A Portrait of La La's Garden

"A Portrait of La La's Garden"
16x12"
oil on 1.5" gallery wrap canvas

"Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it. —Rumi

This latest painting is of a very special garden where I visited last summer. I was commissioned by my friend, Angela, to paint a spot in her mother, La La's, garden hugged in on all sides by adobe walls nestled into high desert hills overlooking the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It's here where homes magically and seamlessly blend into the rough dry, rocky backdrop like chameleons. 

Finding a scene to paint inside this hidden garden was hardly a problem as I meandering through lush gardens filled ever so delicately with a vast assortment of tall slender grasses, plants, and flowers, tucked in among shimmering aspens, pools and fountains of trickling water and rocks. Every element of the design was woven together into a patchwork of hue and texture that sparkled with light playing into shadow. 

I spent a good deal of time taking photos at different locations and times of day for reference, but finally narrowed my selection to this enchanted, mid-morning scene. The air was dry and cool with the promise of a bright sunny day as billowy white clouds churned up on the horizon. What finally won me over to this image was the beautiful path covered in soft dappled light that lured my eye through cool deep viridian shadows and then splashed onto the brilliant lime green walkway leading to the birdbath perched in full light of day. 

It was obvious La La's garden had been nurtured and developed over many years of hard work and tender loving care. I understood immediately why Angela loved this meticulously manicured paradise. This, the garden she photographed so frequently, had now become her garden. As Alice Walker said so perfectly, "In search of my mother's garden, I found my own."

Happy Mother's Day!

—nancy 

To see more of my art click here, or one one of these additional links: Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Saatchi Gallery • Fine Art America

SOLD -Lady in Waiting

"Lady in Waiting" 8x10" oil on gessobord

"Love is always bestowed as a gift - freely, willingly, and without expectation. We don't love to be loved; we love to love."—Leo Buscaglia

I wanted to share a recent painting of my youngest daughter, Allie. She's all grown up now, married, and so excited to be expecting their first baby in August. 

For this painting, I worked from photos I took of her sitting in the dappled light filtering through the trees beside my garden. I intentionally wanted the design to echo the gentle nurturing curve of her protruding belly throughout the painting. Curves can be found in the lines of the deck edge, in her hat, chair, bushes, in the bend of her knee, wrist, neckline of her dress, lips, folds of the shawl, and shoulders. 

As you probably guessed, this painting is not for sale; I gave it to her at the baby shower today. 

Thanks for coming by, I should have offered you a glass of lemonade. 

 

nancy
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To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio

Shady Characters

"Shady Characters" 6x6" oil on gessobord

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One of the coolest things about summer—an oxymoron in Texas—are the deep cool shadows and dappled light filtering through the leaves. I could sit and watch this light show for hours. 

We have five huge-old-oak trees hovering above our yard spending their days lazily cascading shards of light into silent flickers of colored shapes that dance across my tiny islands of grass and gardens. Their countless wash of winks, mottle the breadth of towering orange canas, coral winding trumpet vines, spikes of scarlet and blue salvia, rose-colored oleanders, a row of pastel-tinted crape myrtles, fiery lantana, white butterfly gingers and powdery puffs of pink hydrangea...the magical oaks taking special delight in waking blushing four o'clocks from their slumber; speckling the wings of oblivious birds splashing in the garden baths.

I caught these two shady Adirondack characters red handed hanging out around the pool, sitting on violet stippled decking looking oh, so innocent! They were trying their best to lure me away from my work. But I knew they were up to no good and not to be trusted, one quick repose and they've got you and won't let you go for hours on end...especially if you happen to have a great book in your hand. 

Thanks for resting here awhile and viewing my work.

nancy

 

To view all of my available paintings in my gallery click here http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/nancy-parsons-122  * Sold pieces are marked with a red dot.

My blog: www.headondownthehighway.blogspot.com

E-mail: njparsons@suddenlink.net

My books:  NEW 2012 Daily Planner and Head on Down the Highway A Blog Book

My graphic design business: www.graphicdesigngroup.net

SOLD -Winging It

"Winging It" 6x6" oil on canvas panel

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I read an interesting article recently about the life cycles of monarch butterflies, and suddenly realized that the gorgeous red and yellow flowers growing right outside in my sunny garden were butterflyweed, mentioned in the article as perfect habitat for attracting butterflies on their returning migration from Mexico. My clustered perennials, literally bursting with nectar-filled flowers, were especially lush this year due to the mild winter here in Texas. I jumped up grabbed my camera— ignoring the fact that I was still in my pjs — and bolted out the backdoor in search of local diners in my open-for-business cafe.

To my total delight, I quickly spotted over 25 plump caterpillars — easily distinguishable by colorful yellow and black bands — munching down on the spiked leaves. They were in a fury, rabidly chewing their way across leaves in perfect unison as if it were corn-on-the-cob and making perfect returns like those of a precise typist at the end of a row. Here's a photo of a couple of the parasites wearing their striped pajamas.

I began inspecting my creeping crop of crawlers daily but never could find a single jade chrysalis. However here are a couple photos of the transformation process.

Over the past week, I have been noticing lots of newly emerging monarchs fluttering about from their empty tombs, warming their glorified newly found wings in the sun. My beautiful butterflyweed is gone, stripped bare of all leaves and flowers, but it was more than worth the offering. 

Thank you for landing here today! I hope you enjoy the painting and my science fair project! : ) 

nancy

My blog: www.headondownthehighway.blogspot.com

E-mail: njparsons@suddenlink.net

My books:  NEW 2012 Daily Planner and Head on Down the Highway A Blog Book

My graphic design business: www.graphicdesigngroup.net

Cana Carnival

"Cana Carnival" 5x7" oil on canvas panel

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Spring in the air! My bright fuchsia-colored azaleas are in full bloom and robins have returned on the waves of warm afternoon temps in the high seventies in this part of Texas. Meanwhile, I've been on high-visual alert for signs of resurrected friends donning billowy bonnets for my garden spring follies.

I actually painted this flamboyant redheaded Cana Lily, sometime ago. She was doing a high-kick can-can like she was expecting Toulouse-Lautrec himself to show up to paint her portrait. I have to admit, she is pretty cute even in the abstract.

 

Thanks for buzzing around my world of color. ; )

nancy

My blog: www.headondownthehighway.blogspot.com

E-mail: njparsons@suddenlink.net

My books  NEW 2012 Daily Planner and Head on Down the Highway A Blog Book

My graphic design: www.graphicdesigngroup.net

Flower Power

"Flower Power" 6x8" Oil on canvas panel

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I snapped the photo for this painting in my garden several years ago but never painted it. That's probably cause I didn't feel comfortable painting flowers back then. However, now that I have been painting most everyday for over a year, I am getting braver. I can't remember if these are Black Eyed Susans or Rudbekias, so I am calling this one Flower Power. Must be the influence of a book I just finished reading about the sixties. "Those were the days my friends..."

Thanks for viewing my work!

nancy 

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