My Pink Rose Photo & Painting

Since, everything's been coming up roses lately, I thought I might as well share my pink rose watercolor that I did last year.

I went to pick up my daughter and her boyfriend from Washington State, and brought them down for Mother's Day last year.  She participated in a multi-generational art show that was happening during the month of May, so I wanted her down here in Oregon for that, and for Mother's Day.  On our drive both down and back up - we all stopped at rose gardens in Portland.  All three of us ran around ooh-ing and aah-ing over all the roses and took tons of photos!  

This photo of a pink rose was actually the first photo I took at the rose garden on the way back up North.  It is the perfect pink rose.

I decided to paint it!  I've been working on a series of square watercolor paintings of flowers for the past couple years.  I'm working my way up to having 12 done - I just need to finish one, and do one more, and I'll have 12! (so - 2 to go)  But, this one was #10.

From the very first one of these paintings, I decided to leave a line of white space (the white square line) - since I planned to add beading to the edge, after attaching them onto wooden frames.  So - each one of these floral paintings has a white line/border.

After I finish each flower painting, I trim the paintings so that they have an inch of white space (paper) going all the way around, and then I staple them onto wood frames - like a canvas.  Oh, but right before I do that, I poke holes with a needle - going around the perimeter, so that I can add the beadwork to the edge.

Here it is finished - part of a small art show I had during the "First Friday Art Walk" - I had a small table display in September outside one of the stores where I had my greeting cards.

Hope you can see the beadwork in this photo.

Here's the rose painting along with some of it's other flower friends, and some of my painted sand dollars.  It was a cute little display.  (Each floral painting gets it's own unique beadwork "frame.")

The event was fairly "uneventful".  But I did get to talk to a young man who took an interest in my rose painting because he wanted some pointers on how to draw roses.  He seemed genuinely interested in learning to improve his skills.  That was a fun conversation.