Ivory Dahlia

© Ellen Blonder

Last watercolor of the year. This is an ivory-colored dahlia from an Oregon friend's garden. I loved the flower's frilliness and graceful curled petals. 

More Monkeys

 © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman

Here's a shot of the room I'm working in, filled with Steve Coleman's amazing art. The monkeys I'm painting are in the blue spaces at the top of the columns.

  © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman

This is a close-up of the top of the column in the room shot.

  © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman

Here's a better photo of the second guy.

 © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman

And this is today's work.

Monkeys in Progress

 © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman

I'm enjoying a collaborative treat, working with artist Steve Coleman on his anteroom interior at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, California. He's working on covering every square inch of the theater in his over-the-top style. My small contribution is three monkey scenes on blue faux-insets. Above is my tissue sketch taped in place, ready to transfer to the board underneath.

  © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman

Here is the finished first painting in place at the top of the wall.

 © Ellen Blonder, © Steve Coleman

The second painting is nearly done, but the light was fading and I was losing my edge. I'll add final touches tomorrow when I can look at this with fresh eyes.

Red Dahlia

© Ellen Blonder

I've been painting mostly pastel-tinted dahlias, but they come in bright red, too. Here's another flower from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden. I'm painting it the week before Christmas, so it looks like a summer flower dressed in winter colors.

English Bulldog Skull

© Ellen Blonder

The skull exhibit has closed at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, but I photographed many of them for drawing reference. This was one of the most extreme of the dog skulls. The English Bulldog has a startling underbite and smashed in nasal cavity. I wondered how it eats, and it's easy to see why it must have trouble breathing.

Satsumas Are Here

© Ellen Blonder

Satsumas are plentiful at the farmers' market, and they're sweet and wonderful. I had to do a quick watercolor of these, so pretty with all those leaves attached. 

White Dahlia

 © Ellen Blonder

© Ellen Blonder

When I think of dahlias, I usually visualize bright colors. I thought it would be an interesting exercise to paint one that was all white, where I couldn't rely on color gradations to define the layers of petals. My reference was another flower from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden.