September Dahlias, 24 x 18 inches

September Dahlias

Painting is my outlet for expressing my joy in living and seeing. Following creative inspiration is my way of responding to nature and the beauty I find in it.

The day I began this panting (mid-September 2013) I remember how I had been gathering flowers for a totally different composition I had in mind. I was using canning jars to gather flowers from my garden, in a sorta willy-nilly fashion, when I looked down at the arrangement of pink and purple dahlias that had naturally morphed into being.

I was struck by the simple beauty of it, with its lush flowers, and the random leaves and flower buds, so I brought the arrangement inside and began this painting. The painting just flew out of me, in a matter of days.

It was the last week of September, and I had a ton of deadlines to work towards. I should have been painting a bunch of smaller paintings for an upcoming event, however I didn’t paint the smaller paintings, which would have been the pragmatic and practical thing to do, instead… I followed my inspiration. The one rule I always try to follow is...

... to always follow what has captured my heart.

And so far, this rule has not failed me. Because to me, being an artist is about finding expression in what stirs me, and this means following the muse, wherever she may wander and lead…

...................................................................... Framed Painting: SOLD {24″ x 18″ (61 x 45.7 cm) – oil on linen} {30″ x 24″ (76.2 x 61 cm) with frame} ......................................................................

Here are some work-in-progress photos of this painting.

I really covered a lot of territory on this painting in just a few days. I only worked from life and in natural light. Luckily the days were still relatively long so I was able to put in some really long days... I love it when the weather gives me several days of great light, making it easy to keep my concentration and complete a painting quickly.

{day 1}