Narcissus Tea I

April 17, 2015

Brewing Narcissus Tea

February 4, 2015

I can’t decide whether the stylized flower on this English Deco teacup by Royal Grafton is meant to be a narcissus or a daffodil but I think there is some wiggle room. I will shoot it both ways. My favorite flower shop, Bunches, had nosegays of narcissus on two for one so that was the perfect place to start. Even as I write this post I am surrounded by the heady scent of spring!

Narcissus sends the Victorian message of formality, or “Stay as sweet as you are” conflicting concepts I think! Let me know what you think – do you prefer the drama of the black background or the quaintness of the quilt?

I think I’ll pair up this teacup with this sweet White Crowned Sparrow. I have lots of photos of this little guy and his flock mates from the grounds of a local church and his markings seem to match perfectly! The bird says sweet, definitely not formal.

Tulip Tea Tryouts

January 9, 2015

The sun broke through just long enough to shoot tulips in a teacup today.

I love these little teacups made in Occupied Japan, they’re hand painted with such vibrant colors and the flowers are so playfully stylized. Look for more coming up (when their flowers are finally in season).

Now what kind of bird? Here are some from my archives, though I don’t know…

Does it help to know that the tulip symbolizes “perfect lover” and “fame”? Perhaps not, I’ll have to think on it.

Good Luck Bamboo (& Teacup)

January 7, 2015

Found a perfect bundle for the little bamboo demitasse I had waiting in my studio (like so many other vintage teacups I have, just waiting for their flower to come into bloom so I can take their picture in some dramatic light and pair them up with a matching bird – all so I can paint a picture).

This three stemmed lucky bamboo symbolizes happiness, long life and wealth.

Bamboo isn’t the typical Victorian flower I like choose for these teacups but I’m feeling freshly inspired my recent visit to the National Botanical Gardens in Kauai with their gorgeous bamboo groves.

I think I’ll pair this teacup with the lovely little Japanese White Eye birds I spotted there. Can you see it hanging on to the bottom of the bougainvillea? It’s a lovely shade of chartreuse which should be a vibrant counterpoint to the cerise teacup, its endearing white ring around it’s eye echoes the rim of the teacup too!

Rose Tea I

July 4, 2014

Pansy Tea I

July 4, 2014

Forget-me-not Tea I

July 4, 2014

Painting Pansy Tea

June 4, 2014

Now that I have my reference material all composed, I am able to precede with my Pansy Tea painting.

I like to sketch out my outlines with thinned oils on a white ground. I feel it helps me to maintain a clarity and vibrancy of color.

I begin to block in a bit of color as I feel more confident about the way the drawing is going.

Since the bird is the primary subject, I wanted to concentrate on it first.

The next goal I had was to work the entire canvas (all twelve inches of it).

Here I’ve built up highlights, shadows and details.

I will continue along this path, adding glazes to tone down areas until I feel it has enough depth and presence. Speaking of presence, I see my little finch is looking more like a chubby chick! Taking pictures as you go along is a great way of seeing your work in a new way. Let’s see what I can do about that tomorrow!

Birding

June 2, 2014

Lately I’ve gone from painting dead birds to live ones!

My teacup birds, while quite whimsical in concept, are a really about putting some life into the still life genre. I love the layers of artifice that go into these pieces, There’s the teacup artist’s interpretation of a flower and then my re-interpretation of that as well as my careful observation of the real flowers in their corresponding teacup that I’ve arranged in the low afternoon sun that comes streaming in my studio windows.

Then I coax a bird to land on my vignette while I snap a picture. Yes, I wish. I must rely on my growing collection of photos that I take myself as well as some other photo references which I combine with my own work and obscure beyond any point of possible copyright infringement. I need to invest in some more feeders – but I’m not beyond stalking the neighbor’s feeders. I find mornings are best! Although I’ve paused while writing this to take shots of junkos with my telephoto out here on the patio with my feet up on the fire pit and my laptop on my lap! Now if that humming bird will just come back for my pommegranate blossoms – no such luck!

Here are some of my better birding moments, not all teacup appropriate, but you never know…