From Watercolor to Oils – Transitioning to the Canvas…

Artist Log…June 25, 2022

It starts with the blending of the paints. There’s a meditative rhythm that begins the process. Mixing the different hues onto the pallet takes time until the right color is achieved. Once the colors are merged you’re ready to start. 

Oils are luxurious, sensual and captivating. They absorb your senses and enable you to become part of the creation. 

It’s a contemplative process that can rouse you to a state of tranquillity. 

Oil paintings takes longer to produce but with profound impressions. 

Tulip Mania – Flower Power

Artist Log…June 1, 2022

During my recent venture into tulip painting I discovered the infinite varieties that abound. There is a tulip in every imaginable color including the rare black tulip. 

This led me to investigate this curious flower…

In the 17th Century tulips were a new arrival in the Netherlands.


Once the Tulips were introduced to Holland the newly affluent Dutch merchant class began to collect and display rare tulips.
They became fascinated with rare “broken” tulips, bulbs that produced striped and speckled flowers. It was the white tulip that would take up to nine years to produce a striped or speckled specimen. their changing colours made them a hot product and consequently Tulip-mania began. The prices of tulips began to skyrocket and the wealthy got swept up in purchasing rare bulbs in hopes of reselling them for a profit. Contrary to what has been written about this phenomenon, it was indeed the affluent who were purchasing the tulips, not the crazed masses. 


The Tulip was regarded as the ultimate status symbol, the definitive emblem of how much you were worth.


Luckily it was a short-lived market and eventually the bulbs returned to standard prices.