Thank you everyone for your feedback and encouragement along the way – it helped push me forward and continue working the challenge.
By far this was my most rewarding project, because of the level of learning – from techniques w/oil pastels, to a variety of underpaintings, managing through each layer building color and thickness of strokes, and use of light and shadow. Perhaps most of all because I’ve been intimidated to paint flowers, until I finally just looked at them as values and forms and experienced a breakthrough. I have a long ways to go but for me this was a good start.
I’ll continue painting flowers, for now I’m turning my attention to landscapes and seascapes over the next couple of months – it’s not to say that there won’t be a landscape or two with flowers!!
Here is the collage of all 15 flower paintings – click onto the image for a larger view.
15 Paintings Flower Challenge – #1 through #5
15 Paintings Flower Challenge – #6 through #10
15 Paintings Flower Challenge – #11 through #15
Do You Have a Favorite?
DON’T TAKE MY IMAGES!! MY ART IS COPYRIGHTED.
PLEASE DON’T COPY OR USE MY IMAGE WITHOUT RECEIVING MY PERMISSION FIRST – SEE DISCLOSURE ON THE RIGHT PANEL.
Oil Pastels by Mary 
It would almost impossible to pick a favorite from this group, but I’ll choose my top 3. #1 and then the lilacs and the forsythia because you’ve captured them beautifully, and I’ve always had a soft spot for both of those lovely bushes and their blooms. All are wonderful, Mary!
Thanks Elisa – the whole challenge was a great learning experience in manipulating oil pastels to represent flowers. Glad you enjoyed the series, fun favorite choices they were special pieces to paint especially the lilacs and forsythia because of the deep fragrance and brightness of Spring.
Hard question! But I have a soft spot for red roses and yours are so wistfully perfect. It’s a great gallery 🙂
Thank you so much Jo – those roses are one of my favorites as well. Sad to say the rose bush now has a disease and we might have to take out the whole rose bush.
You’ll have to have a new one, Mary 🙂
I love roses and we’ve had some real beauties, but the Rosette Rose disease has pretty much wiped out our roses and in two or three towns around us. Wish one day they come up with something to combat it.
That’s awful, Mary. I hadn’t heard of it. Does it attack all roses? Very discouraging.
Good question. The virus spreads by air and once the wind blows you can pretty much expect it to spread like wild-fire, which is what happened around here. Many have been lost – there is no cure.
A glorious collection! If I had to pic a fav, it would be the sensuous white roses. Marvelous, Mary!
Thank you Elena for your beautiful comments, always appreciate your encouraging support.
So, so gorgeous! Every one of them, and picking a favorite was highly difficult. But #1 and #13 called out the most to me. I really love your use of color, and how your art communicates such a lovely mood.
Thank you so much for your feedback and thoughtful comments. #1 was special because it was my first in attempting even a bud rose, but #13 just for the depth and volume of petals. Both firsts for me and a great experience in manipulating OPs to achieve what I was after with each. Thanks again ~
Stunning! I said it before, this collection is an Art Show on its own. Congratulations!
Ah Resa you always say the nicest things – thank you so much. Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Wow, these are all beautiful. And you were worried about painting flowers, you’re like an expert at it. Although I love all your landscape and seascapes, being that I’m a huge fan of still life paintings, especially bouquets, I think I love your flower bouquets best. The lilacs are gorgeous, they may very well be one of my favorites of your paintings. I also have that photo saved and hopefully I can one day get around to painting it, I hope it turns out looking almost as good as yours. Great work on all of them, I’m looking forward to seeing your landscape and seascape ones, along with the next collection of floral paintings. I hope you’re having a lovely art filled month. 🙂
Hi Gloria, thanks so much my friend for your beautiful and thoughtful comments. I think for me painting flowers was always a mind over matter issue and I let the intimidation factor get the best of me. I have a long ways to go, but the process I’m hoping will be a bit easier after getting over this initial push (the charcoal flower drawings helped a lot). Can’t wait to see your version, as your flower paintings are always gorgeous especially when using the painters knife. Hoping this month brings out lots of inspiration for painting – starting to get geared up. Happy painting to you as well – take care as the TX heat begins to take hold.
