I have finally completed the painting of this unique plant in my garden. Since 2014 the Cereus Cactus Night Bloomer in my backyard has bloomed profusely in May and August at my residence in The Villages. The cactus was about a foot tall when it was planted by the original homeowner about 26 years ago. Today the cactus stands about 40 feet tall because it is supported by the graceful, tall oak tree.  

This year I decided to set-up my easel to capture the wondrous sight en plein air when the cactus blossomed with over 200 blossoms over 5 days. Since it is a night bloomer you have to get up before sunrise to see the beautiful star like blossoms.  By 7:30 am the blossoms close up. 

This closed view scene was quite a challenge because of the many greens in the foliage of the oak tree, the surrounding arborvitae, the cactus and the azalea bushes.

Truly it was a learning experience. For a week I set-up by 7am to enjoy the blossoms and to capture the play of light on the scene. I painted for about 3 hours each day! In order for the cactus and the oak tree to be highlighted in the painting, I used artistic license to adjust the value and temperature of the background colors in the completed painting. Of course since this is my backyard beauty I am very attached to this painting and for now The Cereus Cactus & The Oak Tree will reside in my home and is not for sale. Below you see the progression of the painting.

Luckily the cactus was part of the excitement when our Chinese visitors from Shanghai Media Group came to film a documentary about creative senior lifestyles. Look at the photos in the blog An Exciting Day Filming with Shanghai Media Group  to see more about their visit.