Hibiscus

Orange Hibiscus, ©Jill Rosoff 2006, 4″ x 6″, sold

This is a sweet, small study of this lovely, intricate flower that has just five petals and a wonderful stamen. Five broad, floppy, delicate, undulating petals. It’s always a great challenge figuring out how to evoke the intricate folds and keep the delicacy and flimsiness of these petals.  And maybe easier to do in watercolor than oils or acrylics.  I also have a ‘thing’ about orange flowers on a blue background–its sort of a classic combination for me.  I have a larger new painting of two orange hibiscus on a lighter blue background on my website, in the “Blossoms and Gardens” section about half-way down the scroll.  You can link to the website by clicking on the orange tulips image to your right.

The hibiscus is one of those flowers, that evoke someplace other than–Mexico, Hawaii, Guatemala, Bali, tropical havens.  Plumeria, or frangipani, do that too. I have a red double hibiscus tree by my front door, it reaches up 2 stories, and is almost always in bloom.  It was one of those heart-string pullers when I was looking to buy a home.  There it was.

I showed last weekend in La Quinta, and the Art Under the Umbrellas event, sponsored by the La Quinta Arts Foundation in Old Town La Quinta.  What a great day, and what a nice art show!  Its a lovely outing for a Saturday if you’re in the desert or know anyone who is going to be there.  I’ll be showing there again on November 8th, and four more times next year.  For more information go to:  www.lqaf.com.  Come say hello, and see my new work!

Poppy see, poppy do

“Poppies with buds on greens”, ©Jill Rosoff 2008, 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″,  SOLD

I revisited iceland poppies on this one, I just never get tired of them.  This time I decided to experiment with green again as a background color.  Green is a tricky color–one of my teachers called it the hardest color to use.  There seems to be more variations of green than just about any other color–warm, cool, vibrant, dull, deep and dark, to pale and fragile.

I will be showing October 11th in La Quinta, CA at the “Art Under the Umbrellas” event on Main St. in Old Town La Quinta. Go to http://www.LQAF.com for more information and location.

Remember, you can click on the painting to open a larger version of it, which will show truer colors.  Thanks!