New paintings, hot off the easel, and some thoughts on art and life ...

Here's another small work I did as a "daily painting" exercise. It's painted from life, using a rose variety called 'Elina' that's been in my garden for many years. Here in California it's still in bloom in September and it continues to bloom until Thanksgiving. This painting is currently in auction at Daily Paintworks.

In Victorian times, when flowers were used to send messages, a yellow rose like this one could mean jealousy or infidelity. That's part of the plot of a wonderful novel, "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. The novel is set in modern San Francisco and it's a great read. Diffenbaugh would say that hydrangeas - like the ones I painted here - mean cold-hearted. Maybe, but they're still beautiful.