This is the year that I will have to invest in a book on aloes, as I have just planted my 12th type. In a previous post I painted Aloe mitriformis, the wild West Coast aloes that cover the rocks near the ocean.
In the meantime my own garden grew well and the aloes grew large, and some of them became prolific. I called a large aloe with ferocious thorns "Old Buster". This year at last three fat orangey-red plumes appeared on old Buster! An occasion for a painting done in acrylics on canvas board, making use of paint brushes, toothpicks and cotton buds, all as tools for creating textures.
Aloes attract a lot of birds and you will see in my photos how birds eat down from the top, treating the aloes like corn-on-the-cob! I grabbed a few seeds to dry, and left the rest for these pretty Cape Canaries.
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Marie, I love your painting, and I also love how you make your part of the world come alive for me, so far away. Thank you for your generous heart!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this visit, Kelley! I have not been on Fb as I had a very hectic week, but I do suspect I missed your birthday? It is bedtime again, but I will make sure tomorrow and send you a belated birthday wish! I can always plead ageing if I do not keep up with happenings!
ReplyDeleteMarie, first attempt at leaving a comment failed. What I said is love your painting and photos. You most certainly do make your world come alive to all that visit your blog. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWow is this a nice painting..I just love it. I am a big fan of aloes, but, had not idea there were so many kinds. Yours are splendid! Love hearing about your part of the world.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to hear how you achieved the textures. I'm always trying to come up with new ways for texture in my watercolors. I love the colors you used for this piece and you certainly captured the majesty of these plants.
ReplyDeleteJean
Beautiful painting! I have an aloe by my kitchen sink and had to use it last week to heal a burn from a hot pot!
ReplyDeleteYour style really shines on this! Lovely! I've been leisurely looking back and reading your posts. Kelley's so right...it's like taking a personal tour through your part of the world. So lively and interesting!
ReplyDeleteAh Marie, lovely! Whenever I look at your work, I want to emigrate to the West Coast!
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely gorgeous Marie, great work! I believe this one could be Aloe ferox, as it looks very similar to those in my garden and they have beautiful spikes every winter, the Sunbirds just love them!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous blues/greens in the leaves of this beautiful succulent! I love hearing how the birds enjoy those blooms too!
ReplyDeleteHi Joan,thank you for your kind comments!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I plan to point out all the species around me some day! Some of the unusual aloes are the miniatures and the trailing kind!
Thank you Jean for liking my colours, I used a lot of blue for shading to contrast with the orange. Textures in watercolours are somewhat more difficult. You may have to use 300gms paper into which you can scratch with a knife.
Barb, now that is clever! We have products here made from aloes, but why bother if you can use the plant!
Gwen, thank you so much for visiting back posts! I am always hoping to receive back visits!
Liz, now that will be truly wonderful!
Maree, it may be ferox, the one that is often used for aloe products!Did you read Barb's comment!
Thank you, Sherry, so nice of you to pop by and always give these lovely comments.
Fantastic work! very beautiful and interesitng! Love how you create such an amazing atmosphere!
ReplyDeleteA very well done painting, Marie!
ReplyDeleteWith the wild twists and turns, I have a feeling this would have been a favorite subject of Van Gogh!
Beautiful work as usual and so very informative too. I once grew aloe, but it threatened to overtake the house so when we moved I left it behind. I was not so informed as you and was unaware there were several species.
ReplyDeleteI am happy that you think so Mikko!Thank you for visiting!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh, Dean. Who knows, he might have loved this sturdy African plant! Thank you!
Carol, why do plants grow so well when they are in a strange environment. Here we stare at them and say: Grow! Grow! Thank you for the comments about my painting!
Cool with that hit of warm - wonderful, Marie.
ReplyDeleteI really like that aloe you painted. I always learn a little something when I read your blog... I didn't realize there was more than one kind of aloe.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Linny!
ReplyDeleteMarian, I hope not to bore my darling readers! Yes many types of aloe and lots of aloe products. These sturdy plants do well in Africa!
BeautifulWorkGoodCreations
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