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Artwork

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

A grouping of valentine themed drawings and paintings by Laura Jaen Smith. Hollyhock painting, marigold ink drawing, orchids with teal background painting, sunset waterfall painting, heartshaped ornament with pink poppy, heart ink drawing, pink peonies birdhouse.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite valentine and love themed art for you to check out.  This isn’t a theme that I work with often, so I’m always surprised just how many pieces of art I can find with this theme and color palette.  Take a look at what I found:

1. Pink Poppy Heart Ornament

Teal Heartshaped wooden ornament with painted pink poppy

I painted this wooden ornament when I was practicing how to paint poppies.  It was one of two that I painted – the other was mint green with a bright red poppy.  I really like how these two colors work together.  It’s about 4×4 inches at it’s widest points.

2. Pink Peonies Mini Birdhouse

Pink Peony Birdhouse by Laura Jaen Smith. Small squared birdhouse with grey roof, hand-painted peonies with pink background on main body.

In 2020 I painted many different birdhouses.  This is one of the mini ones, standing at approximately 4 inches tall.  I painted pink peonies around all the sides (press the button below to check out the other views).

3. Fuzzy, Larkspur, Sun Ink Drawing

Sun, Fuzzy, Larkspur by Laura Jaen Smith. Ink drawing drawing of flowers laying on a wood table.

This was one of my favorite drawings from this past year’s Inktober month in October.  There were many good ones from the series that I considered adding, but I liked the simplicity of this collection of wildflowers resting on a table.  Matted to fit a 10×10 inch frame.

4. Lower Taughannock Falls Painting

Lower Taughannock Falls by Laura Jaen Smith. Square acrylic landscape painting of waterfall during autumn at sunset. Pink sky and reflected purple water.

This painting was from my 50 New York Waterfalls Project.  Lower Taughannock Falls is in Taughannock Falls State Park in Trumansburg, NY (near Ithaca).  I had a lot of fun playing with this color palette for the painting.  It’s 6×6, acrylic painting on wood panel (there’s a hole inset in the back for immediate hanging or it can be framed at a framer).

5. Swing Ink Drawing

Swing by Laura Jaen Smith, ink drawing of two people swing in tree

This drawing is based on the oil painting “Springtime” by Pierre Auguste Cot.  The painting caught my eye while on a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City several years ago.  My drawing is done in ink pen and is matted to fit a 5×7 frame.  

6. Marigold Ink Drawing

Marigold by Laura Jaen Smith. Black and white ink sketch of a Mexican cempasúchil

I drew this marigold as part of a past Inktober challenge.  It’s one of my favorites with the multiple layers and depths of petals.  The drawing is matted to fit a 11×14 frame. 

7. HollyHocks Painting

Painting of pink hollyhock flowers by Laura Jaen Smith

This painting was a study of pink hollyhocks.  These flowers remind me of living in Wyoming – they were everywhere in the summer.  The painting is framed to 7.5×9.5.

8. Heart of Ashes Ink Drawing

Heart of Ashes ink drawing with black mat by Laura Jaen Smith

This small 5×7 ink drawing was created with ink pen.  It has a pile of ashes in the shape of a heart.  Valentines or Anti-Valentines – you can decide!

9. Orchid Paintings

Orchid paintings by Laura Jaen Smith with five different background colors - aqua, maroon, green, purple, and orange

I think I’ve painted my beloved orchid Blanca with 9 different backgrounds now.  Well, I guess technically the blue with purple background is Blanca 2.  Fun Fact: its stems were dyed so when I bought the plant, it actually was a similar color blue.  However the subsequent year when it regrew it was a white orchid.  Each of these paintings is 7×7 inches and could easily be matted to fit a 8×8 frame (be sure to send me a message if you’d like it matted).

However you decide to celebrate (or not celebrate), I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

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