Some incredible work here, just stunning. They make a wonderful collection together.
Thanks Mark – it was a good exercise that I’ll do again for sure. Have a great week ahead.
Lovely, every one! 🙂
Hi Bette, thanks so much!
It is hard to pick a favourite! … However, I think I’d go with #10.
After looking at all these pieces, I feel like I’ve just been to a flower shop. So uplifting. 🙂
Ah #10 one of my favorites, others too – thank you for your generous comments. I was just at a florist yesterday and when I say the many arrangements I kept thinking, “oh that would be fun to paint . . . and on it went.”
Oh, this is such a gorgeous collection!!!! I simply can’t choose a favourite… each time my eye catches one where I think, “Hmmm, maybe this…” my other eye snaps to some other painting, and I think the same thing. I love the variety in colours, each one is so unique and has its own feel. What’s especially cool is that you’ve managed to capture and include every single season! I just love these… together they are stunning Congratulations on completing this challenge!
Hi Pauline, thank you so much for your generous comments and thoughts on the collection – means a lot and truly appreciate your encouragement. This was a good exercise for learning about painting flowers, I have a long ways to go, but feel that the barrier has been broken and perhaps a more freer approach will be taken as I more forward.
You are amazing!! These are all beautiful! Have a wonderful weekend ♡
Thank you Lorrie ~
These are all beautiful, Mary, but my very favorite is that whole idea of the forsythia blooming indoors while winter carries on outside.
Thanks Leslie – really appreciate it! I think the Forsythia appealed to a lot of people.
THey are all my favourites – so gorgeous!
Thank you Fiona!!
Wonderful accomplishment, Mary! WOW! they are all so beautiful. I especially love the first bouquet and the deep purple lilacs. Such great rich colors in all of them and your compositions are perfect and showcase each flower.
Wow Janell, thank you so much for your generous comments and analysis – it means a lot to me. This was one of the most rewarding challenges that could have gone on a lot longer than just 15 paintings. So I plan to do another flower challenge in early 2016. Have a great weekend.
What a statement these make all together! My favorite is the lilac. ~Rita
Thanks so much Rita – your thoughts mean the world to me. The lilac is one of my favorites as well in so much as the challenge of creating the bunches of lilac and have them believable. Have a great weekend.
Mary, these are all lovely. My favorites are the ones by the windows, and the first one.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Thanks so much Wendy – the first seems to be a popular choice, as well as the window paintings. I have really enjoyed the window paintings – playing with lights and shadows to create a bit of drama is very cool. Thank you ~
Pingback: Cee’s Fun Foto: Pink | The World Is a Book...
Thank you so much for letting me make a link to my post, Mary. Here is the link of my post: http://wp.me/pSlDL-biz
If you want me to make changes or corrections, please feel free to let me know. 🙂
Thank you Amy, such a beautiful thing you’ve done – appreciate the call-out and comments they meant a lot to me. Have a wonderful weekend.
My great pleasure, Mary! 🙂
wonderful work Mary, you were born to do this 🙂
Thank you Heath, it feels right – appreciate your encouragement. I’ll keep on, just as you with your writing! Have a great weekend.
I really like #2, you are very talented 🙂
That you Darwin – really appreciate your thoughtful and kind words. Nice to meet you!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful work. I’ve enjoyed each one they are all absolutely gorgeous! Can’t wait for your next challenge 🙂
Thank you so much Isabel for your thoughts and compliment. I have several challenges in mind, several more harder than others – decision, decision. I think I’ll work on a few landscapes and seascapes and then choose the next challenge. Thank you again ~
Mary these are fantastic! Each one is a perfectly beautiful images for a spectacular array. I am convinced you need to have a showing! Your work is stunning.
Thank you my friend, sometimes your comments overwhelm as they do today. Appreciate your beautiful words and encouraging support – I do have a showing, in my home on the walls (lol). Have a great weekend.
My favorite ones are numbers 1 thru 15.
Thank you Cynthia – you’ve made my day!
