Red Anthurium,or, as it’s known around here, Kitchen counter plant, is something I’ve been meaning to sketch for a while, and finally, today, I managed to put it in my sketchbook while I grabbed a cup of tea.The bright red bracts called for a yellow, Cadmium Scarlet and some Permanent Rose, leaving some of the paper untouched for the shiny, waxy areas.As you’d expect from a perennial, it has been around for a long time, and hopefully it will be with us for many more years to come.
Although these Tomatoes have their roots firmly in the grow house (a miniature glass-house for those not so horticulturally disposed), they have grown enthusiastically enough to be bursting out of it in all directions, and this vine has become rather top-heavy. The late Summer or early Autumn sun has them ripening by the day and their colour changing almost as one looks at them.
Gradually, life is stirring in the garden. The beautiful warm, sunny weekend saw many of us out there engaged in a general tidy-up in preparation of great things to come. Among the shoots pushing their way through the soil, the more advanced leaves becoming sturdier by the day, and the amount of buds appearing everywhere, unexpected splashes of colour reveal themselves among the winter debris of fallen twigs and branches. The snowdrops and hellebores will soon be joined by daffodils, tulips and primroses among other welcome visitors, and the range of things to sketch will continue to grow,
Early in the year though it is, and despite the global problems of recent months, Nature is not giving up on us yet, and in it’s own time will restore our well-being in the months ahead.
Graham Findlay Watercolours 