Saturday, June 22, 2013

Jacarandas!

I don't know how wide-spread Jacaranda trees grow but here in Southern California many neighborhoods look forward to their annual blooms.  In South Pasadena where I live there are a few streets which are lined with the purple flowering trees.  Some years it's a spectacular sight when they all bloom at the same time.  This year the trees' flowering seemed to be more scattered.  Of course the plein air artists were watching the leaves turn yellow as the purple buds formed.    

The neighborhood where we met for our paint-out also had some activity as an added treat.  There were some workers with a small cement mixer.  They kept coming and going with wheelbarrows full of cement.  Up and down a driveway, many loads of cement.  I had just visited a show at the Pasadena Museum of California Art titled California Scene Paintings 1930-1960.  The timeless looking men with the wheelbarrows would have been the perfect subject for a typical "scene painting".  

I wanted to paint the Jacarandas since I had been looking forward to it for some time and chose an interesting corner home with a Jacaranda tree in front.      

8x10" watercolor




12 comments:

  1. These trees look lovely in bloom. Super painting too.

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    1. Hi Polly! Thank you! Streets lined with the purple trees are still a surprise.

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  2. I lived on a street lined with Jacarandas in Johannesburg. They are magnificent when they are in bloom - I've wanted to paint them for ages. Wonderful painting, Sherry. You've capture that Jacaranda colour, perfectly!

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    1. Hi Vandy, and Thank you! That's neat to know what other areas have the trees. I have another piece to post too.

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  3. I too lived on a street with these lovely flowering beauties. I had a very large Jacaranda in my back garden too, when the flowers dropped the lawn looked like a purple carpet. Lovely capture of the street scene Sherry

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    1. The purple carpet is wonderful and they have a fragrance too.

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  4. I wish we had Jacarandas around here - gosh they're beautiful. I can't even imagine a whole street of them! This is a great painting - you captured the whole scene well, and your values are just right.

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  5. Hi Sherry, just wanted to tell you how much I'm enjoying your blog. I just love your little scenes that capture so much feeling! I'm trying to run out of the house more with my little travel bag and capture more local scenes-summer is the best! Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Your painting is wonderful Sherry. Love the colors and the light..
    And yes, we have Jacarandas here in Florida .. Tampa has a good share of them and they are beautiful.. BJ

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    1. Thank you Barbra! Great to hear of other Jacaranda areas.

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