BOTANICAL ART

          I recently began to think about my watercolor painting.  It's been about 10 years since I produced my last botanical painting.  Anyone who has been to my many apartments over the years has seen one or two.  I remember how researching a subject made me feel.  It gave me a sense of purpose.  I had a goal to produce a beautiful work of art that was also accurate.  Of course in the past all my efforts were to produce paintings of orchids.  Now my tastes and interests have changed.  I am interested in all flowering plants. Trillium will be the main focus of my new works.

        I recall working literally 2 days straight on some paintings because I was inspired.  I also have more than my share that sit unfinished for teh last 10 years.  Growing, nurturing, and loving nature the way I do, painting nature seems the next logical step in my expression of this love. 

          My newest passion is photography.  Previously I never paid attention to the composition of a photograph.  I was simply documenting a plant or flower for my own collection.  There are so many beautiful things that I would not grow in my garden.  Some are non-native plants, some are very rare and I would never poach them, others are too large or too small.  Over the years I have collected thousands of photographs of various plants.  About a year ago a  friend of mine said that some were art.  I never considered this before.  Now when I photograph something I try to think of it as an art piece as well as a document.