The Good Thing – About Gardening

Painted Rose Box

Gardening has been a hobby, a passion, and an outlet for stress in my life for many years.  The intense labor of digging, weeding, moving dirt and rocks, as well as harvesting the bounty and preserving it for later use leaves the body and soul feeling very satisfied.  It clears the head and tires the limbs.

I also enjoy capturing the natural beauty of a blooming rose at it’s peak of beauty.  When the gardens are growing and the weeds are (temporarily) defeated, passing the time with a paint brush and palette of colors, attempting to capture some of the wonder of nature also satisfies the soul.

It’s been too many years since I’ve sat down with a paint brush and canvas.  The activities of raising three teenagers single-handedly, while keeping up with the demands of a busy career left little time for personal enjoyment or hobbies.  But before I started dating my fiancé, the few moments I had to myself were sometimes spent with brush in hand, attempting to transfer some of scenic pictures imprinted in my mind to canvas.

This week, with brush in hand, I decided to attempt painting again.  As you can see, my skills are a little rusty, but I’ve enjoyed practicing various brush strokes and with a little practice, hope to be able to produce a respectable likeness of some of the beautiful gardens that I’ve enjoyed this summer.

For now, I’m sticking with Donna Dewberry’s One Stroke painting method, because it’s easy to learn and doesn’t require a lot of time or equipment to create a finished piece of artwork.  And if nothing else, the final products serve a practical purpose as they can still hold trinkets, or soil and water to nourish a plant or two.

Painted Flower Pot

Eleanor applies the base coat of paint to the pot so the pots all ready for painted designs.  This pot will be planted with summer flowering bulbs and be given to a friend of Eleanor’s.

Tags: Donna Dewberry, hand painted flowers, One Stroke Painting, painted flower pots, painted rose