Spring was quite delightful in SF this year.  Summer came and it is now the coldest place in the nation.  But the second spring is in the air. The California Poppies have been in bloom all summer long.  They do not seem to mind the cool weather and fog off the ocean. When the sun comes out or the sky brightens the flower opens up.  When the day is very dark or night unfortunately the flower closes.

This is a pastel on black sand paper.  The grid of the sand paper is 300.  I enjoy working on sand paper because of bright colors.  My fingers are not as happy working on sandpaper. 

This is a pastel painting done on black sand paper. I like the shape of the flower.  The curve of the pastels is very appealing. Ths black of the sandpaper comes through.  Ths sunlight is behind the flower to give it a more translucent appearance.

I am not sure of the type of flower.  I hope that you enjoy viewing this flower as much as I enjoyed painting it.

California Poppies are fun to paint. They have interesting shapes. This is the first piece I tried on sand paper. The sand paper came from the hardware store. I used an extra fine grid paper. The black background (which is the color of the paper) has a dynamic effect.The colors seem to pop from the page. Using sand paper allowed for more sudtle ccolor transitions. There are many shades of orange to yellow within the flower. Paintings on sand paper tend to be very fragile.  The paper is not as soft as pastel, cloth or watercolor paper. If mishandled the pastel will flake off. Also, blending the colors is very hard of the finger tips.  Enjoy my closeup view of a california poppy.

The california poppy blooms in the spring.  Once the rains have stopped and there is warmer weather.  This past year the california poppies bloomed into October.  I always enjoy the poppies because of the bright yellows and oranges. When one sees the sunlight coming though the petals, they almost look transparent.  To the left is one of my interpretations of a young poppy.  The edges tend to yellow and the center of the petals to red-orange or deep orange.  I hope you enjoy my poppy.

Recently, I have been revisiting water color painting.  In the past my paintings have been very stiff and detailed.  Now I want to losen up my painting.  This piece uses the wet into wet technique.  The paper is handmade with rough texture and heavy sizing. I like the way the paint floats on top of the paper.  It gives the various colors a chance to mingle before they settle into the paper. The flaws of the paper from pressing come through to the painting.  This helps to make each painting unusual and unique. 

I hope you enjoy viewing my painting as much as I enjoyed painting it.