May Showers
So much for April showers bringing May flowers! We’ve had more than our share of May showers, too. The flowers have come despite the wet weather, but it’s been hard to get out to enjoy it all. I’ve been sketching in snippets of time, trying to capture blooms before they’re knocked to the ground. I started these three pages weeks and days ago but haven’t had time to finish them. So, for better or worse, today’s downpours gave me time to paint. Here’s hoping May showers bring June flowers…and a bit of sunshine.
Tips & Techniques- The delayed finish for these three pages gave me time to think about how to treat them in a way that might tie them together. My large number stamps for the date and use of a consistent text style did the trick. Though the stamp is bold, it helps to balance the pages, adds an element of fun, and fits the looseness of the drawing style. I think I’ll continue using it. I missed capturing my allium, but I’ll try it again when the poppies bloom.
Drawn In 
Love your treatment of the quince, with the out-of-focus flowering branches fading in the distance, and the little showers of orange paint drops, like pollen grains in the sunlight.
Thanks. I finished the flowers in front first, but the page seemed too empty. Adding the soft focus flowers in back did the trick with out fuss.
Beautiful pages all, Jean! Love the bold date stamping approach for balance and whimsey. And your Angeles lettering of species common names is a great complement. From the perspective of all your subscribers, you have all the permission needed to complete all of your journal pages, always! Reinforcing that approach and sharing the benefits is so comforting! Such sage advice and words of wisdom. Thanks! Have an incredibly creative day and week ahead.
I’m sure you, too, sometimes can’t finish pages right away. I find that if I leave them too long, I lose focus and interest, as I want to get on to whatever seems more immediate. So, I suppose I should be grateful for the rainy day.
you’re so right, Jean! Unless I can finish a page, my interest tends to wane. What brings me back are viewing any photos I may have taken. Even though my eyes are wide open when I’m observing a plant, bird, or other phenomenon, what I like about the photos the deeper look, and frequently discover things I may have missed in the field. It’s like discovering all over again, prompting new questions. All of this gets me excited all over again, sparking me to finish my journal pages. Do you carry a camera with you?
oops! Don’t know if there’s such a thing as ‘Angeles’ lettering, but autocorrect struck again. Should’ve been Angled lettering!
Beautiful. Quince is one of my favorites, and vastly under-represented in the landscape.
I don’t see it much at all, so I was delighted with the gift of a few branches from my sister-in-law. I think orange is tricky in the landscape, but it looks like it comes in shades of pink, too.
May’s magic: Black locusts bloomed overnight, scented the air for more than a week, depsite the downpours. Thanks, as always, for your magical artistry, jean.
I think the locusts seem especially fragrant and bountiful this year. It makes me wonder if they have “off” and “on” years. Ours are starting to fade and fall now, so I’m so glad I got them in. I’d hate to miss them until next year.
Your art is so beautiful—light, alive, elegant. Ever an inspiration!
Thanks you so much. Your comment is an inspiration for me!
Your art is so beautiful—light, alive, elegant. Ever an inspiration!
Your art is so beautiful—light, alive, elegant. Ever an inspiration!
oh, I agree! Those numbers add whimsy and connection in such an effective way.