From Pansies to Peonies

With all the rain lately, our sketch group started a new routine. We meet at a coffee house and sketch for an hour. Cynthia brought some pansies for us to draw this week. After an hour, we do a weather check and if it's not pouring down rain, we head for an outdoor setting to sketch.
The Peony Place became our destination this week. About half the varieties were in bloom and the rest were full of buds ready to bloom any day.
Love these floppy, feathery blossoms and so do the bumble bees...

The single-petal beauties open up to show their gorgeous centers...
Time to sketch one flower with a fluffy red center the same color as its petals...

Then, it rained.

Lan Su Chinese Garden

May celebrates the peony collection in the Lan Su Chinese Garden. The Chinese passion for peonies makes them China's official national flower. A friend and I visited the garden early this week. Many of the tree peonies had finished blooming. Peony bouquets filled the Hall of Brocade Clouds.

I really liked the colorful peony seed pods which I observed for the first time. What inspires my passion for peonies? their vibrant colors, lacy petals, beautiful centers, imaginative names?
The walled garden, located in Portland's Old Town, offers a serene nature respite to the hectic urban environment that surrounds it. "Between Lake and Mountain Lies True Meaning".


Each season brings a different feel and look to this scholar's garden. In Lan Su's study, we found his Four Treasures- paper, brush, ink and ink stone.
This garden is one of Portland's treasures.

Giveaway Winner!

The numbers for the blog giveaway went into a hat and this morning DH drew No. 11. Congratulations, Cynthia Mooney. You're the winner! Thanks to everyone who participated. I appreciate your support and interest. Looking back over three years of blogging, I see how keeping an online journal of my artwork and travels helps to focus on what I enjoy doing most.

This week, we visited a beautiful garden in the country to see and sketch the tree peonies. Before the rain came, we toured the garden and sketched a little. The kanji stamps say Good Luck and Good Day.