At least this year, my Texas Mountain Laurel bush is blooming two weeks earlier than usual. I’m so glad I wandered over to check on whether it was in bud, and there are many clusters that are already open. If you don’t know this bush, the clusters smell like grape koolaid, and it was the first shrub I planted when we moved in a long time ago. I went out after 4 to paint it in the afternoon sun and shadows, and I feel like after several years, I finally have a handle on how to express the blooms. Expect to see more paintings over the next week. One of my favorite parts of the bush are the seed pods that linger and over several years they turn rusty and blue but in the first years they are light tan. can you see them in the painting?
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Nice expression of color variation.
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Wow!! So beautiful. I love the purples. 🙂
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Thank you Carol! they are a varied mix of ultramarine blue and permanent rose. for the really dark purples it’s indanthrone blue instead
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This is so beautiful, love your use of watercolor. It´s just the right amount of “controlled” and “letting it flow”. Wonderful!
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Thank Ann Christina. I started out with wetting the paper and having the easel be almost vertical which made controlling the pigment and water a real challenge. I may have to rethink that when I try it again!
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It is a wonderful plant and I love your painting of the first flowers. Can’t wait to see the Mountain Laurel series
Diane
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Thanks Diane. they are almost ethereal in their beauty and challenging to capture.
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Yes, I can see the colors, rust, blue and tan. Beautiful!
J
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Thank you Jean. I am going out to paint them again.
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