Mediterranean Wildflowers in Red Vintage Bottle

Mediterranean Wildflowers in Red Vintage Bottle 2022

The Mediterranean wildflowers that I painted in this red vintage bottle show up in the spring, and add little dashes of color around my neighborhood. Every year I try to get them to grow on my terrace. Sometimes I succeed. This year, I got the little violet flowers, a few poppies, and little white daisies to grow in a pot on my terrace. I got this red vintage bottle at a second-hand store in San Diego. I love to paint it over and over again with the pretty flowers I find in Madrid.

I just finished this painting today; it’s still wet. When the colors dry and settle down. I will varnish it and take another picture. Thank you for reading my little story. Enjoy the colorful flowers around you too.

Victoria

A watercolor of poppies and daisies with little purple or violet flowers in a pickle jar.

Poppies and Daisies in Pickle Jar 2019

In the spring I like to paint the wild flowers since they are so colorful and my favorite painting theme.

A picture of a watercolor in process. You can see a light grid, pencil drawing and red watercolor paint of poppies.

I started off with a grid and a light drawing, then I started putting in the poppies.

Since I’m painting from life, I put in the poppies first before they wilt.

A watercolor of red poppies, daisies and a glass jar in the process of making.

The next step I take is painting all over the paper since all the shapes and colors influence each other.

Then I start putting in other flowers, not forgetting about the equally important background which includes the glass pickle jar.

A picture of a watercolor almost finished. You can see red poppies, white daisies with a touch of purple or violet flowers in a glass pickle jar.

Here I am almost finished. Just putting in the finishing touches. Not too many.

The watercolor is almost finished here.  I paint what I see and leave a lot of the white of the paper.

A watercolor of poppies and daisies with little purple or violet flowers in a pickle jar.
Here it is finished. Poppies and Daisies in Pickle Jar 2019 Watercolor on Arches 300gsm 19×28 cm – 7.5×11 in

This year the wild flower season was brief.  Less rain, less flowers…

 

My Watercolor Exhibition Experience at Arte Studio in Madrid May-June 2017

I realised that I had to focus.  First I got a body of watercolors together 2014 to 2016.

 

cartel_expo_victoria

Here’s a short clip of the watercolors in the show and a few pictures.

 

Paseo del Prado August 2016

A street view of the Paseo del Prado in August 2016

Three Glass Bottles with Pear 2014

When I got together around 50 watercolors, I started matting them.

 

summer-melon-with-red-bottle-2016

Summer Melon with Red Bottle 2016 – Watercolor on Arches 640 GMS – 20 x 16 inch ( 50.8 x 40.6 cm) – Swiss Clip Frameless Frame with Plexi-glass Ready to Hang

This is the style I used for presentation – A beige mat with plexi-glass and swiss clips.

 

Inauguration 2017

 

Once it was all set up, the show looked really nice.  I Saw a lot of family and friends I hadn’t seen for a long time as well as meeting new friends.

 

Flor, Victoria and Cani

Flor, Victoria and Cani

Although it was very hard work, it was something I wanted to do and I’m glad it happened.

 

The light in Madrid, Spain is always inspiring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small Watercolors of Flowers in Vases

I like to paint small watercolors of colorful flowers and transparent glass filled with water.

Bouquet in Crystal VAse 1994

Bouquet in Crystal Vase 1994

These small still-life paintings date back from the 90’s to  the present 2016.  

They are all post card size 5.5”x 7.5”or smaller.  I started off making this size in the mid-eighties to send as post cards.

Almond Blossom in Raku Pinch Pot

Almond Blossoms in Raku Pinch Pot

Almond Blossoms are really nice to paint.  In the spring there are a lot of these trees in Madrid.  I sent this watercolor to my Mom.  When I go to California I see it on the wall.

Pea Flowers in Purple Vase

Sweet Pea Flowers in Purple Vase

 I remember visiting someone who had sweet peas growing in their vegetable garden, I couldn’t resist taking some home to paint them. I’m going to have to get some sweet pea seeds.

Red Bottle with Ceramic Dish 1994

Red Bottle with Ceramic Dish and Irises 1999

The Red Bottle is one of my favorites. I bought it in the mid-eighties at the Salvation Army in the Gaslamp Quarter when I was living in sunny San Diego.  I’m always on the look out for beautiful glass bottles and vases.

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Red Bottle, kumquats and Sugar Bowl 1998

This watercolor is wet on wet with my favorite red  bottle.

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kumquats and Glass Bottle with Pinch Pot 1998

 What I like the most about glass are the reflections; especially clear glass with water in it.

Red Bottle with REd Flowers 1998

Red Bottle with Red Flowers 1998

I paint a lot; not everything turns out.  It doesn’t matter.  I like to include everything I see around my model.

Bouganville in Purple Vase 2011

Bougainvillea in Purple Vase 2011

I go to California often, almost every year.  I like to paint the flowers in my Mother’s garden.  Bougainvillea is so fun to paint.

