Lavender Grace Watercolor Still Life with Tea Set and Apple by Pennsylvania Daily Painter Bertie Brown

Black Eyed Suzie Floosies

original watercolor floral still life with Black Eyed Susans: 11"w x 12"h

Confusin' Susans

this heat is confusin’

my black eyed sultry susans

yes they are bendin’ down

ever nearer to the ground

‘cause they know autumn’s waitin’

for its cue to start takin’

over prime weather space

with it’s frosty embrace

and my suzies

those beauties

will all hibernate

till next spring shows its face

and they begin their advance

to a new summer romance

BB'10

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 14"w x 11"h

Good Vibrations

I love the way

on a late August day

the sun reaches down

to gather around

my sunflower girls

with their golden yellow curls

and their skirts made of leaves

shimmering in the breeze...

The birds of the air

and the insects working there

create a vibration

a vibrato celebration

as they all harmonize

their praise to the skies...

I’m thankful just to be

by this undulating sea

and honored so to hear

this music of the spheres

BB’10

Sunflower Alley

original plein air watercolor floral landscape/sunflower fields: 14"w x 11"h

Com-Posers Looking Over

bloomin' sunflowers

makin' me happy

till crisp autumn winds

nippy and snappy

cause me to pine

and feel so unhappy

for that best of all times

the season divine

this painting defines....

summer time

and the livin' was fine!

BB'10

Black Eyed Suzie Floozies

original watercolor floral still life with Black Eyed Susans: 9"w x 11"h

Black Eyed Suzie Floozies

My Black Eyed Suzies

are stubborn little floozies!

they’re still hangin’ ‘round

though they are bendin’ down

I know they’re just tryin’

to keep me from cryin’

with summer ‘most gone

“summertime

and the livin’ is easy”

is only a song....

that easy livin’ never lasts too long

BB'10

Sea Shells or Egg Salad

original watercolor still life with hydrangea, eggs, shells: 16"w x 15"h

Egg Shells

hydrangeas in bloom

conch shells in tune

egg shells in a bowl

fabric waves and folds

A quiet and polite

quaint still life

to remind you of the beach

Or the egg salad

you should eat!

BB'10

Sophie's Rockport

original watercolor maritime seascape / motif #1: 7"w x 10"h

Sophie’s Rockport

floats

boats

fisherman totes

nets, tack

Lobsterman shacks

is any place better?

where’s BB, I’ll ask

and she said to me

Sophie

what do you see?

steadfast granite rocks

weathered wooden docks

frigid north atlantic

boisterous, frantic...

and Sophie my dear

what do you hear?

cormorants and gulls

a cacophony of calls

tides singing songs

of the sea all day long...

though I am just a novice

BB, I’ve got it

sturdy framed homes

granite popple stones

smoothed and polished

by their beach bathing frolics

buoys with bright stripes

dancing in the light

and motif #1

standing proud in the sun

saluting seafarers

both living and gone

yep, BB and me

we both agree

Rockport by the sea

is the best place to be!

BB'10

Musically Inclined

original musical motif watercolor, brass-woodwinds-strings: 13"w x 15"h

Of Kings and Kingdoms

The Brass Kingdom reigns

At the back of the stage

Looking over their subjects

In the rows down below

Now those Woodwinds don’t tow

As they do rightly know

That they have the means

To keep the pitch low

The Strings try to show

Their dominance, don’t ya know

While sitting at the toes

Of the Maestro’s looming pose...

Now a wise conductor knows

The music and musicians

Are the stars of his shows

BB

Buoy Joy

original watercolor still life with buoys, shells, bottle: 14"w x 14 1/2"h

Rockport Fever

Sophie and I

Are planning a trip

To Gloucester and Rockport

And, yes, Bearskin Neck

We’ll gaze at the ocean

Climb over the rocks

Paint Motif Number One

At the edge of the docks

We’ll dip our big toe

In the cold ocean water

Go swimming

Are you kidding???

We’d need to be hotter

We’ll head to Pigeon Cove

Walk the breakwater high above

Then buy some fresh lobster

At the Co-op down below

With more things to do

More scenes to be viewed

We’ll need much more time

Than the plan we designed

So we’re savin’ our pennies

Our nickels and dimes

(We know it’s not much

But we’re tryin’ to rhyme)

For our piece of the Rock

Or a spot on the dock

Of Rockport’s scenic town

The best place we have found......

BB’10

Chicken Tricks

original drawing with chickens, horn, Spongebob Squarepants: 22"w x 30"h

Chicken Tricks

You can’t be chicken

If you play horn

Unless you’re thinkin’

You’d like a lickin’

When that horn squawks

The right note balks

And you’re asked to walk

With no back talk..

BB'10

Autumn Serenade

original watercolor still life with pine cones, dried sunflowers:18"w x 22"h

Brew With A View

original watercolor still life with bottles, pumpkins, dried seed pods: 13 1/2"w x 16"h

Brew With a View

We’ll gather up a pumpkin or two

Find some old bottles of witch’s brew

Add dried seed pods, only a few

All on a table and a sill with a view

It’s a still life painting

That’s waiting

For you!

