Last of the garden roses #291

Daily painting #291 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel $70

These are the last 2 roses left from the beautiful bunch of roses from my mother-in-law's garden. The rest of them have all lost their petals. I do love hand picked roses from a garden ...they are less perfect than bought roses and the scent is usually more beautiful, they also open up into full blooms. I really need to spend more time in my own garden.....

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Sometime after 5pm #290

Daily painting #290  4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel SOLD

I didn't get into the studio much today but it wasn't out of choice....I had good intentions today but with children still on holiday and loads of things to catch up on, the day seemed to fly by. I visited my Mum in hospital in the afternoon and painted this shortly after getting home in the early evening.

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Contemplation #289

Daily painting #289 9"x12" oil on primed canvas panel

Larger than my normal daily paintings and more of a 'play day' in the studio than actually getting around to any work.....my head space today was just all wrong! I have been really unsettled after returning from my trip to the UK. It was quite an emotional visit having lived there almost 16 years ago and returning again for the first time since, was quite something....! My mum was also at the doctors today and will be admitted back into hospital for tests and possible surgery.....my head space is not quite calm to say the least! So I really didn't feel like doing a daily painting today as a matter of fact I didn't feel like going into my studio at all....most unlike me....so I forced myself to! I decided to work from some photo references rather than setting up something (it felt like too much effort although working from life is always best) and fruit, flowers and still life just had no appeal. So a portrait instead! Only I felt like I needed to struggle a bit today, a bit like forcing yourself to take on a battle so I limited my palette (a lot) worked with mixtures of skin tones I don't normally use and yes....struggled....as you can probably see! Not a master portrait but then I never was going to create a masterpiece today, I simply needed to paint....and contemplate! As a matter of fact if you are a portrait artist looking at this now you will probably cringe for me that I have even bothered to share this....but I paint daily and will share whatever it is I have done....regardless. Sometimes painting has less to do with what it is we paint or how we paint it and more to with what we feel when we paint it....today I am contemplative. And just for the record....I am glad I forced myself into the studio regardless of the outcome. When we resist something it is often what we need the most!

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Little clementines #288

Daily painting #288. 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

The house is stocked up with food and flowers again after a tedious grocery shop and a slightly more pleasant trip to the market. The winter fruit selection is slightly more boring but these juicy sweet little clementines are a delicious sweet treat and a feast of color to paint on a chilly, grey winters afternoon in my studio. They are like little balls of sunshine to warm the soul...

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Opening bloom #287

Daily painting #287. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel SOLD

Another beautiful bloom from my mother-in-laws garden....and the scent is heavenly! I love the perfume of a rose....

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Early morning at home #286

Daily painting #286. 4"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

It is amazing how a good nights sleep in your own bed can restore you! It was wonderful to wake up to the beautiful morning sky that we are blessed with seeing from our bedroom veranda each morning....we really do have the most spectacular morning view! It's like soul food to start the day! I was so inspired by the beautiful fiery skies of the Turner paintings in the Tate Gallery.....such emotion in his skies! Even my husband (who would normally avoid going to galleries altogether) was in awe!

Today is going to be a day of unpacking (possibly the worst part of having been away) and shopping for groceries to full the fridge and cupboards again. My husband no doubt will want to stoke up that fire and braai (barbecue) ....he is longing for his good old South African braai! At least one thing I won't have to do is cook....

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Welcome home #285

Daily painting #285 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Daily painting #284 blogpost has only just gone live now...I had no luck with the Heathrow free wireless ....but I am finally home!!!! After leaving Reigate about 24 hours ago and being awake for close on 29 hours ....we are finally home and I am determined to complete my daily painting before completely crashing into the deepest sleep in my own bed! Andrew took a sleeping tablet on the flight over and Amy who was exhausted slept on me....so I am feeling quite zombified right now but having managed to continue daily entries throughout my UK trip....I am not about to break my momentum now....perhaps I am overtired! So this post will go live in the morning....as usual ....and I will be back to some kind of daily routine. Can't wait to get into my studio tomorrow in the daylight, have a big clean up and spend some quality time in my heavenly little space! 

My kind mother-in-law dropped off some supper and a beautiful bunch of roses from her garden....I am SO grateful! Neither supper or what I was going to paint needed too much thought! The bunch of roses look and smell gorgeous....I will definitely have to paint them again! Perhaps after a good nights sleep! 

It is good to be home!

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