These are all absolutely gorgeous, Mary! You have been busy!!! 🙂
Hi Patsy, thank you so much! Really appreciate your beautiful comment – it’s been a fun challenge and now a bit of a slow down to recharge the batteries. Have a great rest of the week, really have enjoyed your ballerina drawings!
You’re welcome, Mary. Thank you, too! I am working on a bigger painting now with four poses of a ballerina trying to make it look like she is twirling, you know? Anyway, I have all the poses drawn lightly, but just need to paint and figure out a background now! 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!
Each one is exquisite Mary!!! I think I mght like the complex textures of the first one, and every one of the vases on windowsills a wee bit better than the others.
Hi Madhu, you are so kind – always appreciate your beautiful support and encouragement. I went with several window scenes, because when I was drawing with charcoal I got really intrigued by how the light came streaming through and thought they would work well with flowers. Thank you for mentioning them and I think #1 is taking the lead on a favorite of several people. Have a great rest of the week!
You too 🙂
They are so beautiful dear Mary, Thanks and Love, nia
Thank you my friend Nia – your wonderful words mean a lot to me. Loved your latest photographs of the cats with the golden light shining on it!
Mary, these are all stunning. Your heart runs to color, I can see that! While to pick a favorite flower is to try and pick a favorite grandkid!!, i think #1 is my favorite… love the color, it makes my mouth water in all of them. I’m so glad i could get online tonight at almost 2AM just to see these scrumptious works of art! xox
Hi Linda – thank you for staying up until 2AM for me, how awesome! You are a good friend, thank you Linda for your continuing support these last couple of years. I’m thrilled you enjoyed #1 – my husbands favorite too and for me a great challenge and one I loved. Have a wonderful rest of the week – the farm must be perking up with all kinds of activity now?
Oh Mary … your flower gallery is an absolute *wonder* Good for you working it through – as you say – such determination is well rewarded by the gorgeous results here !
…. all in a dithery do … but if pushed … but 9 12 13 🙂
Love it Poppy – your awesome comment makes me want to go out and do the challenge all over again. Well maybe not right now, but I will tackle again next year! Love your choices #9 was the closest that I came to an impressionist painting and had a great time with the strokes and brilliant contrasting colors. #12 taught me important lessons about light and shadows, and loved working the deep rich colors. #13 this was a challenge in painting convincing lilac petals and heavy-full branches – it was one of my favorites too. Your support means the world to me, have a great rest of the week!
Gorgeous series, Mary! If I had to pick either the 1st or the 11th. Both really stunning!
Beautiful comment Francesca, thank you very much – love your choices! #1 was complicated and I figured if I’m going to paint flowers I’ve got to go all in, and #11 a special painting because it’s the reminder of our awesome rose bush that I love (strong, hardy and always in bloom). Thank you and best wishes on your new collaboration!
Miss Mary
it’s always a pleasure to encourage and praise the talented; i love your work
uncle john
Thank you Uncle John, your continued support and encouragement has done a lot to keep moving me forward. Thank you so much and looking forward to your next installment!!
Thanks for posting all of your paintings, Mary. I love seeing all the flowers together.
Thank you Geralyn – really appreciate your support and comments along with the way!
I was hoping you’d do a gallery for these special 15 painting, Mary! I love all of them, they present its beauty in different colors, arrangements, forms… I have learned how to appreciate beautiful paintings from you. Thank you so much, Mary! Would you give me the pleasure of making a link with my upcoming post on either Thursday or Friday?
Hi Amy, thank you very much for your generous comment and staying with the challenge – your support meant a lot and was appreciated. Thank you, I’d be happy to give you a link, but I’m not sure how to do that Mary’s Oil Pastels – I’ll go out and edit to see if I can’t do it from there.
This will work, Mary! I think some of blog friend will also enjoy your beautiful paintings. 🙂 Thank you!
Thank you, means a lot Amy!
Hi Amy I included a link, after I edited the url – I think that it’s working. Thanks very much.
Thank you so much for the URL, Mary!
You are welcome!
Thanks very much Amy for the beautiful write-up. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your description, this means a lot to me. Thank you!
Can they all be my favorite? 😀
Thank you Eva!!
