I spend a lot of time wandering through our back yard, just looking at what's coming up or blooming. As I'm partial to reds, especially deep maroon or wine, this new blossom stopped me in my tracks. It looked so approachable, with that tilt of its face blushing under a flash of yellow, I half-imagined it was winking at me. I didn’t want to overthink it or fuss it into submission in a fully developed painting—I simply wanted to catch the quick spark of life that made this simple pansy face feel so friendly. That called for the immediacy of a study.

So, this mini watercolor study keeps things loose on purpose. There’s less layering, less detail, and a little more breathing room than you’d find in a fully finished painting. That gives it the lively, plein air feeling I love—fresh, spontaneous, and somewhat wild and ungroomed around the edges. It’s the kind of artwork that reminds me why I should do more studies: they hold the energy of the moment, a piece of my day.

Finished with varnish and presented unframed on archival board, this original doesn’t need glass. It can sit happily on a small easel, rest on a shelf, or propped on a couple of books in reading nook where a little nature and color will brighten the day. And because it’s part of my series of affordable originals—drawings, sketches, and unframed studies like this one—it’s a wonderful way to start a collection, or to add an original to an existing collection without taking up any wall space. It's also an elegant, thoughtful gift that's both personal and one-of-a-kind.

If you love art that feels intimate, fresh, and easy to decorate with, let this pansy bring a wink and a smile to your space.