Catch it while you can
Today, the allium. Tomorrow poppies. Coming and going, a garden is ever evolving, never static. A bee, a swallowtail, if I’m lucky, a hummingbird. Even now, one moment makes way for the next. Catching it while you can makes all the difference.
Tips and Techniques– Because I was away for much of May, I missed the flowering spring trees, many of the ephemeral wildflowers and bulbs, and the unfurling of ferns here in New York. When I got home the allium were in bloom but starting to fade; I knew I had to get painting before they too were gone. Sometimes it is hard to find time for sketching, but I’m always glad when I do. So, my tip today is to make time. Make time to look; make time to focus; make time to sketch while the subject is fresh. Resist the urge to snap a photo “for later.” When later comes, there will be a whole new world out there that you won’t want to miss.
New workshops coming up! SAVORING SUMMER SKETCHBOOK SERIES– Capture the beauty and bounty of summer in your sketchbook in this series of four online watercolor workshops. Choose one or sign up for all four. Tuesdays: June 21, July 19, August 2, August 23, 3-5pm Pacific/6-8pm Eastern. Details on the WORKSHOPS page.
Drawn In 
How I look forward to your colorful and inspirational posts each week. This one did not disappoint. Purple and green is one of my favorite combinations. Love this!
i think there is a typo on workshops page! shouldn’t it be june 21? July 21, 2022: The Promise of Summer
Yes! Thanks for the catch…fixed!
Incredibly inspiring, Jean! 🌻😎
Thanks Karen!
I agree whole heartedly! Dont wait! Great advice. Too often I snap a photo and set it aside. beautiful allium. Looks like you caught them in the nick of time.
I did just catch them. They were just past peak, but now they are gone. Heading out to sketch poppies.
Excellent advice! So true.
I love how you’ve captured the frothy feeling of the allium.
As always, a beautifully designed composition and typography.
Thanks Alison!
Gorgeous allium, Jean! I love your purples and how you rendered the intricacy of the flowers without getting fussy. So beautiful.
Your summer sketchbook series looks like so much fun!
I’m really looking forward to the summer series and to trying a different format– hoping more people can take advantage of these sessions.
Hello,
I went on the link, trying to look up the class and it’s not listed. Would it be listed tomorrow since you said the registration starts tomorrow? Thank you for your time! Yulia
Yes. The class is in the process of being posted and should be up by tomorrow. Sorry it’s not there yet!
Very true. I often ‘stalk’ flowers to catch them at their peak and marvel how short the peak is.
Yes indeed. Some last longer than others, but none seem to wait for us. I chose peonies and baptisia today, and I am afraid I may miss the poppies altogether if I don’t hurry up.
So amazing.. love this! I’ve shared a link on twitter. Thanks Jean 🙂
Thanks Liz, how nice!
You have captured these so beautifully – softness and detail together. And that colour! Always hard to get.
Thanks Anna– I mostly used cobalt blue and permanent rose. Both are transparent and they mix well.
I love the way you have used negative space to paint the florets – it all looks so light and airy!
It’s a good technique for small florets. The trick is that if you paint them all, it gets to heavy. You have to keep a light touch. Glad you like them!
I love what you did with the Alliums! And of course, your advice is very good, though it often seems like there are just too many things happening at this time of year. I’ve noticed though that with photography, if I’m walking a loop or an out-and-back and I see something interesting, it’s a big mistake to say, “I’ll photograph that on the way back.” The light will have changed. You have to catch it when you first see it.
I was sorry to read about your positive test and the expensive delay getting back home but I’m sure it’s way in the past now – coming and going. 😉