Down Came The Rain : Foxgloves in Watercolour

 Foxgloves in Watercolour

My cottage garden is a delight at the moment. It is full of beautiful flowers all begging to be painted. The most gorgeous catching my attention are the tall foxgloves. And I know these will be very short lived  so I have to paint them while I can. Today the weather was against me so I gave up painting en plein air after a while. I had been  moving my easel inside my studio and out again in between showers. The easiest solution was to place my easel by my studio door and paint what I could see outside. Which luckily are tall fabulous foxgloves. But I have to admit.This isn't really luck. Knowing our English weather I now deliberately plant my favourite flowers to paint each year. In locations where I can see them from my studio for days such as these. Wet ones!

 Foxglove first wash. very little detail yet and even so, the shape of the flowers is already there giving hints of what this painting is to be.

I was thrilled to be asked so many times at Patchings Art Festival this year how I paint these beautiful flowers. And several art groups had to leave early missing my afternoon demonstrations. So I gave these wonderful artists little demonstrations in my own marquee. I think when someone has travelled a long way to see you it is vital to share what they came to see in colour, tips and my way of working.

 

 My easel is in my studio, with the door open , facing foxgloves outside flowering in my cottage garden.

Gazing at beauty is very relaxing. Trying to capture that very same beauty in a watercolour is also a very enjoyable feeling. When I paint I fall into a place of peaceful calm. It is just me, the beauty I see and this afternoon a few bumble bees who decided they too adored the flowers and my painting as several have tried to settle on my wet pigment. 

As always I have two paintings on the go.  Seen in the next image side by side.

 

 Side by side. Two first washes of foxgloves.

I  am currently writing my next book so my mind is full of wonderful ideas to share. I am being contacted by my 2015 USA locations regarding my Autumn Book Signing Tour also. And I have to plan my UK workshops for 2016. On top of this I have three gallery exhibitions to prepare for. One a beautiful solo show that will include art from my latest book. The Kingfisher and the Harvest mouse paintings I already know will be firm favourites to purchase. I will be sharing full details  on my blog in future posts.

But for now I am simply relaxing and painting foxgloves in watercolour. face with such beauty each day how I could I resist!

Foxgloves outside my studio and on my easel.

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P.S . Yes it IS that favourite  shade by the way. Daniel Smith Opera Pink!