Painting From Life

Usually when I paint flowers from life I place them in a vase with water.  Most often the flowers wilt under the heat of my lights. 

Last week I purchased a bucket of potted daffodils at the store - thinking that if the flowers were growing in dirt they might be a little more stable and last longer for the duration of my painting. 

Here is what I blocked in from the first day:

The very next day when I came into the studio, this is what had sprouted overnight: two red tulips and some hyacinths!! 





















Two days later it was a completely different arrangement. Who knew? Ha-ha-ha!!

So much for a potted plant being more stable than flowers in a vase...