12″x9″ pastel on sanded paper
“Like wildflowers you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would.” -Lorde
Blooming Bulb
5″x7″ pastel on sanded paper
“Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” –Hans Christian Andersen
Bluebonnet – up close and personal
8″x10″ pastel on sanded paper
Howdy Blue
14″x11″ pastel on sanded paper
“It’s not only the state flower but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat. The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland.” Wrote historian Jack Maguire
The season is short, I plan to make the most of it.
Spring
5″ square pastel on sanded paper
Spring: a lovely reminder of how truly beautiful change can be.
Legacy, Contained in a Bulb
5″x7″ pastel on sanded paper
If you would like to know the history of any Texas woman, ask her about her bulbs. You will learn about her family, her neighbors, her church friends, and possibly about some of her adventures and travels.
“These Irises are from my Great Aunt Thelma, these Bare Naked Ladies are from my mom’s next door neighbor when she lived in Oak Cliff, the Amaryllises are from the organist from the church where I was married, my husband and I dug up these Lilies as newly weds from an abandoned house we found driving the back roads in East Texas…”
Season after season the flowers bless our springs, and from time to time we dig, divide and our own stories get planted into the next generation of Texas gardens.
My Texas Spring
14″ x 11″ pastel on sanded paper
“Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harriman
For all of you who are still in winter, I paint for you today…my Texas spring. For everyone who is working, in all the million contributions you make to help this world go round, thank you. And if you labor under the buzz of florescent light, or in a factory, or facing a parking lot, I share with you too, my Texas Spring.
Garden Spot of the World
10″x 8″ Pastel on sanded paper – Plein air
I must say as to what I have seen of Texas, it is the garden spot of the world, the best land and the best prospects for health I ever saw, and I do believe it is a fortune to any man to come here. (Davey Crockett)
Joy in a vase – a small series
“The earth laughs in flowers.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
These are small paintings, all pastel on sanded paper, inspired by a joyful bouquet in my kitchen.
Splish Splash
36″x24″ acrylic on canvas
“There are people who can achieve huge success in life, while adding a bit of fun and a splash of colour to this increasingly grey world.” -Peter James
I want to be that kind of person.
Walking to School series No•13
