growing in size.  The days were no longer getting hot enough to make a difference.  This watermelon was brought inside and sliced open, but before I cut it up to eat, I fell in love with the beauty of the red flesh surrounded by the light rind and green skin.

So into the studio it came...

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Hydrangea & Crab Apples {Bountiful Observations no. 33} SOLD

Wishing you, your friends, and family a wonderful Labor Day holiday today!

Still Life with Crab Apples, Hydrangea, and Canning Jar

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

SOLD

Framed painting: $300.00 starting bid + S&H

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

.............................................................................

This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Petunias and Apple {Bountiful Observations no. 32}

Petunias & Apple

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Click to purchase

Framed painting: $400.00 + S&H

Painting this still life was like returning to visit an old friend I had missed so very much because the hustle and bustle of life had kept me away. Then once in the presence of this dear friend, I wanted to soak up every nuance and lilt of the voice.

I did this by slowing down and enjoying the experience, knowing I had the entire day to enjoy.

May your Monday be a good one! It is good to be back at work.

Liz

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

.............................................................................

This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.