Color Inspiration - Azure (#1)

The other morning I was struck by the beauty of the crisp clear blue sky as I went for a run.  A gorgeous blue sparkling in contrast to the bright, fluffy white clouds.  That color got stuck in my head for days.  It is a color, when paired with white, that seems to announce summertime!

Azure. Cerulean. Lapis Lazuli... ok, I know, too light to be Lapis but that name is lilting and magical, and I just had to use it.  

I have been collecting, noting, snapping photos of this color everywhere...

Bright and playful in a park.

Making a lively theater ensemble.

even an ordinary hydrant becomes charming.

and a fabulous garage tucked away just leapt out at me.

Not sure yet how I will be using this color, but it is certain to show up in something new as it swirls in and around me.

Purple Hydrangea

"Purple Hydrangea", watercolor on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Our area is a riot of color with the Hydrangeas in bloom!  
Lush, abundant, heavy with color and petals, they are spectacular.
Truly a feast for the eyes.
I love June in New Jersey!

Showing Up

Sunset over Puerto Vallarta, acrylic on Canvas, 24x36, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Sometimes I get lucky... lucky to go on an amazing vacation, and watch night after night of incredible sunsets.  And even years later, I close my eyes and I am in that hot tub on the beach, cocktail in hand, with my husband, watching the greatest show on earth.

Sometimes I get lucky... by setting up and showing up - out pours a painting as if by magic!  And I am purely the go-between that is mixing and moving the paint.

This painting literally exploded out of me. 

Last night it left me exhausted and conflicted.  

This morning I saw it with fresh eyes and attitude.  I went back to the easel this morning and painted from the heart, from what I felt, from the experience... and less from the literal.

I finished.  

I am pleased.

I feel very lucky indeed.

The Suffragette

"The Suffragette", 8x10 watercolor and ink on paper, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

The newest addition to my ongoing Vintage Closets series.  

A tribute to the women who marched before us... and for us! 

They marched encumbered by layers and layers of clothing, and certainly not the most comfortable shoes.  Many shoes to keep her feet going.

They stood for what they believed.

And, they changed the world!

Fairy Dreams

"Fairy Dreams". watercolor and ink on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

What do you see in the shadows?

Hold fast to your dreams - and your imagination!

Wildfire

"Wildfire" watercolor on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Wildfire, my newest watercolor, and I was singing the song from 1975, the entire time I was painting - which certainly influenced the intensity of color!  The more the song looped the more vivid she became.

That amazing, glossy coat like fire in the late day sun.  The more orange, gold, and reds I used - the more I could deepen the shadows with eggplant and aubergine (which beg to be used because both their hues and names are so wonderful!)

I captured her energy just in that moment before she bolted - and ran wildly, happily free!

A Girl and her Doll

The late afternoon sun is casting long warm shadows through the window.

"A Girl and her Doll", watercolor on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

The child sits in a moment of rare quiet and stillness.  Tenderly holding her favorite doll.

Whispering quiet secrets to the doll… her baby, her best friend, sister, confidant ... Changeable at a moments notice.  But, always steadfast and sweet.

The secrets will forever be safe with her.