50 States-Hawaii

Tonight, my husband and I went to Starbucks for a treat and a bit of "out of the house" time.  While he worked on his story, I worked on the 50 States Flower Project!  Tonight's sketch is of Hawaii's Hibiscus.  Enjoy!

Here's the reference photo:

Reference Photo

Time to Finish

I began working on this painting about 6-9 months ago.  I have no idea why I didn't finish it when I started, but I didn't.  

So, here we are.  I finished it today.  I guess I was afraid of how much detail this painting required. 

It was daunting; so much shading and blending to do.

But now that I've made myself stop working on it, I can step back and appreciate it.

I'm honestly, really pleased.  :) 

Georgia Cherokee Rose~50 States Project

Tonight I took the requisite 15 minutes to sketch the Georgia State Flower:  Cherokee Rose.  As with most white flowers, the shading is paramount.  :) 

The most difficult part is finding a adequate photo that doesn't lead me down the labyrinth of what details to include and what details to exclude.  I lucked out with this one...whew!

And there you have it!  Enjoy!!!

Obsessed with White Flowers

In some Asian/East Asian cultures, white is the color for mourning and death...well, even though I've lived in East Asia, I still LOVE white.  Currently, I'm obsessed with white flowers; guess I just feel the need for a clean refreshing take on life these days.  :)

 Maybe because it's been so hot recently, and I'm just tired of sweating it out...

 Perhaps I just couldn't take it anymore and needed to create something beautiful.  :)

Whatever the reason, I'm on the white flower kick!

50 States-Florida

50 States--Delaware

50 States--Connecticut

50 States--California

   

Okay, so this one's a bit simple, but hey, so is the poppy :)

I shouldn't have started thinking...

I was listening to Focus on the Family this morning; a past program with Steve & Marybeth Chapman.  The topic was adoption and orphan care.  My heart is broken for orphans, so I'm encouraging anyone who reads this to consider supporting individuals (first) and organizations (second) who are actively working on behalf of orphans.

Here are some personal recommendations:

*The Gwartney Family serving with Good Shepherd's Fold in Uganda. Check out their blog.
http://www.goodshepherdsfold.org/

*Pastors Daniel and Lily with Mercy Homes in India












*Tom & Teresa Stamman with Impact Ministries International

God is a Father to the Fatherless~

Thank you for allowing me to share my heart with you.

50 State Flowers--Arkansas

Apple Blossom

I like this one too.  It's difficult to get all of the layers of shading in 15 minutes!