Monday, October 29, 2007

Cloudless Sulphur on Red Lilies



I've heard these red lilies called rain lilies. They do shoot up after a rain. I was taking some pictures of the lilies when I noticed a cloudless sulphur butterfly nectaring, so I took a quick picture as a reference for this painting. I like the way the sunlight shining through the red petals casts an orange shadow on the yellow butterfly and the way the yellow from the butterfly is reflected by the red petals.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Spider Lily


I have been intrigued with the prospect of painting spider lilies or just a single spider lily for years, but the tangle of stamens and petals overwhelmed me or the results were a disappointment. This year I think I have been successful in capturing one of these beauties on paper--watercolor paper.