Front Garden, Daylilies and Coneflowers

9"x12" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival panel

"Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief, in denying them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Deep into mid-summer and so many things are still blooming their hearts out! The view of this front garden is interesting from so many angles! Here, I'm looking out from my garage, this time, instead of avoiding the rain, I was seeking a bit of shade. But how wonderful to see things from different view points. Which is helpful in more things than we care to admit!

This painting (unframed) can be purchased directly from my DailyPainters.com gallery store.

Open To Possibilities

14"x11" oil on linen mounted on archival board

"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be." - Abraham Maslow


Open to possibilities....a period of growth...thoughts of change. I have been wanting to work bigger for a while, so I'm inching up gradually again. For work on location, smaller surfaces means I can capture the light before it changes, get my ideas down in a limited amount of time and space. It also means I can keep my gear light. I've worked larger canvases indoors in my studio, but not so much outside. But a bit of exploration is in order. Over the remaining weeks of summer I intend to try to some bigger canvases outdoors. Even if I end up bringing them back into the studio to finish, I know there will be much gained from the effort.

Lavender and Coneflowers by the Fence

6"x8" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

"A multitude of small delights constitute happiness." - Charles Baudelaire


At any given moment, this fence-line is full of small delights. And it surround my front porch, so that I can sit right there in a bit of shade and just look....and paint. I LOVE it when the lavender is in full bloom, the row of it in this flower bed just smells so wonderful. The arch of roses on the fence had finished its first round of blooms a few weeks ago, but a second round is on its way. Even the New Guinea impatiens in the huge blue pot were filling in their big dash of color. Later afternoon the sun comes from the west (or from the left side of this painting) and hits the tops of the fence, warming those rails before it finally sets in the evening.

Don't we all need a spot like this in our gardens?....that multitude of small delights?

This painting is available directly from me and can be purchased unframed from my DailyPainters.com gallery store.

Eden Roses Along the Fence at Morning

8"x10" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

"Art is a staple, like bread or wine or a warm coat in winter. Man's spirit grows hungry for art in the same way his stomach growls for food." - Irving Stone

I was headed out this morning to go paint along the shoreline, but caught sight of the Eden roses on the fence....summer is filled with so many wonderful things, and it goes...so....fast.....

I pulled my gear out of the car and set up right there in the garden. So many things are just getting ready to pop out with blooms soon, day lilies, hydrangeas, Montauk daisies, and more.

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring another day of sunshine for some more painting outdoors!

Contact me here, for framing information. Price is $450, framed, includes shipping/insurance to continental USA.

Morning Sun on the Rose Arbor

8"x6" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity." - Lindley Karstens


Thank goodness for a long bit of sunshine today! We've had so much rain lately, I felt like I need to keep checking to see if I've grown gills yet. This past Saturday my hubby and I went over to the Stonington Garden Show, for a bit of inspiration. Even though I don't have the ocean view, I love this garden we have. It's designed to have many intimate spaces almost like outdoor rooms or passages that connect. Passing through this arbor and gate, this climbing rose is a fragrant one, and is so delightful to pass underneath it! Just a little bit of peace and serenity in my own yard.

Gray Day Spring, Third Year In The Artist's Garden, Plein Air

6"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival panel

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout


This week I've spent a lot of time painting BIG! I've been staining/weather-proofing my back deck. I'm reminded how much energy is spent when you are using your whole body in the painting process. Man I am worn-out, but am happy to have completed this project, before this week's coming rains set in! Saturday, once I unfolded all the achy parts of my back and every limb I decided to paint outside. It was that soft gray day, with no cast shadows, no strong sunlight, but no dark clouds just yet either. It has been really fun documenting the changes in this garden over the past three years. Sometimes it's hard to believe all this has been created in such a short time. The rose canes are thick and strong, arching across the fence line, with so many buds forming to blossom in the coming weeks! The creeping phlox is blooming in great mounds of lavender and pink. Soon their show will fade and something else will come along to add some color. It's going to be quite the year in this garden!

