Summer Roses

So, I have been painting.  I just haven't been doing a lot of posting.  We are getting ready to go on vacation, I am busy with my garden and summer stuff, and time just seems to get away from me.  Today, I made some collages of the rose paintings I have been working on for the past few weeks.  These paintings were done from photos I took of the beautiful rose bush that is in my back yard. It blooms perfusely (sp?) in spring for about 2 weeks and then its done until mid to end of summer.
The first 4 paintings are on 6"x6" panels.  I recently ordered these panels because I know of other artists who paint on panel and wouldn't paint on anything else.  They definitely take some getting used to as they react completely differently to the brush.  The paint has to be a different consistency as well, and after painting on several of these panels, I came to realize that you must also put medium down on it first and then paint wet into wet.  Geeze.  For those of you who use oil paint, I hope this makes sense.  For those of you who don't, you may choose to disregard all of this nonsense.  Regardless, I did come up with some nice rose paintings, and well, frankly, one or two I don't like as much.  But you can't love, love, love every single painting you make now then can you.

Summer rose collage.  Each painting is done on separate 6"x6" gessoed panels

2 summer roses.  Both are oil on canvas