Bouganville in Crystal Vase 2011

Bougainvillea in Crystal Vase 2011

Sometimes I paint the motif twice.  Here I changed the vase.  I like this vase; I like the fact that you can see the stems and leaves in the water.

Roses in Crystal vase 2011

Roses in Crystal Vase 2011

Here is the vase again with my Mom’s beautiful roses.

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Glass Bottles on Shelf 2012

I like colored glass. They have everything I like, color, shape, transparency and reflection. 

RedRoses in Greek Vase 2015

Red Roses in Greek Vase 2015

Someone gave me this vase.  I think it’s beautiful with the vertical grooves imitating a greek column.  This one got sent off in the mail.

Red Roses in Glass Vase 2015

Red Roses in Glass Vase 2015

I like to do more than one painting to try a different view.

Poppies in May 2016

Poppies in May 2016

When the spring comes around, I go a little crazy.  I can’t stop painting.  Spring is such a bright season full of color and warmth.

Poppies, Daisies and Red Roses 2015

Poppies, Daisies and Roses 2015

You can really see the difference of the light in the spring.

Red Glass Bottle with Orange Poppies 2016

Red Glass Bottle with Orange Poppies 2016

These are California Poppies and wild flowers.  I brought the seeds from California and planted them here in Madrid. I recently sent this one to my Dad.

Small Red Bottle with Wildflowers2016

Small Red Bottle with Wild Flowers 2016

I wanted to paint my model with the reflection in the mirror and on the table.

Chartreuse Bottle with California Wild Flowers 2016 B

Chartreuse Bottle with California Wild Flowers 2016

This is the latest small watercolor.  A friend told me that the color of  this bottle is chartreuse.

 I’m glad she told me.  I had never heard of that color.  Thanks to her the title isn’t yellow bottle with wild flowers, but Chartreuse Bottle with California Wild Flowers. 🙂

 

 

Spanish Poppies in front of Window 2016

Spanish poppies are very large and vivid in color which is why they are so fun to paint.

FavoritePart
I started with the poppies, keeping in mind what else I wanted to put in the painting

SettingVase

I set in the vase very lightly in case I had to move something.

BuildingUp

When everything was where it belonged on the picture plane, I started painting a la prima.

Background

The metallic bar across the window was white, so I respected it and painted around it.

Spanish Poppies infront of Terrace Door

This is the final result.

 

A painting of Spanish wild flowers in an exhibition at La Casa del Reloj del Matadero in Madrid, Spain

Spanish wild flowers are so colorful, ideal in watercolor.

In this post, I’m going to show a few steps in the making of a painting which was presented and accepted in The  Salòn de Primavera 2016 of Madrid, Spain.

wildflowers

I started with my favorite part and visualised the finished composition in my mind without a preliminary drawing.

Spanish Wild Flowers

Here, I continued by using the first flower as a measurement for the rest of the painting.

The watercolor making process

I continued  building around the first flower while observing shapes, colors, linear directions and placement in the picture plane carefully. In watercolor, you only have one shot.

Red Poppies in Blue Vase

This is the finished watercolor, called Spanish Wild Flowers in Blue Vase 2015

Casa del Reloj Madrid, Spain

The exhibition was held in the Casa del Reloj at the Matadero in the Arganzuela district of Madrid, Spain

Salón de Primavera 2016

Here is my painting exhibited in the Salón de Primavera 2016 in La Lonja Sala of Casa del Reloj in Madrid, Spain.

Wild Flowers in Pickle Jar May 2nd 2015

   Not only do I like the way these wild flowers liven up the city landscape of Madrid with bright colors and interesting shapes, I also like the way they announce the coming of long summer warm days of light after a long cold winter.Wild Flowers in Pickle Jar May 2nd 2015

Wild Flowers in Pickle Jar May 2nd 2015

Here is how I started out

In Process

In Process

I started with a grid and a light line drawing. Then started in with watercolor working around the paper.  My intention is to end with harmony.  I try to paint on all areas of the paper before getting into specific detail.

Estabishing the dark and light areas

establishing the dark and light areas

This is what is starts to look like when I start to lay in the color.  Sometimes I want to put in the color and shape in one shot and in other areas I work lightly so I can go back in again.

Painting in a horizontal positiion

Painting in a horizontal position

I point my paper in the direction of what I’m painting to keep all the lines parallel

Detail

Detail

Here is a detail of the painting.

 

Spanish Wild Flowers May 2015

From the Series of Spring Flowers –

These are three small watercolors  5.5 x 7.5 inches.  I started painting this size to send in the mail to friends and family.

Poppies with Daisies in a Blue Vase May 2015

Poppies with Daisies in a Blue Vase May 2015

Poppies and Wild Flowers May 2015

Poppies and Wild Flowers May 2015

Wild Flowers May 2015

Wild Flowers May 2015