Summer's End

As the end of summer became near, the familiar trumpet vine appeared at the tops of the trees in our local woods.  Every year I enjoy this splash of color.  A very loud reminder that it won't be long before the summer will be over.  And although I'm not a huge fan of orange flowers, I do enjoy these trailing trumpets and their orangey, reddish color.  Even more, I enjoyed painting them.  This particular orange was a challenge for me.  As the petals at the bottom of the trumpet have a pinkish tint to them.  I could not seem to capture that color until someone from our online botanical group suggested a wash of Quin. Magenta over the orange.  And it worked perfectly I thought.

When I saw the first sign of this vine, I immediately decided that I would paint this one for Jarnie.  Because the vines were in the woods tangled in the trees, it was somewhat difficult to get to.  My husband cheerfully volunteered to gather some for me.  I'm a bit of slow painter, so several trips were required.

Now that summer is gone, the treasures of autumn are everywhere.  I just can't seem to keep up with all the subjects that inspire me.  I actually felt sad when my husband raked up leaves the over the weekend, because they were so beautiful and colorful and I was sure there was a leaf in that pile that I meant to bring in to paint.

I look forward to finishing up the next few sketchbook pages with the colors of autumn.