Dahlias

 My plein air group usually goes to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum to paint a few times each year. We headed back on the property to the dahlia garden for some beautiful flowers.

Purple Dahlias

 Last week my plein air group, PALS, met at the dahlia garden at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. There were dahlias of assorted colors like these purple ones.

Magnolia Blossom

 I only found one magnolia tree that I could sketch this year. It was at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum and most of the blossoms were sort of past their peak. It was pretty anyway.

Daffs at the Arboretum

 We had some damp, very windy days so my mobile studio came in handy. I was hoping that some of the trees would be in bloom at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in locations where I could see them from the parking lot, but that didn't happen. I could see large areas of blooming daffodils, so I settled for that. Right before I pulled into a space a man had been over by the flowers. He came back to his car with a fistful of daffodils that he handed to his girlfriend/wife and they drove away. Although it is called a "cutting" arboretum picking the flowers is not allowed!

Crocuses

 We are finally getting some signs of spring here. The crocuses were the first to appear. I headed over to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum and found this group of crocuses waiting to be sketched.

Manor House and More

This is part of the manor house at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale. I was planning to join my plein air group around the other side of the house, but when I saw this view I knew I was going to paint it. I joined the other ladies for lunch instead.

One of the items on the scavenger hunt for Creative Spark was the front of a house. I did this one with my magic pencil. The house was down by the bay in Sayville.

Dahlia Daze

PALS, my plein air group visited the Bayard Cutting Arboretum recently to paint the dahlias. I am always fascinated by the different colors and the kinds of petals. 

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Magnolia Blossoms

Last week I took a ride to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River. I was looking for cherry trees in bloom, but instead I got sidetracked by this saucer magnolia instead. They always look so fragile and I'm afraid one strong wind will come along and they will fall to pieces. 

Rhodies

Right now the rhodies are in bloom in this area. I painted this last week with my plein air group at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum.

 

Wisteria at the Arboretum

I try to catch the wisteria when it is in bloom at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. It grows long the porch on the manor house. It doesn't bloom for long so I was happy to see it there again.

Magnolia Blossoms

 It is hard for me to pass up magnolia blossoms without painting them. This was done at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River.

Star Magnolia #2

Happy Easter everyone!! 

While I was at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum I decided to do a quick sketch of a star magnolia blossom, but this time in watercolor and ink. I figured I should do another one....who knows if they will still be in bloom when I get back there.

Star Magnolia #1

I took a ride to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum the other day thinking the tulips would be in bloom, but I saw white blossoms across the path and headed that way instead. The Star Magnolia tree was starting to bloom. I had my Strathmore Toned Tan sketchbook with me and I always have a tube of white gouache so I was all set. The shading on the blossoms was done with watercolors as was the branches. All of this was done with direct watercolor. I added a bit of blue background to help make the flowers stand out.

 

Inktober 2022 - Day 17 - Bayard Cutting Arboretum

Today is my plein air group's morning to paint. We headed over to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum's dahlia garden to paint. I am once again joining my friend Mary Jo Ernst who is collecting 4 x 6 pieces of art to send to the troops for the holidays. I've done this before but I didn't find out early enough to do too many cards. So far I have about 10 of them done and have to send them to her by the middle of next week. So instead of doing a 8 x 10 painting I did several 4 x 6 pieces. This is a view of one of the arbors and the dahlias.

Then I moved over to the area where the birdhouses are and did a 4 x 6 of that area.

At 12:30 a group of us headed over to the Hidden Oak Cafe at the manor house for lunch 

(which is always very good). I needed to get my Inktober sketch done so I headed back to the dahlia garden and used my fude pen to sketch the birdhouse area.

 

Birdhouses and Dahlias

At the back of the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale there is a dahlia garden. Along the fence are all different kinds of birdhouses. What bird wouldn't want a house like one of these?

 

Chicken, Anyone?

 I was at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum the other day and couldn't pass up sketching the chickens in the back by the barn.

30 x 30 Direct Watercolor - Day 9

I painted a rhododendron at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum for my Day 9 of the 30 x 30 Direct Watercolor Challenge. I wasn't too happy with the way this turned out. I couldn't even get close to the color and lost the transparency of the petals. I may have had more luck if I was working bigger. This is 5 x 7.

This was a mini direct watercolor I did there too. Yellow flowers are so difficult to do with watercolors.  Shading the petals poses problems.

 

Arboretum Path

 I was at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale last week. The array of colorful trees and bushes was just amazing. Everything was so vivid. I am enjoying the colors of spring so much! Hope you are too.

Daffodils at the Arboretum

The other day we had weather that was mild enough that I ventured out of my mobile studio to sketch at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. I knew the daffodils were in bloom there so I headed over. I did need my jacket, scarf, hat, and gloves but it was so great to be out sketching! First I sketched the view across the great lawn.

Then I focused on doing daffodils that were closer to me.

Here's how the whole page looks.

 

Arboretum Colors

 The Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale has some great trees. Sprinkled around them was some color when I was there this weekend. Of course I had to capture it. The weather has been very windy so I'm not sure how much longer the leaves will last before falling. I'll capture it as long as I can.