Delphinium on Glass

Delphinium On Glass     5.25" x 8"      Pastel      ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $95

DAY 27 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, September 2017

The delphiniums are still looking fresh today, so I decided to paint them in a still life. I placed them on my antique wood flat file that has a protective glass sheet on top. The sun shone brightly on the table, creating a wonderful reflection of the sheer curtains. I'm always pulled to reflections of any kind, whether it's still water or window glass on buildings. The glass vase had an interesting look with the water, and also, it reflected that image onto the table.

I got lost in painting this one and didn't take but two progress pictures. I started with a quick watercolor wash of the dark areas on paper that I already had toned. I like working on a darker surface. UArt is now producing a black sanded pastel paper.  I can hardly wait for my shipment to arrive in early October. Slowly, I added the color in areas all over the painting. Then, I began to define each background areas. I finished the flowers last.

Delphiniums

Delphiniums       6" x 6"         Pastel         ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $75

DAY 26 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, September 2017

It's always fun to have a good reason to buy fresh flowers!  Delphiniums were always a delight to arrange in my days as a floral designer. They were not as easily available as they are today. I found these at my local supermarket floral department. Painting the subtle color changes was a bit of a challenge in pastels. 

1. I usually choose a darker underpainting, but this time I started with a dark blue on white Premier Pastel paper. 2. This time I chose to wet the pastel a bit to be able to move it around smoothly without getting a build-up of pastel too early. 3. I  chose a very dark blue Sennelier pastel to deepen the darkest values. Then I worked gradually, alternating the adding the subtle colors. All of the blossoms had different amounts of lavendars, blues, and creamy whites.

Fields of Lavender   5 x 5   Pastel   ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $60 framed 

Gotta love lavender!

This painting was done from a visit to an Ohio lavender farm called Luvin Lavender in Madison, Ohio near Lake Erie. What a delight to see a lavender field with masses of glorious color! How awesome to know the owners originally planted these to attract enough bees to pollinate other crops on their property. Is has since grown to be a place of beauty in their community. They hold a Luvin Lavender and Art In The Garden Festival every year in July.  Its well worth a trip there to learn more.  You can find more information on their website:   www. luvinlavender.com or their Facebook page: Luvin Lavender Farms LLC.

"Fields of Lavender" is painted in pastel on suede board. Its a lovely surface to accept the pigment from soft pastels. This painting is framed in a gold frame with an attractive leaf design. Museum glass with UV protective covers and protects this painting for your enjoyment.