Grandchildren and daisies

Grandchildren and daisies go together. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed for my garden of colors. I need to clean house, but looking at my garden is much more exciting.

I painted this painting twelve years ago when my grandchildren were small.  They came for vacation. One family from Grass Valley, California and the other from Woodbridge, Virginia.  The span couldn't be any further in distance or they would drop into either the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean.

Grandchildren and Daisies (full sheet watercolor)

They came to the mountains of Colorado, its what they do every summer.  It is my most favorite time of summer when our family comes together.

These grandchildren are now teenagers. Two grandsons have moved here, our granddaughter is at Biola University. Our fourth grandson is in Grass Valley making skate videos.

Petal Tips!When painting white daisies,  the background paints them for you. What I mean  is it is the colors around them will define the shapes. Leave the white on the watercolor paper.Remember you do not have a white paint, so the watercolor paper serves as white. Draw on the flowers, then gently paint around the flowers with background color.

The daisies consist of a little dirty blue for shadow and a cad yellow center with a half moon of burnt sienna around the bottom of the yellow. They are probably the easiest flower to paint, it is the background that makes them pop out.

Meanderings~~~~~~This is one of those paintings you can't help but walk down memory lane with. That day the kids were standing in a field of daisies.  We had a lot of rain that year and there were white daisies everywhere. These are some of favorite photos we took that summer.  I painted several paintings from these photos..That was the year I was into painting children. I am so glad I did, those years are gone except in our memories and hearts. That is why artists paint, to recapture and record a moment in time.

At the time we are just enjoying the moment, but in that moment, memories are made. These memories build our lives. They actually become us. My granddaughter said just recently, I want to come to Colorado for Christmas. Is it to see us? I think it is to touch something that is familiar to her. It's her roots. 

In the process, they got to know their cousins. They remain friends and now they relate on face book.