Weeping Cherry (again)

for those of you who were not able to see the video I am trying again.  Let me know if it works.

Many years ago I planted a weeping cherry in the center of my garden that blooms around the time of my mother's birthday on April 15th.  I have painted this tree over and over again from different angles and at different times of the day.  I am always in a frenzy to capture the tree as the light changes and the weather does not cooperate and before the petals fall to the ground and I have to wait one more year to get another chance.  I am never satisfied with these paintings.  Here is a video of most of them.  They are not necessarily in the order painted but the last three were painted in the last two years in my studio.  These lack the spontaneous brush strokes of earlier years but begin to capture some of the magic of this time of year for me.

(Click on the small square at the far right of the video to view in full size and then the ESC key to exit.)

Weeping Cherry

Many years ago I planted a weeping cherry in the center of my garden that blooms around the time of my mother's birthday on April 15th.  I have painted this tree over and over again from different angles and at different times of the day.  I am always in a frenzy to capture the tree as the light changes and the weather does not cooperate and before the petals fall to the ground and I have to wait one more year to get another chance.  I am never satisfied with these paintings.  Here is a video of most of them.  They are not necessarily in the order painted but the last three were painted in the last two years in my studio.  These lack the spontaneous brush strokes of earlier years but begin to capture some of the magic of this time of year for me.

(Click on the small square at the far right of the video to view in full size and then the ESC key to exit.)

WORM'S EYE VIEW

WORM'S EYE VIEW

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

Good morning.  I have not been posting lately as I have been getting started in my garden and trying to clean out my house from it's winter doldrums.  Since spring is rolling in faster than I would like, I hope to get outside and paint this week.  

I find spring is such a thrilling time of the year, I really don't know what to do first.  All the crocuses I planted sprang up suddenly one day last week, the forsythia is out and the trees are starting to get that rosy hue that lasts such a short time but is so very beautiful.  The weeds are also thriving and some must be removed before they go to seed and weeding becomes a battle as the seeds are projected into your eyes as you pull them out, and of course all over the garden. 

The view in this painting is where I will be for the next few days and weeks, down on the ground smelling nature come alive again and reveling in the renewal of life, with Bay somewhere near by and Jake pretending he doesn't care not far off.

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

Oil on canvas board

This month the virtual paintout traveled to Russia and the beautiful city of Saint Petersburg.  I really enjoyed scooting around there with Google maps.  The city has so many fabulous buildings and is a bustling metropolis.  Finally settled here on the Palace Embankment.  I'm not sure what building this is as, of course, most identifying words are in Cyrillic, so if you recognise this building let me know.

$125.00

Mill Creek Park

MILL CREEK PARK

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

The second area on the Lower Merion Conservancy Watch list is "streams and structures".  This painting is from the lovely West Mill Creek Park where you can take your dog and let it run freely while you sit by the water and watch  the quiet ripples of the stream.  It is a fine piece of nature maintained by our township for your enjoyment.

There is trouble in paradise however as storm run off from resident's homes is poluting the stream.  You can do something about this however and at the same time create a little oasis on your own property by planting a rain garden.

This is from the Nature Conservancy's web site:

So what are rain gardens exactly? These shallow depres- sions, shaped like wide-rimmed soup bowls, are filled with rich compost and planted with native plants that tolerate flooding during rain events. The property’s stormwater, instead of pouring down the driveway and into the street, collects in the basin and slowly seeps into groundwater after the rain is over. No standing water persists. Native plants are used because they are best suited to this region’s climate and their value to butterflies, pollinators and birds alike far exceeds that of non-native plants.

Installing a rain garden is hugely important method of addressing the stormwater issue on a very important piece of land: your property.

Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to the conservancy:

$125.00