Hummingbird and Red Bee Balm Oil Painting

It's always fun to try a painting in a different medium. When someone would like a watercolor I've painted to be done in oil or vice versa, I enjoy the experience.

The painting to the left is a 7x5 inch watercolor that I did some time ago.

A client asked if I could do the same painting for her but in oils instead of watercolor.  So this is a good opportunity to try it in my other favorite medium.

The oil painting will also be 7x5. I found that  I have a small canvas at that size - perfect!

Pee Gee Hydrangeas Floral Oil Painting

What will this be?

That's the question I asked on my Facebook page. People took their guesses:

• autumn foliage?
• flowers?
• hydrangeas?
• cotton candy?

It turns out that some of them were right and of course you already know what it will be because you've seen the post title and picture. This is the beginning of an oil painting of PeeGee hydrangea blossoms (though it does look like cotton candy).

If you'd like to see how the rest of the painting turns out, read on:

Garden Gate with Stargazer Lilies Flower Oil Painting

"Garden Gate"
As the name suggests, this oil painting has a gate as its focus. Come on into my studio and I'll show you how I painted it...

 First I draw a rough sketch of the scene on the panel. There are mountains in the distance, so I paint those in first after brushing in a summer sky with a few puffy clouds.

The mountains are far away, so I use blue to paint them. Distant things appear more blue due to atmospheric effects:

Pink Peony Oil Painting on Panel

Peonies are a most beautiful flower, don't you think? They are gone from my garden now, so I painted one of them to save its memory. I'll show you how I did this painting below, but first, look what showed up in my yard the other day:

White Hydrangea Blossoms in Oil and a Butterfly Surprise!

What are your favorite July flowers? Hydrangeas are one of my favorites and I enjoy painting them.

Since they are blooming in my garden now, I got out my oils and a 5x7 acid-free panel to do a small painting focusing on one of the blossoms.

When I went outside to get a close-up view of the flowers, I noticed a black butterfly hanging upside down from the stucco siding of the house. I was hoping it was not caught in a spider web, but upon closer inspection,  I saw this:

Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Antiquing a New Painting

A request came in from a delightful gentleman for a painting to be done of a vintage floral still life print of a vase of asters which was published in the early 1900's by Edward Gross co. There was no artist name anywhere to be found on the print and he did not think it was of any great value. But the print meant a lot to him.

His mother had bought the elaborately framed art piece on her honeymoon, and she had left it to him when she passed away. But a family member recently decided it needed cleaning with a damp rag.  Hmm. That did not work out very well as you can see below:

Ouch! Poor print. The entire background was obliterated except at the edges which were concealed by the frame. Most of the color, detail and contrasts in the flowers and vase were washed out as well. This was very distressing because the print had great sentimental value as you can imagine.

My mission was to do a new painting of this piece to restore the colors and detail to its former beauty. A little tricky considering what I was working from.

This was my first attempt:

Pink Crab Apple Blossoms Oil Flower Painting

 

Delicate pink blossoms are inspired by the crab apple tree in front of my studio in this 5"x7" oil painting on panel.

Of course, It's early March and the snow is still on the ground so my tree is not yet in bloom. But the snow has melted down to less than a foot and the ground is visible in some places. Spring seems just around the corner!

Check my Etsy shop for my flower paintings for sale.

Pink Phlox oil painting

Pink phlox are lovely in the sunlight on an autumn day.

This painting is done with thick brush strokes in a quick, impressionist style. These colorful flowers from my garden make a lovely painting that will add a bright spot to a small space.
You can find this Pink Phlox painting for sale in Janet Zeh Etsy shop here.

Garden Bouquet - flower oil painting

When doing botanical paintings, which I've been doing plenty of lately, I bring the flowers inside to use as reference. This makes for lots of flowers that are lovely in a bouquet together.
So, this time, I've decided to paint some of the flowers in one of my vases. These are flowers that are blooming in my garden right now. They make a pretty bouquet, don't you think?

