WIP's.... Painting "en plein air"

2 WIP's.........sketches done "en plein air" today.... I know can hardly believe the weather has been suitable to actually sit and paint outside!!!! The first is a sad, weather beaten poppy which I don't  know whether I will actually be trying again but somehow there is something appealing and interesting about it and watercolour can often make the ugliest subject come to life.....

As you can see it isn't a pretty sight but there is another behind peeking through so all is not lost!!!

And this is my WIP. Not sure anyone would know it was a poor poppy but again I am quite liking the loose feel about this..... is the penny finally dropping I wonder?

I then looked at some Antirrhinums we have planted which thankfully seem to be ignoring the forces of the rain.... in the words of Pete Kay they seem to be the marines of the flower world just as hob nobs are to biscuits and sadly the poppies are the rich tea version which seem to shrivel, lie down and die at the slightest sign of adversity!!!

Am really seeing things I like in this and feeling like this has a lot of promise for a proper painting... this is only 7x11 and on the back of another but when I say a WIP am thinking I will leave it as any more might tip it over the edge!!! Will just use what I've learned from it work on something bigger.

Flowers, flowers and more flowers!!!

This is a clematis from my garden which I painted at Bolton Art Circle tonight. I took this photo a couple of weeks ago as the flower is so lovely and it's the first year it has bloomed like this and we got so excited about it!!! Take a look....

I didn't really have the right pink shades with me, have got 3 of those big palettes from Ken Bromley's which Jean Haines introduced me to and I took the wrong 2!!!! Anyway despite that. I like how this one has developed, I like the loose feel to it and will be working on some more like this.

I seem to be drawn to flowers at the moment, maybe it's because the garden is decimated by all the tropical rain we are having in the Northwest and I am longing to see some of the flowers we have planted in the last couple of years blossom.

These two are vaguely based on images from Paint my Photo. I have chosen a poppy for one of our July images in the loose group as we have 3 large clumps of poppies which were looking so promising.  Again the rain keeps destroying them, as soon as any come in to bloom, before I get out with the camera the rain gets them and they are ruined!!! But poppies were on my mind so these are my goes. The first is in I guess what you might call "my style" and the second is based loosely on a hint of a poppy in Jean Haines new Book, Atmospheric Watercolours. I think the second might need  bit more definition but again am liking the direction its going in and also quite liking the first..... now that is an improvement, me actually liking some of the things I am doing!!!

Have been having a bit of a lean spell...... doing plenty of painting but lots for the bin and not much to show so am pleased to see these coming to life on the paper!!! I don't need motivation to paint at the best (or worst!!) of times and when things start turning out I need even less and I get more excited and obsessed about it all..... hardly seems possible but just makes me want to paint more!!