White Flowers - Thank You Teresa Loba!

White Flowers - Thank You Teresa Loba!, a photo by linfrye on Flickr.

9" x 12"
Arches 140#CP

February -- what an odd month, especially this year. From 'Sundial of the Seasons' by Hal Borland:

"February can't be taken seriously too long at a time. It starts with Groundhog Day, which is neither omen nor portent, but only superstition, and it ends, often as not, in a flurry of snow. It is sleet and snow and ice and cold, and now and then it is waxing sunshine and tantalizing thaw and promise. February is soup and mittens, and it is a shirt-sleeve day that demands an overcoat before sundown....February is sunrise at 6:30 for the first time since November.

"February is a gardener pruning his grapevines today and shoveling a two-foot drift off the front walk tomorrow morning. It is a farmer wondering this week if his hay will last the Winter, and next week, wondering if he should start plowing....February is the tag end of Winter--we hope. But in our heart of hearts we know it is isn't Spring, not by several weeks and at least a dozen degrees.

"There's no evidence to support it in the dictionaries, but some say that February's name comes from an ancient and forgotten word meaning "a time that tries the patience."

How apt can one description be???? LOL

We've a chill in the air today after another bout of incredibly warm weather. Our volunteers cleaned the vegetables beds in shirtsleeves last week, and I left the house yesterday in an overcoat, gloves and frost on the flowering bulbs. Yep - it doth try thine patience!!

This painting was inspired by my dear friend Teresa and a photo of white azaleas. Please see her wonderful images (www.flickr.com/photos/teresalaloba/6697141907/in/photostream). Thank you so much, Teresa for permission to use your photo and the inspiration!

This painting is a loose interpretation of her photo, for I was trying to capture that in between-ness of the seasons - the winter leaving, the spring not quite arriving - but flowers still blooming ... Again, thank you so very much, my friend!

Take a look at the landscape if you get a chance. Already the maples have broken their buds and there is a mild haze of magenta mixed in with the gray tree branches and olive tones of the evergreens - at least here in piedmont North Carolina. Each day finds more flowers blooming unseasonably early. I spotted some flowering quince yesterday along with the crocus, forsythia, hyacinths. Not a full flurry of emergence -but certainly the tease of a few plants that let us know spring is heading our way.

Hope your weekend is wonderful!