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

Brittany Rey is actually the name of the purple dahlias in this painting, not the central orange flower, which is a tithonia. I love tithonias, but doesn't "Brittany Rey" make a better title? I was so inspired by the colors here - I had a bouquet of tithonia and dahlias from my garden and it looked to me like the best of fall, so I made it my Monday morning painting.

If you're a gardener, or wanna be, try growing tithonia. They're a snap to grow, either from seeds or plants. They don't need special care, they don't get mildew or other diseases, and they attract butterflies. As for Brittany Rey, that dahlia variety is a good one; I got it from Swan Island Dahlias.