Illustration Friday~blue

My Blue Heaven
9x12, acrylic on canvas
©the enchanted easel

Phew...almost missed the midnight cutoff to IF's promo, blue. Haven't gotten the chance to contribute to Illustration Friday in quite a while so I couldn't pass this up...especially with the title being "My Blue Heaven".

Prints here and pendant necklace here. I love blue poppies. And am so looking forward to seeing them again this March on display at Longwood Gardens. They are breathtaking.

bad blogger....

{hangs head in shame. :( }

i have not been a good blogger these last few weeks. been working on multiple things at once and dealing with some osteoarthritis flare ups in my painting arm and hand. this humid weather is my kryptonite for sure. however if you know me personally-well, you know i keep chugging along. my drive and determination....ALWAYS bigger than my pain and my size. :)

now to the good stuff....HIMALAYAN BLUE POPPIES!! 

i. am. obsessed.  i mean look at these GORGEOUS blooms!! every year, i anxiously await the display at Longwood Gardens and they do not disappoint. although they only bloom for a very short time (10-14 days-MAX), if you're lucky enough to get to see them in their prime-you will be very pleasantly surprised. they are stunning and my photos sure don't do them justice. they range from deep cobalt blues to opulent turquoise shades to violets and purples that will take your breath away. can you tell i'm a bit obsessed?! 

ok, i swear this is going somewhere and it's not just a plug for Longwood Gardens and blue poppies (not that that would be such a terrible thing)....

it's going straight to my easel and the painting i'm currently working on based on (wait for it, wait for it...) the HIMALAYAN BLUE POPPY! after being surrounded by those gorgeous blue spectacles, well i was inspired to do yet another blue poppy painting. the first one can be purchased as a print here and a pendant necklace here.

some pics of the new painting in progress....

loving every second of beautiful blue bliss on this one.

{wow, that was a long blog post. almost made up for the couple weeks of being MIA....}

easel endeavors...

these two cuties!

©the enchanted easel 2015

sweet little Lily, inspired by a recent trip to Longwood gardens and the breathtaking floral displays they have there. just gorgeous.

©the enchanted easel 2015

this little guy....a commission for a friend...and a returning customer (and we know how much i LOVE those!!). a boy, his frog...and perhaps a cookie can be found in there somewhere as well. his nickname was 'cookie' while laying so sweetly in his mama's belly. so, a cookie in the drawing/painting shall appear. i aim to please. :)