Lemon Buds and Flowers

After six years living in Florida, it still amazes me the number of various plants and shrubs budding and flowering this time of year.

Spent some time outside enjoying the cool weather (60 plus degrees) soaking in the sun.  I walked around looking at all the flowers going strong here in February.  We still have oranges and lemons hanging from the trees with new buds and flowers already forming.  Terry spent the day yesterday clearing off the fruit so that the trees' energy could concentrate on the new growth.  We have three lemon trees and two orange trees and they are such prolific fruit producers that we and our neighbors can only make a dent in what's out there.

This is from the Lemon tree in our back yard.

Journal with Arches watercolor paper / DS watercolors / Metropolitan with #41 Brown.

I actually mixed my greens with Phthalo Blue (RS) and New Gamboge.  I still prefer just using a tube green adding other colors to it but decided to do something a little different.  Where so many artists like the variation with blues and yellows taking precedence in different areas of the green, I prefer working with a more predictable green base.  But that's just me :-)

Watercolor first and then the line work with pen and ink