I suppose all these stories will mean something eventually, as I am the only one who knows ‘the story’.
Again, I was in a funk with the early Oklahoma winter of 1987 and turned to my spring flowers. One of my favorite places for compositions was Tlaquepaque in Sedona, Arizona. I had managed to stockpile a numbers of photographs for future paintings. Searching for a successful composition, I selected one of red tulips.
The first show Spring Rubies was accepted into was “The Vistas ’87” Church of the Beatitudes, Phoenix, Arizona in February 1987. The painting did not do well for future shows, and Spring Rubies was retired. I eventually gave the painting to my friend, Joan Berryman. I hope she continues to enjoy it.
This painting is on a ‘half sheet’ at 15.252″h x 22.0″w. It was painted on d’Arches 260 lb cold pressed paper with Winsor & Newton tube pigments and Winsor & Newton Kolinsky Sable brushes. The heavy paper did not need any stretching. The painting was painted to show the deckle edges.