What an accomplishment, Mary! This colorful assortment looks gorgeous! Can’t get enough… 🙂
Thank you my friend – it was by far my most challenging project, but one I’m glad to have done. It was a great test. Actually yesterday I painted a Bougainvillea certain aspects are fighting with each other, most likely do to the value treatment, but you would have liked the colors. I’ll try again and perhaps one day I’ll be able to post. Have a great Wednesday – this week is coming to a close fast.
You are right about the week going too fast! 🙂
They’re all so beautiful, but I think the last one is my favourite.
Thank you so much Simla – I do love the Coreopsis too. I think because they represent the garden and I had a great time just focusing in on one corner.
What lovely walls you must have in your house, Mary!
Thank you A!
Don’t make me choose, Mary! Bravo!
Thank you Angie – means a lot!!
I have tried hard but can’t really choose one over many of the others. However, rising to the challenge I’d go for 13
You are so nice Derrick! Thank you very much and I dare say those lilac branches heavy with flowers were quite the challenge, but fun nonetheless.
Gorgeous and very well done Mary, you are a real talent. 🙂
Thank you Dominic for your generous comment and compliment – much appreciated!
Beautiful collection Mary! I think your break through came with the white rose! I’d say you were always a floral painter but just didn’t know it! 🙂
Hi Rhonda, thank you so much for your support and always encouraging comments. Really I think I had an ongoing battle in my head – I can do it, no I can’t do it, etc. Yeah it a bad number that I seem to get caught up in sometimes. Thanks again for your wonderful comment and I also think the white rose gave me a boost of confidence.
Wonderful. Seeing them all together is quite something. I look forward to seeing much more of your work. Janet:)
Beautiful, thank you Janet – truly admire your work and to receive such a compliment means a lot. Thank you again, it was a great project and one I might do again next year.
You are very welcome, and yes I do enjoy your work – beautiful:)
These are all so awesome, Mary. I love them all, but if my life depended on choosing only one, I’d go for the red roses. 🙂
Hi Sylvia, thank you! Ah I do love those red roses, probably because those roses are so awesome in our front yard and usually make a spectacular show. The photograph that I took showcased them and I wanted badly to do the scene justice. Oil pastels were the perfect medium to watch them come alive. Have a great rest of the week!
They all are looking so beautiful… a colorful floral journey. It’s almost impossible to choose one as favorite! However, my take is the first one. It gives a sense of simplicity and bliss… 🙂 Though I like each one almost in the same way You’re extremely talented dear… 🙂
Hi Maniparna, thank you for your lovely comments – really enjoyed your description and I agree it was a colorful journey, with tons of learning along the way. #1 is my husbands favorite too. Thank you for joining me in this challenge ~
It’s really a pleasure to visit your blog… 🙂
A stunning array Mary! I couldn’t possibly pick just one favorite. If stretched I could say that several stand out. In particular, 1,5,7,10,13 and 14. There, I did say I couldn’t possibly pick just one!! 🙂 XX
Susan you are so funny! Thank you for your generous thoughts and feedback – love all your choices, lol.
Those are all beautiful; I like your style!
Thank you so much, wonderful to meet you A&R!
You did a beautiful job on all of these, Mary. I think it would be impossible for me to pick a favorite. I love seeing them all together. 🙂
Hi Jill, thanks very much for your kind comments and for following along – I really appreciated your continued encouragement during the challenge. Have a great rest of the week.
The red rose on the first line is definitely my favorite.
Nice to see you Charlie, thank you very much – I loved painting that rose. I think it was the subtle colors that drew me in and soft, but closed petals ready to burst.
Wonderful! I love seeing them all in a collage like that! Thank you so much for sharing your work, Mary! 🙂
Thanks very much Jackie, glad you enjoyed the challenge and for following along!
It’s challenging to pick a favourite when they are all so beautifully created. However, my vote, or the one that I connected with the most, was the forsythia in the vase by the window. It gave me a calm and gentle grin. Thank you for that. Stay well, Harlon
Thank you so much Harlon, nice to meet you! Really appreciate your thoughts and feedback on the flowers – many have connected with the Forsythia, perhaps it’s because we know how cold it is on the other side of the window! Have a great week.