Joy in the Morning

Joy in the Morning (Aquarelle on Yupo, September 2008)

Zinnias are my new favorite annual flower! I carelessly scattered three different packets of them in the ground about the end of June, and POW, by late July, they were blooming like crazy.

These colorful and fearless flowers have been a great inspiration for me. As cut blooms, they last several days and begin to drop their seeds--which I should mindfully collect...

The 'Cut and Come Again' variety is exactly that,

you can snip a handful of a bouquet in many colors, and in days you have another handful ready to pick. The giants are the most dramatic, their petals are at once sprawling and orderly. The peach and pink petaled zinnias often have either a grey or chartreuse underbelly. They are so rich and varied. I think I've done about three paintings of zinnias in the past couple of weeks. They have helped me unplug my creative karma.

Thank you, ye fabulous zinnia! God surely made you the belle of the ball this year!