February Almond Branch Flowers 2021

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february almond branch flowers in criystal vase 2021

I woke up early, went for a walk, and came back with some Almond branches.

These flowers are really fun to paint because I love to look at them. The petals brighten up everthing around them.

february almond branch flowers in criystal vase 2021

I like painting this crystal vase too; it is in a lot of my paintings.

Here is the watercolor still on the drawing board with the model.

Here is the watercolor outside on a sunny day, in full shade to see the true colors.

Thank you for checking out my post. I have a few more spring paintings coming up. Enjoy your day, Victoria.

Early Branch Blossoms Watercolor Painting

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Early Bloomers in Pickle Jar 2021

I like painting flowering branches in watercolor because watercolor is a medium that allows me to paint quickly enough to try to capture the feeling.

Almond Blossoms, Japaneses Scarlet Quince and Yellow Retama

These are the branch blossoms that bloom in February here in Madrid. The first three flowers I see after the cold winter are almond blossoms, Japanese quince and yellow retama.

Japanese quince and yellow retama

Here is a closer view of the Japanese quince and yellow retama in pickle jar half filled with water.

Pickle Jar with branches

These three early bloomers grow on twisting branches reaching out in every direction, so that’s why I like to put them in a pickle jar. I want to be able to paint the submerged flowers on the branches.

The Blue Curtain

The blue curtains are in the background. I opened them up and the light came in illuminating the yellow retama.

Size Reference

Here is a picture of the watercolor in full shade. My hands serve as a size reference. Thank you for reading my little watercolor adventure report. Victoria

Spring Blossom Explosion Painting 2021

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The Flowers in this painting are almond tree blossoms, Japanese scarlet quince and yellow broom retama in a pickle jar.

Oil Painting of Spring Blossoms in Pickle Jar

Every spring, I go out and get a few of these flowers to paint them in glass jars.

I really like the light refraction of the stems in the water.

This detail is the pickle jar reflected in the mirror with the beveled mirror edge with a few almond blossoms in the foreground.

I have blue curtains that I got in the Rastro. I like it that they show up in the mirror and complement the Japanese scarlet quince in the foreground.

Each little petal that fell off of the almond branch had a little reflection on the table.

The white almond blossom floating on the waterline in the pickle jar was my favorite detail in the still life.

Thank you for taking the time,

Victoria

Blue Bottles with a Red Bottle

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These colorful flowers tell me that the cold winter here in Madrid is getting ready to leave and the warm weather is coming soon.  I run out and cut the flowers and paint them as fast as possible before they wilt.

Blue Bottles with a Red Bottle 2020

The first signs of spring in my neighborhood

This painting is a resin-oil painting.

I mix the dry pigments with essential oils and paint with a pallet knife and brushes.  The gloss is in the paint not on the surface.

Here is a little Painting Setup clip of some of the process.  You can see this new painting at  Plaza de los Pintores on Sunday from 10-2.  We are located at Plaza Conde de Barajas in Madrid, Spain.  Hope to see you there.

 

 

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

Poppies and Daisies in Pickle Jar 2019

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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…