Sunny Spring Seat by Roxanne Steed

9"x12" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

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Oh how I love this little section of our garden! It's like a little room surrounded by a picket fence and a lush growth of flowering plants from Spring through Autumn, right by our front door. In the morning the sun warms the back of this curvy bench, casting shadows on the slate stones below. They are brightened by the warm light.  

As I've painted this space over the last five years, it's been so fun seeing this area grow and mature. The peonies in the upper left corner have yet to bloom, but this year there are so many buds on them. This particular one is white and fragrant!!!! ooh, I can hardly wait for this one to bloom.  The canes of the rose behind this bench now arch across several spans of fencing. When I first bought this plant via mail order five years ago, it was so puny and tiny, I could hardly imagine that it would ever spread this far! The 'creeping phlox' at this edge of the slate circle mounded up with gorgeous wild color again this year.....so exciting to see after the bareness of winter! Ahh- life is sweet once winter is far behind!

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Spring Froth by Roxanne Steed

10"x8" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

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One of my friends described this time of year (up here in New England when Spring finally bursts forth) as 'frothy'. Yes, it is sort of like that- trees stay a lavender bare limbed tangle, until sap rises and gives them a reddish pinky blush at their uppermost heights...then the bright fresh yellow green leaves begin to emerge- slowly but surely.....before you know it another week has gone by and the whole canopy of woods is filled from top to bottom!

Here at home, the tulips have come up, the crab-apple trees have bloomed...and now as I type this, they are fading, and other things are following right on their heels to take their turn in this symphony of color and texture----fluff and froth!

Oh what a delight after winter! Spring is just never disappointing!

As you can see, we are across the street from another building lot (hence the large dirt pile), so I can be selective - choosing rather interpretive and expressive in my painting rather than a literal rendering. 

Spring does go by so quickly, I'm amazed at how quickly I paint one scene .....and those blossoms are gone! But the act of painting them seals those garden memories into my very being.  A wonderful comparison from year to year....showing me how far this portion of Eden has come! 

 

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Blue Hydrangea Bird Bath by Roxanne Steed

8"x8" oil on archival panel

For more information about this painting, follow this link, or contact me here.

My back yard is a haven for birds of all kinds. 

They seem to love it and we love having them here.

We trade a few small luxuries all the time, food for song....

water for brilliant flashes of color. 

So far, it's a great relationship!

Morning, Along The Path; Norfolk Botanical Gardens by Roxanne Steed

9"x12" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival panel

Here's the 3rd painting I completed at the paint-out last week, on Friday morning at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. During early morning, this little gazebo structure is brilliantly lit by the sun, and boy do the shadows seem to change quickly this time of year. I've gotten in the habit of marking in the shadow shapes first, and anything else interesting. If you get those BIG shapes put down first, everything else seems to fall into place!

For more information about this painting, contact me here.

Butterfly Garden at Norfolk Botanical Gardens by Roxanne Steed

12"x12" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

This is the second painting I did last Thursday during the 'Out & About Norfolk' plein air event. I had a quick burger lunch and went back to the Norfolk Botanical Garden since I still had several hours of daylight...and admission still paid for the day! I've spent so much time at these gardens over the years. It is quite a treat for me to return and see what's blooming through the seasons, and changes that have been made over the years.

I did find out on Saturday evening at the show reception, that I had been awarded 2nd Place- with a $750 Memorial Award for the "Japanese Garden" painting! I am so thrilled over this - my head is still swimming over it! The show organizer, Karen Kinser has worked so hard to build this show over the last five years! She has done an amazing job! There's some serious award money, a gorgeous venue along the river at Waterside in Norfolk for the reception, I can go on and on....I plan on submitting work for next year's show!!


For more information about this painting, please contact me here.

Late September Morning by Roxanne Steed

6"x24" oil on linen (2 stretched canvases, 6x12 each)

I've been wanting to paint this bit of garden all summer. Especially for the peegee hydrangea at the corner of the fence. It starts out with limey green blossoms early in the summer, which gradually get huge and a warm white. As summer turns to autumn, they turn a rosey-mauvey-burgundy color. This it the 3rd summer in our garden - and the blooms on this one this year are huge!

This piece can be purchased (unframed) from my DailyPainters.com gallery or contact me here.

Garden Party by Wendie Thompson!

Garden Party 24x24 oil $700

I am so excited to be a new part of this group! I began using my palette knife a number of years ago and really love the effects I am able to achieve with it! This painting was done plein air in two sessions and is of the end of my summer vegetable garden. It is 24x24 and on gallery wrapped canvas requiring no frame. Price includes shipping!

Cloudy With A Strong Chance Of Flowers by Roxanne Steed

9"x12" oil on Belgian linen mounted on board

"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." - Friedrich Engels



During my 'computer crash' time I decided I'd push a little larger on some of my plein-air work. I had been working on a steady stream of 8x10s, and wanted to gradually push towards some larger pieces. This was not a huge stretch into bigger sizes by any means, but I was pleased with the results!

They were calling for thunder storms the day I painted this. I didn't want to get caught out in bad weather, but didn't want to loose any painting days outside if possible - so, from the protection of my garage, this side of our lawn was a perfect view! Somehow on a gray day colors of flowers seem even more intense. The sun isn't bleaching out the color nor is it so blinding that you can't see. Which makes those gray days quite enjoyable for painting!

This painting can be purchased directly from me in my DailyPainters.com gallery store.

Escargot Begonias by Roxanne Steed

6"x8" oil on Belgian linen, mounted on archival panel

"We are made to persist. That's how we find out who we are." - Tobias Wolff


Swirls and whirls of leaf shapes - the only way I know how to describe this plant. I was looking to buy one last year, and the only nursery I knew that had them sold out. This year I was ready! I knew if I wanted one of these, I had to get it while the "gettin' was good"! Sure enough, my friend went to go buy one a week later, and they were all gone. Funny name for a plant, but it does swirl in pattern like a snail shell, bigger and bigger. Hoping I can figure out how to propagate these so I can have some more!

I've found a frame that looks fabulous on this- black with a gold inset, I'll need to order this size. Price is $350 for framed painting and includes shipping to the continental USA. This painting may be purchased directly from my blog.

Gray Day Spring, Third Year In The Artist's Garden, Plein Air by Roxanne Steed

6"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival panel

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout


This week I've spent a lot of time painting BIG! I've been staining/weather-proofing my back deck. I'm reminded how much energy is spent when you are using your whole body in the painting process. Man I am worn-out, but am happy to have completed this project, before this week's coming rains set in! Saturday, once I unfolded all the achy parts of my back and every limb I decided to paint outside. It was that soft gray day, with no cast shadows, no strong sunlight, but no dark clouds just yet either. It has been really fun documenting the changes in this garden over the past three years. Sometimes it's hard to believe all this has been created in such a short time. The rose canes are thick and strong, arching across the fence line, with so many buds forming to blossom in the coming weeks! The creeping phlox is blooming in great mounds of lavender and pink. Soon their show will fade and something else will come along to add some color. It's going to be quite the year in this garden!

For more information, contact me here.