Watering Yellow Roses

There's a story on this canvas!  I just know there's a story... 
I wonder what it is...

• What's her name?
• Where does the path lead?
• Why are the roses in pots?
• Who helps her with the flowers?
• Is that a special dress?

There are lots of ideas bouncing around in my head. Maybe there's more than one story on this canvas.

Sometimes the colors, shapes, and ideas flow and the painting appears without much effort. Other times... not so much.

This painting had a mind of its own... 

I did the trees and sky one way then changed the color and the shape.

I did the path one way then changed the direction and the width.

I did the grass smooth and formal then changed to add wildflowers and texture.

I did the watering can yellow then changed it to blue.

I did the shoes yellow then changed them to purple.

I did the face one way then another then another then another... then another...

... sigh...

I should have listened to the painting better from the beginning.  
The painting knew its story all along. 

This is the fourth painting for the bedrooms of Welcome Home Retreat. 

It's for the Yellow Rose of Texas Room. 

Click below to see each of the other three.

Bluebonnet Room

Pink Primrose Room

Indian Paintbrush Room

Original Oil Painting on 16"x 20" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Hmmmmm.....

I think this is the hummingbird version of "a kid in a candy shop!"  She's probably thinking... "Hmmmmm... They all look so good!  Hmmmm... Where do I begin? Hmmmmm... Maybe I'll just cruise around... Hmmmmm..."

I love to read.
I love to read excellent literature... trashy novels... children's books... and blogs. I love to discover a blog that feels real... like the the author is just talking in his/her own voice without concern for who is/isn't reading it. Usually it's one that doesn't have sponsors or hundreds of followers; it's just someone writing about whatever it is they're passionate about.  Whenever I stumble across one like that, I like to go all the way back to the beginning of it and read it through. It's like a novel (only better).  It's the oddest thing to do that because a blog is written in present tense, so it feels like it's happening now even though it might have been written 6 years ago.  It's funny how invested I find myself becoming in this stranger's life. Occasionally I can't help myself and leave a comment (even though my present is the author's past... let that sink in a minute...) then worry the author wonders what this random stranger is doing in his/her past.

I discovered one of these blogs during Christmas break. (It's always in a really random way that this happens... long story short... I'm fascinated by high and low tides.  I learned that Nova Scotia has the highest tides in the world. Visiting there was added to my bucket list. The author of this blog is from there.) After reading a few posts of SharleyStudio, I knew I wanted to start at the beginning; I think the first post was done in 2007. It became my winter reading choice.  
Then one day in late January I got to the post written on July 19, 2012 and stopped. All of Sara's photographs are wonderful, but the hummingbirds and those spiky pink flowers on this post and a few more on the post on August 1, 2012, just captured my heart.

I gathered the courage to ask permission to use one as a reference for a painting, and Sara graciously said yes.

So...
I'm often asked, "Where do you get your ideas for paintings?"  
Well, sometimes an image just finds me.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 8" Wrapped Canvas.
[SOLD]