Color Notes from the Garden
Color Notes from the Garden Table
—a summer palette, planted and planned
In June, I spent a few days in Vermont at a retreat hosted at The Smiley Manse, painting with the incredible Helen Dardik. She’s small but mighty, totally saturated in color—both in her work and the way she tells a story. Think sunshine, music, a little Miró, and a whole lot of bold.
In person, she’s full of energy and totally electric—she paints like she’s telling a secret story only she knows. Quick marks, bold shapes, unexpected color combinations. It all just flows, like she’s chasing the next idea before it even fully lands.
The setting itself was lovely in that summer-in-Vermont way. The barn, the wide skies, the mealtime chats, the new friends made over shared brushes and paper towels. I came home filled up in that good, tired, colorful way.
And then I went to the garden center.
I didn’t mean to buy a palette, but I kind of did—impatiens, mini petunias, dwarf morning glories, dusty miller, and marigolds, to name a few. Coral reds. Chalky blues. Petal pinks. Silver leaves. Sun-colored blooms. Bright things that reminded me of what I’d just seen and painted.
I haven’t had time to turn those colors into full pieces just yet—but they’ve been sitting with me. So I made something small in the meantime: a printable mixing guide, using the exact watercolor mixes I used to match those garden blooms in my palette box.
A Little Bonus
During the Stay-In Summer Sale, everyone who purchases one of four courses—Shenanigans, Wildlife, The Potting Shed, or Faerie Folk—will receive 40% off with code SUMMERFUN40, plus a printable based on this photo called Color Notes: A Summer Mixing Guide. A little watercolor mixing magic from my studio to yours!
It’s a simple swatch card showing the color mixes I used to recreate my backyard blooms—a tiny nudge toward your own late-summer painting days.
The sale runs through July 15.
Thanks for being here. I’ll share more soon, once the garden settles and the paintbrushes come back out.