933 Gifted by Maidens

In the last couple of years, I've gone crazy for Nasturtiums, an edible flower that is fairly easy to grow.  Last year, I watered them too much and they did not do well--it seems they prefer to be ignored.  The ones in this painting are from this year's rooftop garden, and they greet me with a big splash of beautiful colors---red, orange and yellow---each time I hoof it up the stairs to the roof.  The cup was a thank you gift from a neighbor friend, and is from Door County.  What I love about Nasturtiums is their wild and crazy growth, and the sweetness of their leaves in so many sizes from large to teeny-tiny.

I always like to learn a little something about my subject, so here is what I learned about Nasturtiums.
Copied from www.exoticflowers.com:

"As for the symbolism behind nasturtiums, the blossom is known for meaning “patriotism” and “conquest”.  We’re not sure why exactly but the flower has strong ties to combat and war, perhaps because of its shocking color of orange and red or maybe because the shape of the foliage resembles the appearance of a shield.  Whatever the reason, soldiers customarily wore nasturtiums as a sign of victory, which were gifted to them by maidens.  Large blankets of flower heads were also woven to make blankets and cloaks for those who successfully won a difficult battle.  Today, the nasturtium resonates towards a “happy” theme and has also become an emblem for the warm summer months of July and August. " 

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/933-gifted-by-maidens/753485

931 Springtime, Michigan Avenue

One of the things I love about Chicago is the ever-changing public gardens in the city.  Michigan Avenue is so beautiful, with unique displays changing with the seasons.  Springtime gardens are shocked with colorful tulips, and it is not unusual for people to stand in the middle of the boulevard to photograph them, as I did this past May.

I'm still getting acquainted with the oil paints, which force me to loosen up.

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/931-springtime-michigan-avenue/752519

930 Lavender Fields and 932 Lavender Fields, Too

While I normally paint only from photos I have taken, once in awhile I see a photo a friend has posted and request permission to paint.  My friend, Marlene took this scene's photo while on Washington Island, Door County Wisconsin and posted it on Facebook.  Thank you Marlene for the beautiful photo and permission.

After painting the billiard balls, I needed to paint something a little looser.  A ho-hum response from my (color blind) critic in residence encouraged a second try.  Which do you like better?
Let's see if we agree.

930 was painted with acrylic, 931 was painted with oil.

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/930-lavender-fields-and-932-lavender-fields-too/751368

929 Out of Pocket 3

It's always fun for me to find colorful collections to paint, and old billiard balls certainly fall into that category.  This one is 8" x 8" and painted with acrylic paints.

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/929-out-of-pocket-3/750229

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928 Pucker Up

A visit to Door County is not complete without a visit to see Renee Schwaller, potter and proprietress of Off the Wheel Pottery in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin  http://www.offthewheelpottery.com/
Renee is one of those people you are instantly drawn too, and she's a very talented artist.  I love all the pieces I've collected from her shop, including this new bowl, which features birds and the scraffitto style I love so much.  I set up this still life with natural light and enjoyed putting it together, which is often the most challenging part of a painting.  I hope you like it.

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/928-pucker-up/749500

926 Moving Forward

This painting is the 33rd of a series, The Innocents Project, which was designed to raise awareness of the good work that American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) provides to refugees in the Middle East.  I do not work for ANERA, but I strongly believe in the work they do and I support them, and I encourage you to support them too.

Despite the United States complete withdrawal of aid totaling $500M for Palestinian relief, ANERA.org finds ways to serve refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine and to restore some sense of dignity to them.  Unfortunately, with these cuts ANERA had to cut two-thirds of their valued staff in Palestine, which was very difficult to do.

The impact of the U.S. funding cuts, according to ANERA:
"57,000 people in Gaza will not have access to reliable water;
Two communities in the West Bank are without new schools; (the little girl in this painting is from the West Bank);
119,800 people lost access to vital medicines and health care;
16,000 breast cancer patients no longer have access to treatment in Gaza;
150,000 Palestinians in Gaza lost immediate food and vocational assistance'
1.3 million Palestinians are at risk of losing aid and jobs due to the funding cuts."

All of this sounds hopeless to me, but ANERA somehow comes through, and despite these funding cuts, ANERA is managing to deliver 28 shipments of medicine and supplies for Palestinian patients, they are building seven new preschools in the West Bank, improving water and sanitation for almost 28,000 residents, and are installing greenhouses on 91 Gaza farmers' land.  This and so much more.

I encourage you to read about all the good work that ANERA does.  You can read their extensive report on the funding cuts here:  https://www.anera.org/blog/on-the-ground-u-s-funding-cuts-to-palestine/?utm_source=link&utm_medium=email&utm_content=aneraenews&utm_campaign=enews-june19&s_src=aneraenews&s_subsrc=enews-june19

www.anera.org

I would love it if you would consider making a donation, and if so, please mention The Innocents Project.  Thanks for your consideration.

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/926-moving-forward/747921

925 Fresh Air

This is a scene from Venice Italy.  I like the perspective because the sidewalks and streets are so narrow that they didn't allow any other vantage point.  I really enjoyed painting this, as well as the local colors.

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/925-fresh-air/743697