BB'10

Lavender Grace

original watercolor still life with tea set and apple: 12"w x 11"h

Lavender Grace

A gentle place

For quiet thoughts

And simple talks

A spot of tea

For you and me

Refreshed, renewed

We've work to do

So off we flee

As if in flight

Like the bumble bee!

BB'10

Sophie’s High Tea

Sophie stopped in

For some tea and a chat

Mommy had the day off

So they were out and about

Doing this thing and that

Sophie sat on my lap

And held her head high

I thought of Emily Post

And manners and etiquette

All things polite

Demure and delicate

Inspired, I could see

Sophie and me

Doing High Tea...

A white china tea pot

Silverware polished

With nary a spot

Pinkies held just so

Sophie’s refinement will show..

We’ll send out invitations

For this festive occasion

Oh, we think we’re so clever

To plan such an elegant

Sophisticated endeavor!

BB'10

info at: email

Com-posers Series, Impressionistic Watercolor Floral, Sunflowers by Pennsylvania Daily Painter Bertie Brown

Sunflower Alley

original plein air watercolor landscape/ sunflower field: 11"w x 9"h

Party Hardy

A field of sunflowers

sat simmering for hours

now it’s ready to cast

an end of summer bash

boasting nectar warm and sweet

and tasty seeds, always a treat

for our hungry dine-ees

humming happily as they feast

bashful, humble

bumble bees

daring dragonflies

such drama queens

golden finches

those sunflower grinches

and baffling butterflies

so gentle and shy

it’s a golden sunny world

thanks to all our sunflower girls

BB'10

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 12"w x 15"h

One Last Hurrah

The Sunflower Deli has now closed

The frailty of my sunflowers sadly exposed

Gone are the golden sun bonnets

Each face laid bare

No seeds left upon it

The once dripping nectar has all been drawn

And their once great beauty

Vanished, gone

Buzzing bees have packed up their suitcases Backpacking butterflies have flown to new places

Those feisty gold finches

Did anyone notice

Have fled, leaving no traces

This summer's show is over and done

But wait

Hadn't it only just begun?

From spritely young sprouts to bodacious blossoms

To shy sunflower girls

Sorority sisters

And don't forget

That chorus line of jitter-bugging hipsters!

Then

Majestic mommas, patient posers

Finally those gossiping golden girl sewers..

My dressed up backyard is now in tatters

With leaves petals and seeds

Lying about all scattered

I know as I watch their imminent demise

They've had the times of their lives..

And of this I'm quite certain

The hour is now here

To draw the final curtain...

BB

Com-posers

original watercolor sunflowers on 4 Aqua Boards: 5"w x 7"h / 6"w x 6"h

Enigma

A survey of buzzing bees, on tiptoe

Sipping nectar, sneaking about

A bevy of dancing butterflies, en-point

Nibbling coyly, wings stretched out...

While a frenzy of furtive goldfinches

Swoop down in great hurry

Stripping petals, splitting seeds

With great flourish, sudden flurry

Lustily filling their bellies

In my backyard Sunflower Deli...

BB

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 8 1/2"w x 11"h

What, Ho!

I gazed down in dismay

Where autumn's portent now lay.

The first one I've seen

This fine summer day.

A brittle, sculpted shell

Unneeded,

That a locust cast away.

I'll try hard not to fear

Those words “Winter's drawing near”

And find solace in hues

Of brown and gold

My sunflowers

So glorious, so bold

Here in this haven

Of sunshine and rest,

My own backyard

At its “all dandied and dressed up” best!

BB

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 8 1/2'W x 11"h

Grandmothers All

My vibrant sunflowers, once so spry

Have bent down a bit

Heaving a small sigh

Arms now rest at their hip

Heads no longer held high

As they gather their skirts

With a knowing shrug

And tighten their bonnets

With a sly little tug.....

Oh, they still love their quilting bees

The Butterfly Ballet

And fat goldfinches

Those hungry dine-ees.....

.Ahh, grandma sunflowers

Surely you see

They’re growing old graciously.....

Still so beautiful to me

BB'10

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower: 12 1/2"w x 19"h

Cold Front

The windows I’m closin’

my sunflowers need hosin’

it’s blisterin hot

not one cold spot

‘cept here by the door

of the freezer in the store

where I pretend to stock up

on creamsicle pops

but truth to be told

it’s just good to feel cold!

BB'10

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 13 1/2"w x 16 1/2"H

The Sunflower Strut

My sunflower girls are playin’ charades

Pretending they’re modeling

On a runway parade

they don’t ever worry

though their hips are quite curvy

they’re not in a hurry

they don’t ever scurry

no, they just take their time

strut their stuff like the pros

as they walk the fine line

on their well heeled Manolos

BB'10

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 15 1/2"w x 17"h

My Backyard Sauna

It’s a sunflower sauna

and my flora and fauna

are toasting and roasting

there’s even some boasting

“Oh back in the day

in Savannah, I’d say

twas a’ hundred and three

under a shady oak tree

I, not a sunflower, just a seed

don’t ya see

had a great aching need

to flee to PA

where I hoped to someday

Join the sunflower parade

as a backyard summer guest

at BB’s Sunflower Fest”

well, that was my quest

now I’m part of the crew

it’s really hot here too

so we’re toweling as we’re growling

Shoulda moved to Kalamazoo

BB’10

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 14"w x 16 1/2"h

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 15"w x 16 1/2"h

Swill at The Sunflower Saloon

Would you all know

(If you do, say so)

What you may think

Could be in that drink

My Sunflower Saloon

Is serving at noon?

