Flower Series Paintings in Watercolor

Flower Series Paintings in Watercolor

This is a series of small watercolor and gouache paintings based on photographs taken by my mother in mid-twentieth century. Mom would typically write the common name and the scientific name on each slide. I now have possession of most of her slides and recently decided to do small paintings of them in order to preserve the archival quality of her photography, as no color photograph is truly archival. Her knowledge of plains states wildflowers and their locations resulted in the Nature Conservancy purchasing the Keller ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills. The ranch is adjacent to the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge and is now a part of the U.S. Game & Fish. Uncle Bill had acquired the ranch in 1908, through the Kinkaid Act of 1904, an extension of the Homestead Act. I grew up frequently visiting the ranch to ride horses, explore, or play in the big sandpit that would eventually be the object of the Nature Conservancy purchase of the ranch.

25 Images2233 visitsAlbum by John E. KellerPhotos by John E. Keller

enlarge 84KB, 500x800 White Blowout Penstemon	enlarge 99KB, 900x556 Pink Blowout Penstemon	enlarge 70KB, 507x800 Shooting Star	enlarge 84KB, 472x800 Iris 2962
enlarge 81KB, 528x800 Cone Flower 2965	enlarge 64KB, 497x800 White Tulip 2966	enlarge 65KB, 516x800 Blue Water-Speedwell 2970	enlarge 61KB, 501x800 Scurfy Pea 2971-Edit
enlarge 63KB, 520x800 Nodding Thistle 2969	enlarge 86KB, 900x552 Red Columbine 2972	enlarge 71KB, 497x800 Prairie Sunflower 2968	enlarge 74KB, 800x508 Prairie Coneflower 2973
enlarge 85KB, 800x515 Prairie Rose 2974	enlarge 79KB, 800x516 Balloon Flower 2963	enlarge 87KB, 900x558 Violet Wood-sorrel 2967	enlarge 65KB, 516x800 Blue Water-Speedwell 02970
enlarge 73KB, 800x501 Wild Sweet Pea 2975-Edit	enlarge 104KB, 900x537 Shasta Daisies 2976	enlarge 103KB, 900x554 Wild Pergamot (Bee Balm) 2977	enlarge 75KB, 800x508 Blue Eyed Grass 2978
enlarge 117KB, 900x548 Jerusalem Artichoke 2979-Edit	enlarge 70KB, 511x800 Sego Lilly (or, White Trumpet Flower) 2964	enlarge 74KB, 800x507 White Swan Coneflowers 980-Edit	enlarge 88KB, 900x559 Devil's Claw 2981-Edit
enlarge 61KB, 501x800 Scurfy Pea 2971-Edit (1)