Rose Paintings

Last Spring at ArtFest, I created a Deck of Roses in a class with Orly Avineri.
A friend asked me how I was going to use them. I made note cards with the images but wanted to do more with the originals.
They sat on my desk for a long time. Then a light bulb went on in my brain with an idea on how to use them. I glued each one onto canvas.
I added a textured, molding paste border, paint and voila- new paintings.
I love to combine new techniques that I've learned. My joy in creating art is in the process- experimenting, designing and seeing a piece evolve into something I like.

You can see them in person next weekend, December 2nd and 3rd, at the Portland Art Collective Open Doors Art Show and Sale.

Rose Garden Sketch with Costa Rican Artistas

Today, we sketched with artists from Costa Rica at Portland's Rose Garden in Washington Park. June is the best time to see the garden in full bloom. Clouds covered Mt. Hood but we got a good view of the city and the roses.

One of my favorite roses-

From left to right- Carolina, Cynthia, Rosmery, Sonia, Jeannette, Raquel and Ana.

Rosmery gave each of us one of her watercolors that she painted while in the garden. I'm going to have to play with using just watercolor with no pen. I love the use of water and paint to get different textures. Muchas gracias Rosmery!
The artists, Rosmery Vega, Sonia Alfaro, Jeanette Trejos and Raquel Mora, will show their artwork Saturday, July 10th from 3-8 pm at Onda Gallery on NE Alberta in an exhibit entitled, "Place and Imagination".
Please come to their artist reception, meet them and see their art. They belong to a woman's art collective called Jadeazul from Grecia, Costa Rica. Their trip to Oregon is hosted by Partners of the Americas.

Let the Sun Shine

Today, we sketched at the Sara Hite Memorial Rose Garden in North Clackamas Park. The overcast sky cleared and the sun shone- a rarity here in the NW this month.

The Rainbow comes and goes,
And lovely is the Rose
William Shakespeare

The world is a rose,
Smell it and pass it to your friends
Persian Proverb

It's so relaxing to sit and sketch in a quiet place, forget about time and take in the beauty.
Next week, we'll be sketching at Washington Park's Rose Garden.

It is at the edge of the petal that love waits.
William Carlos Williams

Peonies & Roses Bloom

We're having warm weather and the sunshine brought out the peonies and roses this week. The Peony Place is a a farm sitting on a hill over looking Mt St Helens southeast of Portland.

The varieties and colors of these peonies never cease to amaze me.

If it stays hot this weekend, they won't last too many more weeks.

In my garden, I love to grow roses and here are two of the first blossoms. "Double Delight" boasts beautiful variegated colors and a lovely fragrance.

"Dainty Bess" always remains so delicate.

For NW gardeners, the end of May and June is time to reap the bounty and beauty of the earth in these flowers.