STRAWBERRIES! Our first of the year.
They’re almost ready to eat. We can hardly wait, just hope Ms. Mockingbird doesn’t get to them first 🙂
Jack and I have taken tons of reference pictures over the years. BDC (Before Digital Cameras) we mainly took slides. We have some great Poplar Tree 2x2s, just have to pull out the trusty slide projector to view them. You can see my set up above. I project the image on the wall behind my easel. That’s Jack’s painting over the mantle, he did it especially for me. Don’t you think Peace in the Valley is beautiful? You can click on the image to enlarge it!
Watch the video above to see how I paint the Poplar Trees!
The leaves of the Red Corn Poppies are painted first, opposite of my usual method. Then the thick brushstokes of the brilliant flowers are gently “Laid” on top of the underlying paint. If I pick up any of the green I immediately wipe it off the brush, I don’t want it to muddy the intense color of the blossoms.
I go back to my regular sequence of Flowers First, Leaves Last to block in the White Daisies in the foreground.
Chimayo Morning    14 inches by 14 inches
Yellow and Orange centers finish out the Daisies shimmering in the early morning sunlight. Isn’t it amazing how the warm flowers in the foreground make the cool colors behind them drop back? Thanks for following along. Hugs,
Mikki Senkarik 