Posie Paintings

I love flowers.

I love to surround myself with flowers. I started collecting flower paintings some time ago. It satisfies my need without being 'over the top'.

It all started with this large painting of Dahlias. I needed something to balance out my very rustic living room. The colors were perfect.

Next came this little beauty. I found it tucked away in the back of a very dusty little Antique shop while I was visiting my sister in Oregon. I loved the exuberant spray of blue flowers, the little yellow Daisies, the soft blue background. This also hangs in my living room. It's a lovely reminder of my visit.

It didn't take long for me to become obsessed. I started seeking them out every where I went. This beautiful amateur Camellia painting spoke to me. The background colors perfectly matched my wall color in the hallway going upstairs and the large size was perfect to view from my kitchen as you look down the hallway.

I found this little dry sink and painted it to coordinate. I used a soft blue-green color and used cut out kitchen sponges to apply the blossoms. I used old wall paint and mixed it with white to obtain the various hues. Craft paint would have worked also, but I wanted to use up some old paint. Leaving the paint partially mixed on a plastic lid gave me the variegated colors. I simply dipped the dampened cut out sponge shape, dabbed it a little onto a paper plate to remove excess paint, and applied it. (Practice first on a paper plate)

At the top of the stairs, I have a dresser painted the same way. I clustered the flowers to make them look like Hydrangeas. The tall blue spray flowers were made using a crescent shape and then over painting them with a little green to simulate stems. Use dabbing strokes to give it the 'Impressionist' look. The centers of the Hydrangea flowers were simply made by a round shape dipped in yellow and then a little of the flower color and green to blend it in.

I also like to paint the frames sometimes. This little painting had a very worn and unattractive gold frame. I just lightly dabbed on some blue-green paint, letting the gold come through in places.

This simple little painting also needed it's frame painted. I used the same color as the wall. It hangs in a little corner next to my large hutch in my kitchen alcove. The background colors go with the fabric in the hutch doors and the bright marigolds warm up the little corner.

I loved this painting for it's beautiful still life rendition. It goes so well with my painted pantry and is perfect for my kitchen.

I inherited this wonderful painting of Sweet Peas in a blue glass jar from my Dear Mother. She loved this painting and bought it in a gallery. Whenever I look at it, I think of her and how she loved the simple things in life. She would have placed a bouquet of Sweet Peas in just such a jar.

Both of these little paintings are imports from China. I am sure they were mass produced, but they are sweet just the same.  

This is my latest addition. My Dear Mother loved Yellow Roses and when I saw this in a local shop, I had to have it. The frame is rather dark and heavy, so I have been contemplating how I am going to paint it. Maybe a soft creamy white.  This also hangs in the hallway going to the stairway. I will post a picture to let you know how it looks.

I hope this inspires you to start a Posie Painting collection of your own. None of these paintings cost more than a few dollars and you can find them virtually anywhere. You can never have too many flowers!