Today's Garden Inspiration - Red roses

Close-up Crop of Work in Progress

And the Inspiration...

A climbing red rose.

These roses are beautifully formed and have such a wonderful scent.

St Paul, the area I live in, was renowned for its roses. Apparently the hillsides were all covered with rose nurseries and supplied the perfume trade in Grasse. It's surprising that they grow so well as roses are not normally associated with a Mediterranean climate due to the hot summers. We do have quite a bit of rain in April and often into May which probably bolsters them up for their moment of glory.

Here are some photos from an annual rose festival two weeks ago.

Mountain Scene Challenge in Pastel

 Mountain Abstract in Green and Purples

Pastel on Pastel paper

22x30cm

A while ago I participated in a challenge in the Pastel forum of wetcanvas.com which involved choosing a landscape photo and creating different versions of it using various techniques and style. I am cleaning out my studio and am now offering these for sale at Etsy to make room. There are 10 paintings in all, with two of them shown here.

Click here to see all of the series for sale