Mimi Torchia Boothby

Vincent Van Gogh was a genius. I’ve been studying his work for years. He died in his early 40’s but he achieved so much in that short time. This painting of mine is based on his painting, “Vase with Red Poppies” If you compare the two paintings, you’ll see that all that I took from his painting was the idea and the colors; I made up my own abstract flowers, and changed the vase to suit myself. Even with his fine example in front of me, I painted this several times before I had done one that I liked. This measures 14″ x 22″, it’s on a half sheet of fine Arches watercolor paper and painted with Daniel Smith paints. It is for sale, $400.00, shipping is free in the USA.

After seeing a friend’s flowers on facebook, I decided to try something different, a still life; and this is what I came up with. She had captured a golden glow in her living room, and I wanted to try it with paints. This is the result. The room has a warm glow and the flowers brighten it nicely. This measures 9″ x 12″ and is on fine Arches watercolor paper. This painting is sold!

Sometimes it’s nice to paint white flowers, they are both fun and challenging. A fellow artist took this snapshot and gave me permission to use it. This painting measures 5″ x 7″ and it is for sale. $50.00 takes it home to anywhere in the world. All proceeds go to endangered species conservation.

My sister is on vacation in France, and she sends me daily updates of her adventure. She saw a pretty garden in Amboise, France, but couldn’t get close to it because a cat growled and hissed at her. She managed to take his picture. The little black cat behind him seemed friendlier, but the first cat didn’t allow closer proximity. Thanks to modern technology, my sister shared her photo with me, and I was able to paint it (using paint, brushes and paper) and then take a picture of my painting and send it back to my sister. She exclaimed, “this is better than my photo!” and that, my friends, is what makes a good painting. This painting is 11″ x 15″ and is for sale for $175.00. All proceeds go to endangered species conservation.

My garden is the opposite of a formal garden. The plants that are growing are either volunteers or tough additions. I grow a variety of native plants as well as european immigrants, like my own ancestors. Foxglove has been in my yard for as long as I’ve lived here, and I’ve never planted it. The delphinium is something I planted four years ago. The orange poppies have happily reproduced for at least 20 years. In every season, something else in my yard glows. Birds, bees, and butterflies love this place.