The Garden in Fall's First Rain

 

 

 

Such beauty in the garden after a rain. 

And in today's grey light, the colors of the produce and flowers

at the farmers' market were almost too intense.

Alas, I did not have my camera with me. . .

Thank you for stopping by. :)

Deconstruction

 Quince

 

 Mixed media "snippets"

I've had a wonderfully quiet weekend that is coming to a close all too quickly.  Catherine was visiting and she painted up a storm while I "deconstructed" prints, prints, and more prints. (None of which are shown above.) I am planning to turn them into small collages and add them to my Etsy shop at some point.....hopefully, sooner rather than later. :)

Daphne (my favorite winter fragrance)

While she and I were working on our respective projects inside, my husband was busy in the garden.  He offered some grasses that had outgrown their beds to a neighbor down the street, and she brought this Deodara cedar cone for us to see.  So amazing to see the intelligence of nature! Turns out the cone makes a perfect starting pot for seed germination.  

Of course, I thought the cone had been on the ground and had come apart and collected seeds that then germinated.  But no, it's a genuine, high-density seed nursery where multiple layers of cedar seeds germinate in pop-up seed "cups"  that eventually "deconstruct" and swirl off the center spindle.  How cool is that?!

Deodara cedar cone 

Hope you've had a wonderful weekend, too! 

(Oh, and by the way....am I the only one that didn't know about the magic of these cones??)

:)

"From Orchards, Fields, and Gardens"....A "Must Read" by Kerstin Svendsen

Book, edited by Kerstin Svendsen, on "thrifted", factory-made, machine-stitched quilt.

(Thank you to the quilt's maker!)

Today in America, we are pausing to gather with our loved ones to give thanks with grateful hearts for that  which is good in our lives.  This morning, I am counting my blessings and am full of gratitude for a loving family, good health, warm and safe shelter, good food, and friends---the basics of "richness" that I would wish for every person on earth.   And this minute, I am grateful for the flock of red-headed finch outside my window that are feasting on the hips of the rugosa roses that my husband planted to "ring" our kitchen garden.  And this year, I have something new to be grateful for: the experience of blogging, which I took up in earnest last January.  I am grateful for the friendship and artistic support and camaraderie of fellow artists, artisans and crafters from around the world.  I am so appreciative that they have allowed me to see into their world and learn of new wonders and beauty through the process.  And I am grateful that through the "habit" of blogging, and specifically, photographing, and viewing others' photographs, I have become more attentive to my natural surroundings and the rhythms of the earth.

And recently, I am grateful for "From Orchards, Fields and Gardens," an anthology of beautiful prose, poems, and art that captures the essence of living close to the land, and instills a desire to do so.  I am grateful for Kerstin Svendsen, the editor, for having had the vision for this project and seeing it through, and to the  individuals--many of them fellow bloggers that you will know--who have made, and will continue to make a positive difference in the world through their contribution to this project. One thousand copies were printed in the first run.  I hope it was the first of many runs; hope the book finds its way into the hands of young people in high schools and colleges so that the grassroot "new agrarian" movement builds strength. The book is compelling in all of its simplicity. I hope you will have a chance to read it.

Mushrooms gathered from the field. 

(Many mushrooms are deadly poisonous.  Don't gather them for

consumption unless you know without a doubt that they are edible.)

The trusty garden "companion"

A late bloomer.  White because of the lateness?

Blueberry bushes that my husband and his father planted years ago.

Happy "Day of Thanksgiving" (today and every day).

Gloria

Fall Light

 

 

Acrylic on recycled cotton/poly twill

4" x 6"

I've been watching David Hockney on YouTube videos and also, here.  I am so inspired by his studious, disciplined and eager approach to his work.  At 70, he was painting en plein air in the English countryside on a daily basis; often at 5:00 a.m. and through all kinds of weather in every season. (If you click on the first link, be sure to click on "Larger View" beneath the painting so that you can see the same scene in all four seasons.) He wanted to find out what it was like to be painting in the midst of the landscape rather than painting from a photograph of a scene that he had found by looking through the aperture of a camera.  More specfically, he wanted to know how the "seeing" of the scene would differ.  During one year, he literally painted 350 paintings while out of doors!  And talk about sketchbooks -- he definitely fills them.  But he has the confidence to "sketch" directly on their pages with paintbrushes rather than pencils; a practice he also employs on his canvases. 

 Watching these videos was the perfect transition from a busy work week to a weekend that absolutely MUST include putting some paint on canvas! 

Have a great weekend!!

:)

Heading into Fall . . .

Screenprint with gold gouache.

4" x 4"

Nasturtiums with "mist fringe."

A lovely combination from the garden at Adelaide's Books.

Monoprint

7" x 9"

Fall is my favorite season.  

