Tea in the Greenhouse

Spring has been cooler this year than last. There was that fleeting warm day or two when the bulbs started to push through the soil, and the swollen buds on the flowering trees looked like they might burst open at any moment, but that’s where things stopped. The Spring bloom is suspended, save for the Forsythia and a few other brave, early bulbs.

Harvested Forsythia flowers in a basket, ready to make syrup

I like to remind myself what a gift this is, to be able to enjoy the burst of monochromatic joy against the remnants of winter without distraction. An absolute appreciation of yellow, especially the cool, bright, creamy yellow of Forsythia blooms. This is a moment when there is time to follow through on the ideas that spring from the inspiration of that single color. I can draw the fused, four-petaled blossoms, discover which pigments most accurately describe what I see, create little scenes around the house to enjoy, and even make the Forsythia syrup before the moment passes.

So, for today’s episode of Tea in the Greenhouse, I’m going to talk a but about about the pre-painting process and how I follow inspiration and ideas, and today, that is as simple as starting with yellow. I will show you some of my yellow watercolor pigments and some palette considerations using complementary and analogous colors. I’ll also show you my Forsythia syrup (the color is just so beautiful), and how I use it (the recipe is just below).