Laureen Gardner Art

"A Cluster of Poinsettias" In November I stopped at a local nursery and noticed a huge table full of both red and pink poinsettias just waiting for me to photograph. I decided to paint the pink poinsettias because they just stood out among the red ones. I sketched most of the flowers onto a larger canvas and added the paint. The hot pink color was so striking that I just couldn't stop painting. I had to deal with a lot of overlapping and fine line etching but it was all worth it in the end. What a surprise!

"Geranium in Bloom" It was getting close to Memorial Day weekend. I was standing on the bridge overlooking Yellow Creek next to the Poland Library. There was always a parade and everyone was getting ready. There were many flower baskets full of red and white geraniums mounted to the sides of the bridge. I took numerous photos of the geraniums within the baskets. On June 27th, 2019 I painted a favorite picture of mine. I painted on canvas what I saw through the lens of my camera. I love red geraniums!

"Stunning Hibiscus" Whow! The very first blossom I painted on canvas was on August 6th, 2018. The blossoms of hibiscus were sweet smelling and unique. What a delightful experience! I felt like I was in another world looking through all of the twisted branches while avoiding swarming bees. I kept taking photos and even returned the next day to take more. It was a real challenge painting different shades of white and even pink. At this time I knew that painting had become a passion of mine. I just had to paint florals!

"Roses Are Red" Throughout the years I always received red roses on Valentine's Day. I could hardly wait to get them! However, I never thought I'd be painting them. As a grouping they are simply beautiful and by themselves they are so special. I have photographed many roses. Of all of them there was one close-up that really got my attention. I painted it and I am so pleased with how it turned out!

"Summer is Daisies" It seems like everyone likes daisies. They are definitely a popular summer flower and in abundance. Actually, they tend to be one of the first flowers that a young child will pick and draw. They are so perfectly put together and very pretty. On a sunny day at Boardman Park I searched for a nice group of daisies to photograph. I took many pictures and I finally found just what I was looking for. I photographed three bright yellow daisies tightly packed together among other groupings. It was fun sketching and painting a close-up of this grouping.