Another variety of Hardy Hibiscus or Swamp Rose. This color combination seems to be blooming now, a little later in the season than the red variety that I painted a little while back. This flower is all white with a purple center and yellow Stamen. Holbein and Daniel Smith watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Alpha Sketchbook.
Summer on Cape Cod is wonderful with the sight and smell of the Sea Roses (Rosa Rugosa). Rosa Rugosa is a suckering shrub which develops new plants from the roots and forms dense thickets with stems densely covered in numerous short, straight prickles. The flowers are pleasantly scented, dark pink to white with somewhat wrinkled petals; flowering occurs throughout the summer on the cape. Holbein and Daniel Smith watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Sketchbook.
Overnight this beautiful Hardy Hibiscus flower opened up in our yard to full bloom, the others are still buds. The color is Cranberry Crush and the flower is about 7″ across. This was difficult to paint in that it is a very flat flower, almost like a disk with very little depth. I should have added some background color to add depth. Still a favorite of ours during the late summer. Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Alpha Sketchbook.
Sunflowers are like the sun itself. Bright, vibrant and cheerful. These sunflowers are in a glass vase on out dining room table and brighten up the room. The sketchbook paper does not take washes really well and it is difficult to mix intense colors on the paper. Holbein watercolors in an Alpha series Stillman and Birn sketchbook.
I always loved the Gladiolus Flower in that we always had them in our yard growing up in Southern California. The Gladiolus is sometimes also called the ‘Sword lily’. The genus occurs in Asia, Mediterranean Europe, South Africa, and tropical Africa. Their stems are generally unbranched, producing 1 to 9 narrow, sword-shaped, longitudinal grooved leaves, enclosed in a sheath. The flower spikes are large, one-sided, are variously colored, pink to reddish or light purple with white, contrasting markings, or white to cream or orange to red.
Campsis radicans (trumpet vine or trumpet creeper), also known in North America as cow itch vine or hummingbird vine, is a species of flowering plant of the family Bignoniaceae, native to the eastern United States and naturalized in parts of the west as well as in Ontario and parts of Europe. Growing to 10 m (33 ft), it is a vigorous, deciduous woody vine, notable for its showy trumpet-shaped flowers. It inhabits woodlands and riverbanks, and is also a popular garden subject. I planted this in our yard 15 years ago and this is the first time I noticed the beautiful flowers and they extended 20 feet up the maple tree that is growing up. Holbein watercolors in a 5″ x 8″ Moleskine Watercolor Sketchbook.
The Black Eyed Susans are at their peak in our yard. They are such bright and cheerful flowers and we look forward to them every year. Black Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are native to North America and one of the most popular wildflowers grown. They tend to blanket open fields, often surprising the passer-by with their golden-yellow beauty. Members of the sunflower family, the “black eye” is named for the dark brown-purple centers of its daisy-like flower heads. The plants can grow to over 3 feet tall, with leaves of 6 inches, stalks over 8 inches long and flower diameter of 2 to 3 inches. Holbein Watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Alpha series sketchbook.
The flowers are amazing this time of year, especially on Cape Cod. It must be the cooler nights and the salt air moisture. This watercolor sketch is actually of one of the beds adjacent to yesterdays sketch of the Whole Food Store. The flowers are Blue Vine Flowers and Lavender. The lavender is so abundant on the cape this year. Maybe I am just noticing it more this year.
A quick watercolor of some of the Cone Flowers in our garden. They are so bright and cheery along with the Black Eyed Susan. The Coneflower is a native North American perennial sporting daisy like flowers with raised centers. Widely renowned as a medicinal plant, coneflowers are a long-flowering perennial for borders, wildflower meadows, and prairie gardens. Blooming midsummer to fall, the plants are relatively drought-tolerant and rarely bothered by pests. The flowers are a magnet for butterflies, and the seeds in the dried flower heads attract songbirds. Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Alpha Sketchbook.
Today our family and friends said goodbye to a beautiful woman who was taken too early from her loved ones. Beverly Collins Decas. As stated beautifully by her daughter Alexandra Decas – Beverly was a master in the art of friendship going to great lengths to nurture bonds, express her care and appreciation and most importantly to convey her gratitude for those numerous relationships. Her smile, wit, love of life, and positive energy was bestowed upon many and will be deeply missed. She loved people, connected deeply, and was loved in return. Todays sketch is of Wickenden Chapel on the campus of Tabor Academy in Marion, MA, Faber-Castell Art pens with Holbein Watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Alpha Sketchbook.
A SKETCHBOOK ODYSSEY 