Playing with Summer Color

I've been busy preparing for my first solo art show (more on that in an upcoming post), but yesterday I had to take a break to enjoy the vibrant colors of summer. Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea) and Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia)are blooming profusely in my garden so, as the sun was strong and the temperature was in the nineties, I cut a few and brought them into the relative cool of my studio to paint.

I just played with water and color on my paper, not worrying about detail or precision, merely attempting to capture the lively, bright feel of the blossoms. I didn't want the beauty of summer to pass without me taking at least a few hours to saturate myself with it and relax with a brush in my hand as I captured some moments of fleeting color.