Christmas Edition - Petal Power
Summer drifts in on a wave of fragrance, and suddenly my days are full of petals!
The roses are in their first glorious flush — tumbling through the garden in such abundance that their beauty simply demands attention.
They coax me into the studio to be painted, and tempt me into the kitchen where a few scattered petals become the final flourish on my Christmas meringues. Read on for a sneak peek - and recipe!
This season runs on pure petal power . Early summer always feels like a celebration to me: exploding with beauty and creativity.
As the festive seasons gathers pace, I’m grateful for these simple pleasures that thread my days together. They remind me that life, at its best, is indeed a bowl of roses.
Jenny x
FROM MY COLLECTIONS
PEONY PLEASURE!
Peonies always hold a special place in my heart. Each summer I plan to paint the flowers I grow — especially roses and peonies — but they don’t always cooperate (and neither does my schedule, but that is a separate issue!).
This year only one of my three peonies offered up a single bud - they never enjoy being shifted, and our climate requires just the right pocket of coolness.
Still, that one bloom was enough to set my imagination going again. So it feels fitting to feature a favourite peony painting from my Masterpiece Collection.
In Peony Cluster, I wanted to capture the lush romance of peonies at every stage — from tight, dew-kissed buds to wide, ruffled blooms.There’s something deeply satisfying about painting these generous flowers: the softness of their petals, the subtle shifts of colour, the sense of abundance they bring to any room.
Although Peony Cluster has now sold, I’m always open to discuss creating something similar. If you have a favourite peony — or any cherished garden flower — contact me to talk about capturing it on canvas for you.
FROM MY ART STUDIO
I’ve been longing to paint a rose — one of my own roses.
Much of what I plant eventually ends up on my canvas, and Wollerton Old Hall has been whispering “paint me” for days. Today I finally gave in, grateful for a sheet of Arches paper still stretched from winter.
The moment I laid down the board, sketched a composition, and chose a few colours, watercolour took me over — that familiar joy of colour floating on water, blending and dispersing in its gentle, unpredictable way.
Wollerton Old Hall deserves special mention. Its buds begin as rich apricot-peach and open to buttery cream petals with a soft scatter of reddish freckles. I’ve painted roses from photos many times, but nothing compares to painting from the flower itself. A photo will do… but a living bloom sings.
So tonight it was mix, test, mix again, then gently into the water. With just a few pigments — warm and cool yellows among them — I’m pleased with the first stages of what I hope will become a five-rose composition.
And if summer cooperates, this may be the beginning of a new rose series. I really must do something with my obsessions!
Get in touch if you’d like to pop in for a visit and see what’s happening.
FROM MY KITCHEN
Relishing Capsicums
Look at these glorious capsicums — large, glowing beauties I simply couldn’t resist.
Red onions are always in my hit parade, and as I selected them, I found myself thinking yet again: there’s a painting in that. Truly, the whole vegetable aisle fires up my creative juices.
I adore relish. It’s that extra go-to taste temptation that adds kick and crunch to cheese and crackers just as easily as it brightens a meat platter.
This batch was a little runny, so I’ll test another recipe next week — but the process is half the pleasure. It’s wonderfully satisfying to glance across the pantry and see your own jars lined up, gleaming with promise.
Rose-Berry Meringues
A practice run for Christmas Day meringues happened in a dash between painting petals, checking dialogue for a client, and pondering which steps to take on a large artwork-in-progress.
The kitchen is one of my happy places. Creative? Absolutely. What space has more delicious components and possibilities?
Trusty Edmonds is my meringue recipe of choice. Soon the beaters were whirring, a drop of vanilla went in, then a splash of rose flavour and the faintest hint of pink. The unmistakable scent of meringues drifted through the house.
Bringing them together the next day is always a delight — strawberries, blueberries, pomegranate jewels, dried damascena rose buds, rose petals from my garden, and of course, cream.
One is enough for me… so who else will I share these with? Let’s see who’s home!
FROM MY GARDEN
Early summer has swept through my garden with a joyful explosion.
Everything seems to be growing at once — climbing, tumbling, stretching — as if the whole courtyard has decided to celebrate the season together. After last year’s settling-in period, the roses and companion plantings have truly found their feet.
Earth Angel, who I once imagined would behave like a tidy bush rose, is now confidently scaling the fence. Sally Holmes has begun her gentle climb too, her soft apricot-tinted blooms catching the morning light, while a formerly reluctant Pierre de Ronsard has suddenly decided he rather likes his new position.
At ground level, knee-high flowers — scabiosa, airy groundcovers, and soft perennials — gather in friendly clusters, lifting the whole scene.
The Higo irises have been another delight this year, their blue-veined faces opening one by one around the rustic pot in my little ‘topiary’ plot.
My taste these days leans toward the pearly and peachy tones — gentle colours that feel soothing in the height of the season.
More often than not I find myself standing there, sun hat on, just taking it all in. Gardens have their own way of rewarding us, and this year mine feels abundant, fragrant, and full of beauty.
Whoever said we should stop and smell the roses knew exactly what they were talking about.
Wishing you a summer filled with colour, fragrance, and your own bowl of roses.
Jenny x