After the Rain and a little update

The same but not the same.
Yes, this is the same image that was in my last post....except that I tweaked it here and there. I had brought what I thought was the finished canvas in our main living area so that I could look at it under different lighting. I started to see some things, areas that could have bolder color- back to the easel.

I felt good enough about the finished painting to enter it into a national juried show. Now I'm waiting. I'll let you know!

The Whole Bunch

I painted this from a photo reference of the bouquet of daffodils I had picked at my sisters house on Easter morning. I love how the blue vase goes with the embroidered tablecloth that was my mothers. It's not my everyday style, but the curved lines in the tablecloth remind me of Matisse.

I got right over it to take the picture, then kept the shapes very simple and as abstract as I could. The easiest way for me to do this is to keep the photo out of sight, so that I am not slavishly staring at it to get everything precise. I'm not knocking precise, it's just not for me, so this helps to rely on my memory of the daffodils.

Hope

Nothing brings more hope that Spring will actually come again than the appearance of daffodils. I picked a bunch of them at my sisters house on Easter morning, enjoying the great variety of blooms. There are plants that our grandmother planted eons ago showing the hardiness and longevity of these bulbs. 
This is a single Trumpet; I love the soft white petals and the vibrant yellow cup.
Painted from direct observation, then follow up from a photo as I am working in a slower way, making layers of paint for depth and considering composition of the background as important as my subject.

Daffodills

This is my entry for this weeks challenge for The Daily Paintworks Help Japan Challenge. It's an auction and all proceeds are going to Japan. I've chosen The Japanese Red Cross Society. Please visit the website, bid on my painting, and give hope and help to people in need. Thank you!