Sea of Green

 

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One more balsamroot painting, even though they are completely done now IRL. We had a very wet spring and all the grass and other plants are extra lush and tall. I love the abundance! Makes for some lovely walks.

Petals Waving

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One thing that I think is really cool about these Balsamroot flowers (wild here in Montana) - every plant has a unique theme. The petals are big and fat on some, and skinny on others. The middle part is a little bald in the middle (like these), but then full on others. Sometimes there are notches in the ends of the petals, and sometimes not.

Another thing I've always liked, about flowers in general, is the odd petal that sticks out in an unusual direction. Like they're waving hello. These two have one each. Hello.

Nestled Between

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This is another wild Balsamroot that grows in my area (Missoula). I especially like the leaves on this plant, which provide a lovely backdrop. For every painting I have to edit the leaves a bit because they are never arranged perfectly. I usually try some things on my ipad first - painting over the reference - before I start painting IRL. It's a pretty handy tool.

Quiet Yellow

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I am just home from teaching a workshop in Apex, North Carolina. I had a really wonderful group of students. They listened, asked great questions, and make big leaps. I miss them already. Here they are ->

After the workshop I went to the beach for a couple of days with a friend. I brought my camera just in case I felt inspired, and wow, was I! The people on the beach were just ... well, they were just begging to be painted. The bodies of every type, the water, the reflections - so cool. I took a million photos, completely forgetting to reapply sunscreen. But the sunburn was totally worth all the material I got!

I have some paintings left from before that I will post for now. This one is another Balsamroot flower - wild here in Montana.

Backlit Yellow

 

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Here's another Balsamroot, a wildflower that is just finishing up around here (Missoula).

I've been inspired lately by Christina Weaver's floral paintings. I think she mostly sets up outside and paints them from life, which is braver than me. But I really admire her style. She's got some great drawings too. Check her out on Instagram.

Balsamroot

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

For the past 6 years, since we've lived in Montana, I've seen these yellow flowers around and never gotten my act together to go and photograph them before they're done. Until this year! They're called Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), and are abundant if you know where to look. I passed some on the highway and stopped, but they were on such a steep hill I was afraid I would fall. I finally found some very accessible ones about 20 minutes away on a trail called "Sound of Music" (how fitting!).