Honeysuckle in June
Happy Sunday and welcome to this month’s catch up blog post with Pippin Prints. A moment for me to reflect on the most recent chapter in our year, the nature inspired art that I’ve been creating in my studio and the progress I’ve made on current projects. I’ll also likely share some of the little joys of life from the outdoors, home and the comforts of the current season. I have returned my attention to creativity this month, painting honeysuckle in June.
Honeysuckle in June
As we step into the busy summer months I have been thinking about the future and looking at ways to give my work life more structure. It is no secret that I am very attached to the seasons. My work is driven by nature and the changes which happen around us as the year progresses.
As such, it makes sense to me to begin to work in a monthly cycle, turning my attention to one floral in each month of the year. Much to the delight of my younger self I have been thinking about honeysuckle in June.
One of my most vivid childhood memories is playing in the garden in summer as the honeysuckle bloomed. It climbed the side of our house and the flowers would bloom far above my head and fill the air with such a sweet smell. I spotted the first blooms appearing in my parent’s garden last month and just had to capture them on paper!
In the Studio
I love to use both photographs and reference images when starting a painting and this time was no different. Photos that I captured of the incredible honeysuckle plant my mum has growing in her garden gave me the perfect starting point.
A book full of floral studies which I recently purchased has helped to figure out the composition for my painting The book even gives guidance on the symbolism of the plant. Honeysuckle is thought to represent true happiness and given it’s nostalgic connection to my childhood I would absolutely agree.
This piece was lovely to sketch out. The flowing petals and leaves made it easy for me to build a composition that filled the paper nicely. That is the beauty of capturing a flower with a very organic shape.
Little Joys of Every Day Life
Whilst we’ve had a great deal of rain in Scotland lately, we’ve also been lucky to have many sunny days. Spending time in the garden with the little one has been so much fun. She’s such an explorer and loves to pick flowers, leaves and anything else she can get her hands on. Which led her to learn about stinging nettles too, ouch!
Being in a new environment this summer (we moved back to Scotland last year) means that we are spending a lot more time exploring too. Going for walks along the woodland path at the back of our house is almost a daily habit now and our slow pace (with a three year old learning to scoot and bike) means I’m taking in so much more of my surroundings. Wild flower paintings will be filling my to do list soon I think!
Flower of the Month Club
I had mentioned in my last post that something would be coming soon.
On October 1st I will be sending out the first of the Flower of the Club post.
More details to follow soon. For those who are intrigued, it will be a monthly subscription in which you will receive a seasonal floral A4 print (rrp £25), accompanied by a beautiful note card sharing the meaning of the flower. I intend for it to be a lovely, calm, escape from screens and chaotic life for a moment. A delivery to bring a little bit of added joy to your letterbox each month.
Oh, it’ll be priced at £20. If you fancy hearing about it in the future join my mailing list here. And if you do choose to join when it’s ready, thank you so so much. It really means a lot to me.
Thank you so much for joining me for this month’s post.
Looking forward to sharing more with you in July.
Emma x
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