Lilacs and Laundry in My Back Yard

“Lilacs and Laundry”, pastel, 9″ x 12″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

What got me in trouble this afternoon in 2013 when I should have gotten some work done inside was how cute my laundry looked with the lilac blooming above it, and the roses on the gate, and the first geraniums and spring flowers. I have a thing for laundry in paintings, so I decided to take some time to do a little sketch.

The lilac had never bloomed this much—after about 15 years guarding my gate it had finally come into its prime. The red specks in the back are the first roses on my red climber that swings over the gate, the pink flowers on the chair and on the ground are the first geraniums blooming after I’ve brought them out of their winter home in the basement. The short blue is forget-me-nots, the tall is a flowering bulb called Camassia given to me as a gift years ago, still blooming reliably each spring. My dishtowels, sheets, little nightie, it’s all so wonderfully familiar.

I still hang laundry out each day that it’s nice enough to dry things, but when the big wild black cherry came down it took the lilac and the rose. I still have the geraniums and forget me nots and Camassia, and I also know that this little spot, dear to me from the day I moved out all the old owner’s stuff and claimed it for my own, changes a little each year.

Here’s the uncropped version of the sketch so there’s actually more of the painting than shows in the framed piece.

pastel painting of laundry and flowers

“Laundry and Lilacs”, uncropped.

And look—there must have been an artist in my yard!

Pastels and paper in grass and flowers

An artist was in my yard!

PURCHASE THE ORIGINAL OR A PRINT

“Lilacs and Laundry” is an original pastel sketch, 9″ x 12″ painted in my back yard in May 2013. It’s framed in a vintage mid-century Danish modern solid wood scoop frame with a white mat.

SHIPPING AND CHARGES

Shipping within the US is included in the cost of each print.

Prints up to 16″ x 20″ are shipped flat in a rigid envelope. Larger prints are shipped rolled in a mailing tube unless otherwise requested; flat shipping is an extra cost because it’s oversized.

GICLEE PRINTS

The giclees are printed on acid-free hot press art paper for a smooth matte finish using archival inks. Giclee is the highest quality print available because the technique uses a dozen or more ink ports to capture all the nuances of the original painting, including details of the texture, far more sensitive than any other printing medium. Sometimes my giclees look so much like my originals that even I have a difficult time telling them apart when they are in frames.

I don’t keep giclee prints in stock for most of my works. Usually I have giclees printed as they are ordered unless I have an exhibit where I’ll be selling a particular print so there is a wait of up to two weeks before receipt of your print to allow for time to print and ship.

I offer giclees of this painting in two different sizes: the full size of 31″ x 23″, a half-size of 16″ x 12.5″. The giclees have 2″ of white around the outside edges. All are countersigned by me.

DIGITAL PRINTS

Digital prints are made on acid-free matte-finish natural white 100# cover using archival digital inks. While digital prints are not the quality of a giclee in capturing every nuance and detail of color, texture and shading, I am still very pleased with the outcome and usually only I as the artist, could tell where detail and color were not as sharp as the original. Digital prints are only available up to 11″ x 17″ and some of the prints are cropped to fit standard mat and frame sizes.

Digital prints have at least 1/2″ around the edges depending on the size of the print. All are countersigned by me.

CANVAS PRINTS

Because the standard size canvas prints are not proportional to the original painting, canvas prints of this painting will have a portion cropped off.

I usually have at least one of the smaller sizes of canvases on hand, but order larger ones as they are ordered because I have limited storage space. Smaller canvases are a 3/4″ in depth, Canvases 12 x 16 and larger are 1-1/2″ in depth. I set them up so the image runs from edge to edge, then the sides are black or white or sometimes I slip in a color that coordinates with the painting. This canvas mirrors the edges of the image around the sides.

FRAMED PRINTS

I do all my own framing and can custom frame a print for you. Please ask.

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