First Flowering

The weekend snow wreaked havoc on blooming trees and bushes, trashed bulbs and ground cover, just when the color transformation of spring was well underway. That seems to be a feature of spring in Colorado with its ping ponging warmth and chill, sun and clouds. The high elevation makes the almost daily drop of 30 degrees F deadly for some blossoms. Every time I hear someone griping about it or hear myself saying something similar, I wonder why we are surprised. As children we used to chant “Rain, rain go away, come again some other day.” Yesterday it was snow.

Cacti Artist Trading Cards by Phillip Hoyle

I am reminded that of all the figures I have ever drawn the most successful have been floral. The first things I drew as an adult were ink renderings for newsletters or brochures. I was surprised I could do it. I drew a poinsettia in a pot, then a yucca in bloom along a walkway and gate. Over the winter I have drawn many, many floral images, mostly for Artist Trading Cards. I drew flowers, cacti, trees, and bushes with the goal of simplifying each to fewer and fewer lines, an experiment in abstraction. I’ve enjoyed the experience. My favorite images have been grasses. Last week I started painting grasses, native grasses of Missouri for a collage with mixed media project. 

Grass studies in acrylic paints by Phillip Hoyle

Along the way I found out how nicely acrylic washes paint on mixed media paper, particularly the Strathmore mixed media 140 lb. 400 series paper my friend Sue encouraged me to buy when they were on sale (two tablets for the price of one). I bought the best quality vellum finish which takes the paint beautifully leaving the clear, sharp edge of each blade of grass. I painted with small angular shader brushes and with a variety of green shades eventually mixing some of the shades.

I painted over a white washed map for my ultimate project, the one I failed to finish before last week’s posting. I’m still not done with it and promise to show the whole thing as soon as I’m satisfied with it! In the meantime you get to see these grasses.

I like painting grasses because they never call for a lawn mower to be wheeled from the garage and pushed noisily around the yard. I really like art and artifice!

Denver 2014