All things floral #582

Daily painting #582 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Next week my children start mid-year break and we are leaving to go with my son on a cricket tour to a 20/20 Cricket festival at a school in Nelspruit (about 9 hours from Durban). Nelspruit is only an hour or so from our favourite bush retreat The Kruger National Park, so we will then head off to the bush for a weeks down time. Time in the African bush is just my best and reminds me of why I love Africa so much! Of course I will share some of the journey with you...and my trusty paintbox will be my loyal traveling companion as always, as will my camera!

So I have been frantically trying to complete all commissions and outstanding work before we leave. I have been so behind and not being able to spend long periods standing in my studio has really slowed everything down. Over the last 4 days (we have had a long weekend in SA) I have been completing a large floral and working on a beautiful little portrait of a friend's granddaughter. The floral painting is large and has taken most of my time, but I think it is finished (Maybe...? I will have to stare at it for a few days to decide). So the studio is full of florals...hard to find any other inspiration for a daily painting!

Other than painting, my son had a warm-up game for their cricket tour this weekend which of course we all went to watch. If I can't have a paintbrush in my hand, I love to have my camera! I love nothing better than capturing those little moments when my children aren't watching...and the camera lens can zoom up on them unawares. I don't share photos often enough with you (but then maybe you only come to see the paintings, in which case you are by now bored...sorry!) I am an absolute amateur photographer and am completely self taught but love my Canon EOS camera. So today I wanted to share an intimate photo of Ross at his game. He was all padded up and waiting to go on to the field to bat. This image just captures so much about the feeling of a million butterflies that still you as you wait to walk on to that field...the anticipation...the expectation...the quiet contemplation. This image just makes this Mamma's heart melt!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art