 I'm reading Sue Bender's Everyday Sacred and mulling over this idea, gleaned from it's pages:  Do more of less.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Thanks for stopping by.  :)

Aquas and Oranges / Relief Print and Rose Hips

 

A lovely weekend so far, shared with extended family, and then briefly with our neighbors as we toured each other's yards and they harvested a little excess from our garden.  I took photos of our compost pile so that I could show you the growing number of earthworms that are busily turning our kitchen produce waste into rich material.  But alas, I really cannot tolerate things in multiplicity, and I could find nothing aesthetically appealing about the closeup photos of earthworms.  So you'll just have to take my word for it.  But the point is, we've only recently begun to add the kitchen waste and we are truly amazed at the "factory" our compost pile has become.  This is a win-win situation all the way around!

I discovered the beautiful light coming through the window of the garden shed and couldn't resist capturing it through the old canning jars. These early rose hips are such show-offs -- I love them now, and again, later in the fall when the birds sit on the rugosa branches and leisurely dine on the seeds within the hips.

 
I used some sort of machined-steel pattern for the above relief print on herringbone wool.   The pattern piece is about 4x4x3/4" and is quite heavy.  Can't remember where I found it, but certainly, nobody else was interested in it!

  

 

Mixed Media

by Catherine Freshley

6" x 6"

And here is a recent gift from our daughter, which seemed to fit with today's palette.  You can find her portraits and landscapes here.   

The list of blogs that I am following is ever-growing.  Please know that I continue to follow your posts, even if I don't comment on each and every one of them!     Have a great week!!

More "Homage to the Seed"

So it's already July 19 in Australia, and Sophie Munns' "Homage to the Seed" activities drew to a close yesterday.  But since it's still July 18 in Portlandia and since these wonders of nature are, really, so very wonderous, I thought I'd share them as a parting gesture.  Above, a glorious cluster of onion flower buds that will eventually become seeds.  And below, gorgeous, edible (but purportedly VERY tart) Oregon Grape berries, just beginning to turn luscious deep blue and each holding two small seeds within.

For more of this beautiful palette, you owe it to yourself to check out Garden Fool's STUNNING photos of a Tiger Swallowtail in her garden.  Kudos to Sophie and kudos to Em!!! 

Circus Elephants and Bastille Day

 

"Alice" by Jill Mayberg

Above, my new teeny print from Jill Mayberg.  I loved catching up with her yesterday at Bastille Day in Portland's Pearl District. And though I'm guessing she'd probably prefer to see elephants in their native habitat rather than under the Big Top, who could resist this cheerful image?   In fact, Jill's images are generally irresistable and it was pretty difficult to carry on a conversation given the steady stream of customers to her booth. Unfortunately, my camera had no batteries, so I was unable to capture the essence of the event, but trust me it was wonderful and the weather was glorious.

Lavender in our garden (in lieu of a photo of the vendors' lavender at Bastille Day)

  

Could someone please tell me what intelligence allows the bean plant to climb the support?

 

And how about the swirling pattern of these Phlox petals preparing to unfurl? Very yummy -- like miniature ice cream sherbets.

 

And isn't this St. John's Wort just a little bit circus-like?

Blueberries, ripe for the picking.  Ah, the bounty of a backyard garden in the Pacific Northwest....

(And by the way, Julie Whitmore has also recently produced a charming porcelain circus elephant.  If you take a peek, be sure to look for the little dog in the vignette!)

Thanks for your visit and have a wonderful week!

After the Rain...

  Clematis

This afternoon we had two terrific downpours that played havoc with the flowers.  Of course, I was supposed to be putting the finishing touches on the last collages for my upcoming show, but I knew the light was right for some nice photographs.  And besides, I've been running up a big deficit in outdoor time lately, and an even greater deficit where gardening is concerned.  Recently, all the credit in the gardening department truly belongs to my husband and it seems the only thing I'm really committed to is turning the compost--an activity that, for some reason, gives me great satisfaction!

 

Romaine.

Garlic (One can never have enough.)

Blueberries coming on.

Nine Bark

This weekend, I've been inspired by the textiles on the novembergrass blog and also on Avalanche Looms' blog and website. Both of these artists are currently featuring works with soft, loose flower petals and they are truly lovely. And in addition to her textile art pieces, Susan Johnson weaves gorgeous linen/cotton scarves.  I hope you'll have a moment to follow each of the links, and when you get to Avalanche Looms' website, make sure you "tour" Susan's Wisconsin store and workshop (she also has an etsy shop). Sure wish they were just down the street from me. They are incredibly appealing spaces!

Spanish Lavender

Horse tail.

The lovely Sangu Kaku Maple, with its red bark and stems.

Rhododendron

Rose petals intermingled with Carex grass.

Have a wonderful Sunday!!  And thanks for visiting :)