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Ryan’s Poppies

A couple weeks ago a fellow blogger offered his readers a spring challenge. He posted a photo of poppies and asked us to join in and paint them in all our various styles. We were then to link to his post and leave a comment signifying that we had participated. Come and join in the fun and see everyone’s interpretations by clicking the artist’s tag names in his comment section. While painting this, I wondered how many other artists were doing the same this past week. I am so excited to see everyone’s versions!

Thank-you Ryan for a wonderfully fun idea!

67 Comments

  1. Just beautiful Leslie. The flowers look as if they are dancing.
    Karen

    • Thank-you, Karen. What a nice compliment. Maybe I’ll try some more flowers this year. I think you did a great job on yours, also!

  2. Oh wow, Leslie! This painting is incredible!!!! I am totally blown away by all the beautiful light!! Excellent!!! 🙂

  3. Wow, really nice Leslie!

    • Thank-you, Val! Was just over to see your digital take and like how you enhanced the photo!

        • absurdoldbird
        • Posted March 24, 2010 at 5:07 pm
        • Permalink

        Thanks!
        🙂

  4. Magnificent,my friend!!!
    I like a lot the challenge of Ryan!!!
    Great idea,isn’t it? 😉
    I love the red from your new painting.Now i know that the spring is here 😉

    Have a great day,my friend!!! 🙂

    • Thank-you, Alina. I was just over to your site and loved your creative composition on spring. You met the challenge with creativity added! Yes, in answer to your question, this has been fun.

      • I’m glad that you like it,Leslie! 🙂

        Have fun,my friend!

  5. The flowers and it’s colors are great. First impression strike me, just like looking into a 3D image. The depth is excellent. I have the same thought too, not sure how many join in to this challenge.

    • Thank-you, Francis. I believe there are quite a few that accepted the challenge. I am totally impressed with the light you captured in your painting.

  6. Breathtaking flowers Leslie! Absolutely love the colours, the delicacy of the flowers petals translates beautifully with the fluidity of water colour. Just been over to Ryan’s site – some lovely contributions there and all different! Thanks!

    • Thank-you, Lynda, for commenting about colors. I sat with them and a piece of scrap paper until I was satisfied. It is amazing everyone’s different interpretations.

  7. This is so Leslie!
    It’s perfect, it has your wonderful style, beautiful color mix and absolutely eye catching. Thank you so much for joining in on my little fun!

    • Thanks, Ryan. This was a wonderful thing you did. I will remember it for a long time. You also got me to paint flowers. I don’t do that too often. 🙂

  8. Leslie, Love your field of poppies! You did the challenge justice. The flowers are beautiful and I especially like the pods twisting and turning all over like a light breeze is blowing. Wonderful painting.

    • Thanks for mentioning those pods, Carol! While I was painting them I thought, “the invasion of the pods”. I have just been to admire your field of poppies that really remind me of the fragility of and softness of spring. They are wonderful!

  9. Leslie, this is fab! I adore the colors and textures, and everything is so harmonious though distinct…

    Basically, it’s great. 😉

  10. As always, Leslie, this is just beautiful. You can almost smell them!

    • Bree, thank-you. What a wonderful comment. I am totally impressed with your take on the giant poppies and the “teeny Alice”.

  11. I am surrounded by poppies today! All my blogging friends have posted poppies – this is so great – I feel it is summer already. It is also interesting to see how the flowers differ from artist to artist. Yours are busy and bouncy, washed in light – love the white edges! Beautiful colors too.

    • Hi Alex, Thank-you for the “busy and bouncey”. I like that. 🙂 I was just over at your blog and your portrait you spent so much time on is FANTASTIC!

  12. oh this is wonderful. Love all the light and the pinks into oranges are fabulous. this has been such a fun thing to do. Can’t wait to see all the others
    peace n abundance
    CheyAnne

  13. i like. so warm and optimistic.
    Plus i like the colour pallette.
    nice one leslie

    • Thank-you, Kokot. Thank-you, also, for pointing out the difference in the color palette. I rarely use the colors that I used to create the blossoms. Good eye you have!

  14. You know, I find it nostalgic. Soft and pretty, but also a bit sad. I absolutely adore it. 🙂

    • Thank-you! Maybe a bit sad because of the drooping pods. They will straighten up in a day or two and bloom!

  15. Oh what a great rendition. It looks so dreamy to me. I love the colors and the light.

  16. What a beauty, you made them look alive, like you had gone to the garden and taken this picture

    • Thank-you, Souldose. I felt like those stems and pods were moving while I painted; like they were twisting and turning. 🙂

  17. Absolutely stunning, so much detail. You’re interpretation is wonderful 🙂

    • Thank-you, Chloe. Just saw yours and I like how you made it your own!