Morning Glory Morning - Get Ready For Valentines Day!

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite archival artboard

"You have to believe in happiness or happiness never comes."

- Douglas Malloch


Does the same thing apply to Spring? I sure do believe in it (Spring, that is)....but it seems rather slow about getting here this year. It's probably been the snowiest winter on record for lots of places besides CT. Now we can add ice to those measurements, not that we really wanted to!

But - I have another painting to bring out of the 'archive'! I am offering these 'Valentines' at 2009 prices during the month of February. They are dry and ready to ship as soon as your Paypal payment clears! I also accept personal checks - it just takes a good bit longer for it to travel through the mail from your house to my bank. Paypal is that sure bet to receive it in time for Valentines Day!

******For these Valentine special offerings, I'll cover shipping via Priority Mail (for continental US) between now (Feb 1st) and Feb. 14th! Treat your sweet-heart to something wonderful, that lasts forever, isn't fattening, and is the perfect size! Forwarding this email to 'the likely suspects' might be helpful as a gift-giving guide! OR be good to yourself, a personal Valentine 'from you to you' might be just what you need.

My second Valentine offering for my subscribers this month is, "Morning Glory Morning" a 6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite archival artboard. Email me, roxannesteed@gmail.com to let me know you'd like this piece & preferred payment method. Your Valentine price is $100 +zero for shipping (see above)! ...all in the name of love! A promise of blooms & sunshine to come - we just have to believe it!


Now go on, work on that love life!

Monday Sun & Shadows, Plein Air in the Artist's Garden

10"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on museum quality board

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

It's so good to be back home. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I've been away at a workshop with Camille Przewodek over the last week, down in Easton, MD. I plan on writing a summary of the week for fellow artists that are interested in her work...and explain our link to Monet! Look for that in the next day or so. I'm still playing catch up here at home, trying to make time for both the painting AND the blogging!

When I set up Monday to paint here in my front garden, I thought back to the previous paintings I did there last year. My peegee hydrangea has gotten thicker, but a bad wind storm the other week really was destructive to this poor thing. It broke a couple branches, and the remainder of them seem to sag a bit under the weight of the flowers. The basil I planted is hiding some of the phlox, and is the size of a small shrub! The big blue pot with the purply,reddish grasses is doing well, but I preferred the plantings I had in it last summer. Sooooo- in gearing up for next years flowers (and paintings), I can see I need to start moving some plants, open up some space for other plants (more lavender, too, I've found a great location where it thrives!).

Monday Sun & Shadows, Plein Air in the Artist's Garden

About This Painting:
Catching the front garden in partial sun & shadow, glad to be back home!

Media: oil on Belgian linen mounted on professional artboard
Size: 8 in X 10 in (20.3 cm X 25.4 cm)

How to Purchase:
send me an email

Late Day Sunlight On Coneflowers - SOLD!

7"x5" oil on gessoed masonite archival artboard

"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are certain times of day when it's fun to see what gets illuminated in the garden. As the light moves around the house from sunup until dusk, it's like a showcase of various points in the garden. Around late afternoon the stems of these coneflowers become lit up, and seeing the colors that come out of this is really fascinating to me! Our childhood brain might say "flowers have green stems" but if you really look at how light hits certain ones, you really have a lot of color in them!

Red Day Lilies

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite archival artboard

"None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm."
- Henry Thoreau

Well, this quote really gave me cause to grin...and yet give some forethought as to how awful it would be to reach the point of not being enthusiastic about anything! One thing that I'm definitely enthusiastic about is summer- flowers, food, sunshine, heat! all of it! There is just an abundance of wonderful things to catch my eye and paint this summer, my neighbors RED day lilies are just one of them. And another one of those things I notice every morning on my daily walk.

Contact me roxannesteed@gmail.com for more info or to purchase this painting.