It seems to me

That what I see

After drinking their fill

Of sunflower swill

Are tipsy bumble bees

And drunken butterflies

And finches on trips

Of lazy loops and dips

And even back flips

As they try to fly

In a straight bee-line

To their dives and hives...

Oh I have a hunch

It’s not Kool-Aide punch

That beckons this bunch

To come enjoy lunch!

BB'10

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 8 1/2"w x 11"h

A Pleasin’ Reason for the Girls in Season

You’re probably bored

After all you’ve endured

With these paintings of girls

Their golden yellow curls

They just do not stop

Their jitterbug hop

I have to admit it

They’re very persistent

And also insistent

That I stay the course

With no remorse

And post these pictures

‘Cause they’re not permanent fixtures

They do know the drill

And the need they fulfill

That their beauty will fade

As cool winds invade

And bring the fall season

So for that sole reason

Here’s another... I do hope it’s pleasin’

BB’10

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 11"w x 14"h

Wild and Crazy Girls

My wild and crazy girls

Their golden manes unfurled

Are doin’ the Lindy Hop

A dance they like a lot

Over/under, push and pull

Oh they are such dancin’ fools

The waltz is good for other girls

Who want to keep their perfect curls

But my girls do not really care

About the state of their fair hair

Nor do they ever fret

If they break out in sweat

‘Cause girls in the sun

Just wanna have fun!

BB’10

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 12 1/2"w x 15"h

Bed Heads

Rain-drops are falling on the heads

Of all my sunflowers

As they burst up from their beds!

Dancing in the aisles

They look down and smile

And

Do the Jitter-bug hop...

Oh please don't stop!

It's the dance of summer days

Under summers' golden haze..

BB'10

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 11"w x 14"h

Goldfinch Grinch

My sunflower girls

Never use my sunblock

Nor do they use

Sun tan lotion a lot

They’re naturally golden

Their brown faces boastin’

Their fearless devotion

To summer’s sun rays

But there are some days

They have to confess

Some kind of pest spray

Would be their best bet

For shoo-ing away

Gold finches of prey

‘Cause finches

Are Grinches

As they squander, doggone-it

The petals and bonnets

My sunflowers boast

In my poems and sonnets

Why couldn’t they just

Gather seeds without fuss....

BB’10

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower on Aqua Board: 6"w x 6"h

Sunflower Divas

Opera divas, tall and strong

With faces upturned, united in song.

A chorus of leaves, reaching so high

Singing the praises of music and art

And summer sunshine

BB'10

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower: 6"w x 6"h

The Calling

Fat and sassy, finches golden

Buzzing bees, their bellies bulgin'

Full to bursting yellow butterflies

Nap and snooze ‘neath sunny skies

Sated creatures one and all

Sunflowers girls standing tall

Ever at their beck and call

BB'10

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower on Aqua Board: 5"w x 7"h

Adagio Dance

It’s a scorcher today

With intensive sun rays

My sunflowers have stopped

Their jitterbug hop

Choosing caution instead

With a rest in their bed

But before they retire

They’re feeling inspired

To try a new dance

The Adagio, old but enhanced

They swayed with the breeze

Took one step, then three

Turned and lifted their leaves

Bid the finches and bees

Come and feast on our seeds

Sip sweet nectar if you please

It’s a slow dance, you see

For the birdies and the bees

And especially me!

BB'10

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower on Aqua Board: 5"w x 7"h

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower on Aqua Board: 6"w x 6"h

Finch Flies

Oh, the Finches frenzied flight

Simply a stunning yet silly sight

Their path a series of dips and scoops

Lofty lifts and lyrical loops

As they carry their find

The seeds that they’ve stolen

From your sunflowers and mine

BB'10

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower on Aqua Board: 5"w x 7"h

Com-posers

original watercolor floral/sunflowers: 14"w x 18 1/2"h

The Belly Deli

The Girls are back

Dressed in Gold and black

Relaxing, sunbathing

With birds and bees waiting

For a nectar and seed tasting

In my Sunflower Deli

Fully stocked for hungry bellies

BB’10

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower on Aqua Board:6"w x 6"h

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower on Aqua Board: 5"w x 7"h

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower on Aqua Board: 6"w x 6"h

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower on Aqua Board: 5"w x 7"h

Com-poser

original watercolor floral/sunflower: 8 1/2"w x 11"h

Sunflowers

Sienna Brown faces

Framed in golden sun bonnets

Reading Emily's playful poetry

And Edna's soaring sonnets.

Their leaves a dark green canopy

Of swirling skirts, it seems to me.

Ever lavish, they grant their reward

Spilling sweet nectar, sharing their seeds

With finches and butterflies

And thirsty Bumble Bees

BB'10

info at: email