  18. Really beautiful. Your painting has almost a feeling of cloisonne (sp???). The sense of movement and the colors are so strong and powerful.

    • Linda, thank-you. What a nice comment about the feeling of cloisonne.

  19. I agree with the comment about the white edges – it gives a feeling of freshness. It’s ages sinces I’ve used that!
    You’ve got a good combination of loose & detail here.
    Sorry to be ignorant, but do poppies flower in spring in America? In Europe it’s generally May, June.
    I like the conceptual aspect to this whole idea. I’m sure it’s going to become a meme & we’re going to be seeing lots more of these suggestions in the next few months. Bet one of them will be from you!

    • Thank-you for what you said about the white edges, Sonya. Sometimes I feel as though some subjects just require them.
      You are not ignorant. I looked it up for you. In Vermont, where it is colder, blooming is May and June. In California, I found a site that says their blooming peak is April. Ryan wanted something colorful and spring-like and just to get us in the spirit of what’s to come. I really enjoyed being a part of this. It was fun.

      • PS Sonya. Just found this post on a blog I visit. http://bigsurkate.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/poppies-in-profusion/ This is “Poppy Day” there.

      • Thanks Leslie that’s interesting. It’s amazing how flowering times vary even within a short distance. I had a glance at the site with the poppies & immediately recognised …Californian poppies!! Very pretty. I used to have some in my garden but they flower here in the summer & are not indigenous. The petals are quite similar to common poppies but the plant itself is quite a different shape.

  20. Beautiful! I so enjoyed your painting and then observing the individual style of all the artists in their willingness to participate in this challenge. I cannot wait to see what challenge is next 🙂

    • Thanks, Nan! I hope Ryan does it again. It was fun, yesterday clicking around blog land and seeing all the artist’s renditions.

  21. Hi Leslie! How are you? I haven’t been blogging for a long time now. A lot of things going on. It’s nice to see all your new posts. Red poppies (and sunflowers) are my favorite flowers, so this made me very happy! 😀 I love it.

    • Hi Camilla! I have missed you. 🙂 Thank-you for the comment and even if they weren’t one of your two favorite flowers you probably would have enjoyed them because of the nature lover that you are. I’m fine. The long winter seems to be over!

  22. Leslie! I bet when you show these the orignal and prints will sell MADLY due to their Beauty! ahhhhhhh

  23. Beautiful! Reminds me of poppies in California.

  24. FanfanfanfanfanfanTASTIC! Ah! BEE-U-TIFUL! Thank You! And by the way, Lady Lady, I keep forgetting to tell You that I LLLOOOOOVVVVEEEEE the women You painted that were in Buffalo Woman’s room. You blow my mind. Cheers and Namaste. 🙂

    • Thank-you, Bliss. You have a way of making everyone feel so good!

  25. Wow! Beautiful painting. Love the color choices and the way they are blended. The flowers are nicely positioned as well. Very nice 🙂

    • Thanks, Dustus! A very different set of colors than what I normally use so I double appreciate your mentioning them. 🙂

  26. I particularly like the light greens behind the flowers a the top. Nice painting!!

  27. Being sick, I really missed out on this one. I came to know about this way after the due date. Maybe next time!

  28. Painting poppies is so much fun. I’ve actually outline a painting of poppies, but I haven’t started it yet. I had to paint one for one of my watercolor classes, and I think that was my favorite class.

    • Poppies are cool. I’ve only painted them once before for my sister. They lend themselves well to be able to explore shape and light. Have fun painting yours, Little Lynx!

  29. What a cool idea, and I LOVE your interpretation, Leslie. Now I need to go see the others!

    • Thank-you, Kate. What I thought was really neat was the fact that you posted poppies on or near the same day as we did and talked about them blooming all over in California! How cool is that?

  30. Hey! Still loving Your poppies! I took Your advice and went and looked at some of the others…..HOW COOL! What a great game smalltowndad gifted! Thank You and Cheers and Namaste. 🙂

  31. Hi Leslie – this is such a cool painting – It is so fresh

    • Thank-you, Stephen. I give this paper a lot of credit for the freshness. I have to order some of the larger sheets of it.

  32. I’ve been drawn to your blog here by your gravatar…so clearly original and watercolor wonder. and wow. my favourite flower…poppies. this is a moving lovely piece. glad to find your world of color here…

    • Thank-you jRuthKelly! That makes me feel good that my gravatar did that. 🙂 Thank-you for the visit and the compliment on color!


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