HEDGES

Back to Merion and my garden in its first flowering of this year, with Korean lilacs, Forget-me-nots, from New Zealand, and Spanish Bells.   It is an international dance to welcome spring.  The old privat hedges, probably originating in England or Ireland march along keeping order, with the Japanes Katsura as chaparone.  And then there are the gout weed (England) or pinellia (Asia) rudely cutting in.

Just like humans the plants are all jostling for a place in the sun.

This was my first painting of the year completed outside, as I have been working from sketches and photos in my studio.  It is an exhilerating struggle.  The light changes, the wind blows or the sun is too hot...and there is so much more to choose from visually.

WEEPING CHERRY AND KATSURA

I wanted to capture the soft colors of early spring in this painting of my weeping cherry.  It isn't fully blooming yet and the Katsura leaves in the forground still have that combination of new green and red that is so elusive in the spring.  It is the most beautiful time of year and the most dificult to capture in paint.  Everything blends together in a fine mist of color as the whole world slowly comes to life again.

MARSH MARIGOLD

The Marsh Marigold has now taken over many lawns, including mine, with lovely large clusters of flowers.  They are especially fond of the banks of streams and can be found now in abundance on the stream running through Merion Park.

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FORSYTHIA 2011

Trying to catch the wild beauty of the forsythia is one of my favorite spring pleasures.  My neighbor's large collection is a favorite place to start, and in this case end, looking for the best subject.  Several of my favorite places were hacked to pieces this year unfortunately.  Check out last year's selection here.  Check out some pure color prints using forsythia colors as their theme here.

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SNOWDROPS

These delicate little beauties are popping up all over.  There is an interesting entry in Wikipedia about them.  Here is part of it under ACTIVE SUBSTANCES.

It was suggested by Duvoisin in 1983 that the mysterious magical herb moly that appears in Homer's Odyssey is actually snowdrop. An active substance in snowdrop is called galantamine, which, as anticholinesterase, could have acted as an antidote to Circe's poisons.^[8] Galantamine (or galanthamine) can be helpful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, though it is not a cure; the substance also occurs naturally in daffodils and other narcissi.

OPEN TULIP

Right before all the leaves fall to the ground, the tulip really is quite magnificent.  I'm not sure if this show attracts pollinators, as the info on line is not clear.  It seems tulips may self pollinate or the wind blows the pollen around.  Anybody know?  It seems this lovely show must have a purpose. One thing is sure, the pollinator, if there is one must, is diurnal as the tulips close up at night.

LIGHT PATTERN

Since I have been painting the light as it appears in dazzling displays around my house, I have become aware of light patterns I never saw before.  Just shows what a  large role our attention plays in what we actually see.

SPRING STREAM

The crucusses (or croci if you want to be true to the latin form) are gloriously covering the banks of the stream that runs through Merion park and spreading their joyful faces in blankets of pale purple under the trees.  From now until July for me is the best time of the year.  Everyday something new arrives to brighten the heart.

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LAST SNOW

My neighbor's garage is such a simple old structure that it calls out to be painted and I have painted it many times.  This time I have opted for a very clean controlled vision.  Here are some of the other paintings done on the spot. I was surprised to note that these very same shadows were the subject of a painting done many years ago.
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SECRET GARDEN #2

SECRET GARDEN #1

EARLY SPRING

ROOF SHADOWS

FIRST SIGN OF SPRING 2011

In Merion Park these beauties are lighting up the banks of the stream allready.  Here is a link to last year's version of the same subject. (scroll down to March 17th)  You'll note quite a difference in style between the two paintings.  I "stumbled" upon this link to Japanese posters in the 20's and 30's and tried to keep that elegant line in mind while painting this one.  Check out STUMBLE if you like to surf the net but don't want to waste too much time.  They select things that you might like based on some computer digging that is probably better not thought about.  Every once in a while I get an email from them that is packed with items I really like, so they do a good job.

BRYN MAWR FILM INSTITUTE

Just in time for the oscars I am proud to present the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.  Saved by the prodigious energies of Juliet Goodfriend, who has lived up to her name by being a good friend to all in the area by creating this wonderful cultural gathering place.  Read all about it in Wikipedia and by all means attend their Oscar party if you are in the area.
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FIVE OCLOCK SHADOW #2

This is the same light seen in the last painting looking in the oposite direction away from the source of light.   We think of shadows as being cast by people or objects, but there is no word, that I am aware of, for images cast by the sun like this one. Of course there are always both elements in play, but sometimes one is stronger than the other and the sun really creates an image for a moment or two that is quite striking.   I love the diference here between the color of the light from the east window on the right and the light from the west coming through the arched window on the stairs.

FIVE OCLOCK SHADOW

As I am following the sun around my house, I came upon this composition.  The sun was shining through the window on the landing through the bannisters on the second floor.  I had not seen it before or since so I guess it is a rare find.  The sun at just a particular spot - my stonehenge.  Not sure why the blue is where it is, but who am I to question the mysteries of light.

JAPANESE CHERRY TREES IN WINTER

These 100 year old Japanese Cherries can be found in one of the most tranquil places in the Merion area, the graveyard of the Merion Friends Meeting House.  I missed painting these old beauties when they flowered but hope to catch them this year.  If you want to cummune with the imagined spirit of the long dead, this is the place to go.  Click on this link to read about the interesting history of these trees.  Here also is a link to other paintings of this site.  Friends Meeting building and Stables.

PAINTER'S HALLWAY

The light spilling over the canvasses almost makes this messy hallway okay.  At least that's what I tell myself.

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BLUE AND RED

Snow is blowing around our very old bird feeder but inside it is warm and cozy on this very blue day.  Margaret Whiting died yesterday and here she is singing with Johnny Mercer, her mentor and friend. BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE.

AUTUMN ZINNIAS

Only a few days ago the trees were still full of leaves and the Zinnias, that this year were at least 6 feet tall, were still proudly showing their stuff.  Today we have frost and most of the leaves are down.  This fall so gloriously filled my head with color, I think I will be able to make it through the winter without too much regret.
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$125.00

KATSURA IN AUTUMN

Autumn would not be complete for me without an attempt to paint my Katsura trees.  This one, our big Daddy, is huge, with long pendulous limbs that seem impossible to sustain and yet they grow longer every year. It is about 150 years old.  Katsura trees are native to China and Japan.  There are males and females and we have a beautiful pair that creates babies that have populated our neighborhood and our friend's back yards.  In the fall as the leaves turn yellow they create a wonderful burnt sugar aroma making them a glorious sensual delight in every way.

CONDENSATION

A few days ago it was very warm and wet and the windows were covered with this condensation.  The condensation condensed the fall colors so beautifully I had to try and capture it.

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CARRIAGE HOUSE

There seem to be many more carriage houses than there are stables.  If these places actually held horse drawn carriages, where did they put the horses when they weren't pulling the carriage?  Was there a central stables, where horses were kept for any given neighborhood?  Anybody know?

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