Buttercup Flowers Watercolor Painting
By Charlie

The Glow Of Buttercups

Written by Charlie O'Shields

For our prompt of “Buttercup” today, I did a little sketch of two buttercup blooms with three colors. It’s also Mother’s Day here today, so I hope all mothers out there are having the beautiful day you so richly deserve. Not sure if you received flowers, but if you’re participating in the challenge this month then you received hundreds of beautiful virtual buttercups from people all across the globe! Old folklore has it that if you hold a buttercup blossom under your chin and see a yellow reflection there, then it means you like butter. Indeed, this assumes everyone enjoys butter as this phenomenon will happen no matter what. Buttercups are nature-made to shine and glow with a bright yellow so they can be seen from great distances by insects who pollinate them. These flowers adore the sun and on a cool day their petals will transform into a cup shape that helps collect more of the sun’s energy. It’s certainly a clever and beautiful flower indeed.

This morning, I called my own mother to wish her a happy Mother’s Day. I’ve no idea how it started, but each time on this day when she answers the phone I always say, “Is this my mommy?” which sounds perfectly ridiculous. But what I love is that mother always has a different answer each time. This year she said, “I think I have a rather handsome son somewhere up in Kansas City.” This was sweet, and I was secretly glad it wasn’t a video call as my current lockdown look is a bit more disheveled and doesn’t quite live up to those high expectations. She was in a bright and happy mood that made me immediately feel the same way. Even though we discussed the current troubled times, her take on them is always positive, and she was simply glad that people in her town have finally stopped hoarding toilet paper. And it was wonderful to spend time chatting with her. So much of my own personality came from her wise and loving upbringing.

This afternoon, I ended up watching a Twilight Zone marathon of all things, but even this reminded me of my mother. She and I adored this show and would watch all of the reruns together that they used to show on television when I was a kid. We would both quote our favorite episodes and seeing some of them again brought all of those memories back to me. Much of my love of my own childhood comes from getting to spend all of that time with my mother. These days, we only see each other once or twice a year, and this year her spring visit was cancelled due to the pandemic. But, no matter how many miles may separate us, our connection is always strong. Love always shrinks distance and makes one feel fortunate even during the most unfortunate times. This is that wondrous type of love that never dims, and instead, continues to shine more and more each year, growing even brighter than the glow of buttercups.

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About the Doodlewash

Da Vinci Paint Co.: Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Red, and Indigo. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with black ink  in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop!
 Buttercup Flowers Watercolor Painting Sketchbook Detail

 

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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41 thoughts on “The Glow Of Buttercups”

  2. I’ve spent much of the day talking with family about my mother since this is our first Mother’s Day without her. We shared many great memories. Bittersweet, but it almost felt as though she were here.

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  3. Beautiful buttercups Charlie! So glad you got to spend time with your mom even if only by phone. Same with me and my mom. I am waiting for travel restrictions to ease and to see that spikes in deaths don’t happen. I am about a 4 hour drive from her but would need to cross into another state meaning isolating for two weeks there and two weeks upon returning. That visit will have to wait. She is 90 so it can’t wait for too long.

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  5. Beautiful doodle Charlie. It’s amazing you got it with just three colours. In the UK, mother’s day is in March and is related Lent and Easter. It was the day when everyone went to their mother church.

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  8. I found some yellow flowers out on the trail last week which I thought were buttercups, but I wasn’t 100% sure. When I saw yours I remembered to look them up and compare to my photo. Sure enough, buttercups. Both Joe and I have lost our mothers. It seems weird to not send flowers anymore. You feel a bit set adrift when your parents are gone. Especially when the rituals are no more. Good thing I’ve got some nieces and nephews to still dote on.

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  9. Glad you called Mom and that she was doing well! My 30 year old son sometimes says “I love my Mommy,” and I always reply, “I love my little guy.” The bond between mother and son is special.

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  18. A mother’s love for her children is unconditional. I have two sons and two daughters and I love them more than life. You sound like a good son Charlie♡ Your shared little glimpse, into your Mother’s day and your sweet mom brought sunshine to my heart. Those buttercups are a bit of sunny warmth as well. Thank you! May you be able to see your mom soon ox

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  19. What a lovely picture. 🙂 The area where I live is technically wetland, so we get several varieties of buttercup in my garden. I love that relentlessly cheerful shade of yellow they share with dandelions.

    We keep a patch of lawn un-mown for insects, and there’s a national wildflower count happening at the end of the month, and another in July. This year I’ve chosen a more shaded area of the garden to leave wild, so it’ll be very interesting to see what pops up during the count.

    I hope you get to see your Mom soon. x

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