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06/13/2026

Blossom Exercise 2
Tonight's lesson was about remaining impressionistic. Layers upon layers of colors went into the flowers. I really enjoyed working on this one. I took my time and challenged myself to not overwork the petals. Indeed, it was a challenge. Eventually this painting became one made not only by brush strokes but by finger strokes. The brush put the paint on the canvas but my fingers did all the painting as I slid the colors into place in the top, final layers.
I love the texture of this painting. The movement I managed to express has me imagining that someone just threw this beautiful bouquet into the air. I managed to catch it mid flight and put it on my canvas 😃💪🏽😂❣️❣️❣️

06/12/2026

Blossom Exercise 1
Tonight's canvas was another bouquet of casual blossoms. Daisies of yellow and violet. A lovely color palette and a splash of movement on the canvas.
I found it difficult to maintain the shadows and highlights. Eventually I found some perspective on the daisies, but it wasn't easy and I don't think I mastered it here in this painting. However, this was a great exercise. It stretched my brain and my capabilities. I think I should paint more blossoms because I sure could use the practice 👍🏽😃💪🏽

06/10/2026

Paint It Simply - Exercise 7

Tonight's lesson was about layering while keeping the texture visible. So many times I have over worked a flower with too many strokes. I end up removing the texture of the petals and thus the character slips away.

I managed to work slowly and deliberately. I revisited each flower multiple times as I built up the entire scene. Layers upon layers, always trying to change the colors, the shadows and the highlights, slightly to help introduce interest.

A pretty little painting as a result. And who among you thought I wouldn't paint anything but roses? Lol 😆 Wait until you see the next eight lessons. There's a nice variety of flowers coming up. 🤞🏽I promise!

06/06/2026

Paint It Simply - Exercise 6
Tonight I did much better using half-tones. This allowed me to touch the roses minimally. Blending using the half-tones helped to maintain the transparency of the petals and it was much easier to keep the bowl. White roses are difficult but I think I managed to meet my expectations on this one. Simple, yes, but not easy. 💪🏽🌹

06/05/2026

Paint It Simply - Exercise 5
Tonight's lesson was all about working quickly and painting for movement, for representation, for impressionism.
I burned and crashed. My roses look stiff. And I know exactly what I did wrong: I worked slowly and deliberately. I zoomed in and saw each petal as a work of art. I literally took my time to paint a petal, and then the next one, and so on and so forth. I was having no fun at all, but then again, I enjoyed the tedious work. I guess sometimes you aim for something and you come away with something else.
Oh well, my signature looks great on this painting 😃👌🏽❤️

06/02/2026

Paint It Simply - Exercise 3
Today's lesson was in stroke roses. We used a larger canvas and a filbert brush.
I must say, I do enjoy using a filbert brush. There's something about the curves and the lift off that just lends itself so well to a petal and a leaf. For my canvas, I used a 12" x 16" wrapped canvas that I applied at least three layers of canvas prep to before sitting down to paint. This helped avoid too much tooth of the canvas coming through in my strokes.
The stroke rose seems like it might be an easier method than the casual rose, but it is not. It truly is an exercise of the same degree as the casual roses are. David does a wonderful job of keeping the student challenged. I'm up for exercise 4 next!

05/30/2026

Orange Watercolor Rose
This was the last rose I painted during my recent travels. You may not suspect it but the colors were difficult to layer. By the time I started this rose I was running so low on the color white in my pallet that I told myself I had to use colors that could be highlighted without adding white. When it was time for me to start adding highlights, I chose to use yellow. I think it's a subtle highlight because white tends to brighten a color in big steps because it is a solid pigment while the yellow is more transparent pigment. This rose was a challenge, however I was able to concentrate and work quickly. I ended up using the blow dryer to be sure everything was dry enough to bring the painting to the office that morning. By the end of the day, I had gifted all three watercolor roses to my colleagues. ❤️💪🏽🌹❤️

05/28/2026

Yellow Watercolor Roses
This was the second morning rose painting that I was able to squeeze in during work related travel. To be honest, I was only able to start this painting in the morning and then I came back to it that same evening.
I recall seeing what I managed to paint in the morning and wondering if it was good as-is. Really, all there was were the two roses. I should have taken a photo at that stage of the painting so I could share it with you.
But I chose to continue working on it that evening. I added leaves, stems, a little more depth in the highlights and the shadows. Then there it was, a finished painting laying in front of me. 💕🌹💕

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Fish Lake Road
Holly, MI
48442

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