Laureen Gardner Art

  Stunning Hibiscus In mid-summer I found a display of Hibiscus Summerific "Spinderella" consisting of huge 8 inch blooms with shades of white and pink. I discovered this perennial attracts hummingbirds and pollinators to the garden. Spinderella puts on a big show in the garden; it's a real head turner for sure! I added a touch of the tropics to my landscapes. 

Flaming Red & Bright Yellow It has always been my intent to paint a 5x7 closeup of the incredible flowering perennial known as the Daylily. Each flower only lasts a single day but each plant can have dozens of individual blooms that open over weeks. It was the highlight of my day when I came across a massive display of flaming red and bright yellow daylilies. I took a lot of photographs! Even though daylilies are available in yellow, red, orange and purple, I especially liked these daylilies because they consisted of burgundies that almost looked black. On a sunny day in June I finally painted the incredible flower. It really was a nice experience.   

  "A Blast of Color" I felt like I needed a change. I decided to use pastels for the first time. It was difficult and I wasn't sure how my pastel drawing would look in the end. I found the right photograph to use. The analogous color scheme for the rose was perfect! At first, I used pastels that were too chalky. Later, I used only professional grade soft pastels. I began to get good results. I definitely got my blast of color in that flower! 

"Perfect Rose" As I glanced through my photos that I took recently, I spotted a striking rose to paint. I grabbed the photo and started sketching on the canvas. Mixing the colors and applying the paint was fun! Blending and shading became challenging. In the end I had a perfect rose.  

"Shocking Pink" In late summer I found a planting area full of pink petunias. I bent down to get a good picture and noticed something flying down at me from above. A large moth landed right next to the flower that I was about to photograph. It glared at me and then went into the flower. I was shocked! Apparently, it didn't want to share the flower with me. Ha! I was so surprised that I named this painting "Shocking Pink".

"Spring Hyacinth" On a sunny day in the Spring of 2019 I found a planting area full of white, pink, lavender and blue hyacinths. I photographed many pictures of the fragrant flowering blooms. This specific plant was always the centerpiece on the dinner table where my family gathered to celebrate Easter Sunday. It has always been a favorite of mine and it returns every year with a powerful scent.