A BREATHTAKING PATH By Cecelia Lyden

oil/stretched canvas

14x18

www.cecelialyden.com

lyden1819@comcast.net

Monet's gardens in Giverny are beautiful and much larger than I anticipated. What a thrill to see the site of his famous foot bridge and water lilies; but even more awesome, as I turned a corner, was the sight of this explosion of color on both sides of this wiggley path to his door. Whereas I was hesitant to paint the footbridge and water lilies, there was no question in my mind that I wanted to paint this beautiful section of Monet's gardens.

HEATHCOTE BOTANICAL GARDENS PATH By Cecelia Lyden

oil/acrylic/stretched canvas

9x12

http://www.cecelialyden.com/

This is a path running in and around a small botanical garden in Fort Pierce, Fla. I made two paintout trips there with other artists this past winter. There was not much in bloom, but I did spy this wonderful twisty tree with its curvy branches and foliage. There was such movement swirling in and about the tree, coupled with a wonderful path, with light peeking and streaking across it--just had to try to paint it.

I painted the whole scene with acrylics and then decided to overpaint the tree's foliage and the path with oils for more oomph.