Painting from a geranium is a real challenge. The petals of the flower itself have a unique character. The leaves are phenomenally diverse. Both the flower and the leaves are very lyrical. I am staying with a limited palette. The colors are burnt umber, cadmium red, viridian green, cadmium yellow, yellow ochre and white. really trying to “feel” my way through this complicated mass of leaves. The endless variations are hard to deal with but I am really enjoying the “puzzle”

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The still life set up. I chose to concentrate on the right side of the geranium plant. This is what the painting looked like after a three hour session on the first day.

Another favorite painting with geraniums. “Summer Evening” by Childe Hassam at the Florence Griswold Museum. I had the pleasure of visiting this museum when I was a resident artist at I-Park. Hassam was part of the Old Lyme artists colony in Connecticut. He has been quoted as saying ‘just the place for high thinking and low living.’ Archaelogists later found a stash of beer, wine and whiskey bottles beneath the ruins of his studio here.”

We are still in quarantine due to the coronavirus. I want to thank everyone for following the rules thus saving lives. We have never been in this kind of situation before but I am convinced we will come out of this better people. My heart goes out to those who have lost the battle and to their families. Stay strong everyone.