Purple Irises Oil Painting

Irises are one of the most elegant of flowers, don't you think? Regardless of the color, they add a beautiful statement to the flower garden. I used the bearded iris at left for a reference for this painting. I like them for their two tone purple color with dark velvet falls. Their buds are lovely too - almost like satin.
This colorful oil painting uses thick brush strokes to define the lovely curve of the petals and buds.

• You can find more of my floral paintings and prints for sale at JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks for stopping by to see the irises. Have a lovely day!

Pink Azaleas and Hummingbird oil painting

I enjoy seeing the hummingbirds buzzing around in my garden. They love the deep pink azaleas in May. Even though I don't have hummingbird feeders out, they seem to find flowers they like all summer long. In this painting, I've painted a ruby throat enjoying the blossoms. The oils were wonderful for painting these rose pink azaleas.

• The original has been sold, but check for more of my bird art in my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Lilacs in a Blue Vase oil painting demonstration

Welcome to my studio for a demonstration of an oil painting of flowers. I've just picked some fresh lilacs from the garden and put them in my favorite blue glass vase. Lilacs are a favorite flower of mine, so perhaps I'll add another favorite to this painting - some lace.

In the above image you see the lilacs I've picked on the left and the painting that I've begun on a 12"x 9" panel. I use Ampersand gessoboard because it's archival and has a brilliant white surface perfect for beautiful colors.

The background is painted a soft color mixed from yellow, blue and white. I may lighten or warm this later, but this is fine for now.

French Lilacs oil painting

Beautiful and very fragrant, French Lilacs are a favorite! An oil painting can keep the memory of these lovely flowers blooming all year.

•  If you would like a print or painting done just for you, use the contact link in the sidebar or bottom of this page to contact me. Thanks and have a lovely day!

Oil Painting Demonstration - Irises

Today is a bit different post - I'll take you into my studio so you can see how I do a painting. The demonstration painting is an oil on canvas of beautiful irises blooming in a garden.
The first step - Painting in the Composition - is described below:

Daffodils oil on canvas painting

This one is a bit larger that what I've been posting. Here are a couple of white-petaled daffodils from my garden. This painting was done using a double primary palette - meaning a cool and warm of each of the three primary colors. This palette makes for a painting with stunningly fresh and beautiful colors.

• This original oil on canvas painting is size 16"x20" on gallery wrap painted edge canvas. You do not need to frame this painting as it has a deep painted edge with the colors and image carried over onto the sides. You can see my flower artwork at zehoriginalart.com. Thanks and have a beautiful day.

Pink Dogwood Flower oil painting

The soft colors of this dogwood painting make me think of spring. It's not too far away!

Sunflower oil painting

Sunflowers bring brightness to dark winter days. Here is one to cheer you through the whole winter season.

• This painting has been sold. See more of my art at zehoriginalart.com. Thanks for stopping by.
  

Pink Peony oil painting

Peonies are a favorite flower of mine because my Polish grandmother used to grow them in her city garden. I believe she had the loveliest flower gardens on the block, tiny yard and all, and these flowers figured prominently along with all types of roses.
This one is especially pretty with its pom-pom-like white center.

Balloon Flower oil painting

A close-up of a flower can give the painting an abstract quality. Until seeing this balloon flower in such detail, were you aware of the colors and patterns at its center? Balloon flowers are so named because their flower buds before opening look like hot air balloons. Once opened, they are a favorite of hummingbirds.

• This painting is sold. See more of my art for sale at zehoriginalart.com. Thanks and have a pleasant day.
  

Red Amaryllis Flower oil painting

Just about this time of year, brightly colored boxes of Amaryllis bulbs appear in the stores here. If I plant one now in a pot indoors, this pretty tropical flower will bloom in time for Christmas. The red and white Amaryllis in this painting, though, was blooming in the park in Hamilton, Bermuda when I was there in the spring.

• This painting has been sold. See more of my art on my website: zehoriginalart.com. Thanks for your visit today!