Winding Down the Year

Milkweed pods (Asclepias syriaca), watercolor, 21"h x 14"w.

 

As I think about my activities on this blog in the past year, I'm surprised at the ways in which my garden has progressed over the course of these past twelve months. Not just the growing plants, the flowers and vegetables cultivated, but also the cultivation of my art, the work of the hands and mind which nourishes my spirit. I feel so fortunate to have these fountains of inspiration in my life!

The milkweed piece above was started in late November, and is well on it's way to being finished. The colored pencil drawing of the pumpkin Musquee de Provence is complete, as is the iris "Afternoon Delight."

 

Musquee de Provence, colored pencil, 10"h x 14"w.

The Flame Azalea and Pollinator watercolor I worked on over the summer was finally resolved with a very dark muted background--not sure just how successfully. I may deal with the same theme again next year with a traditional botanical white background just for the sake of comparison.

Flame Azalea and Pollinator, watercolor, 7.5"h x 10.5"w.

The Botanical Gourmet exhibition at the Athaneaum in Alexandria, which I organized and managed over the course of the past year, will be on display until Jan. 8, 2023. The show has received some positive mentions in articles in the Washington Post and the Metro Weekly. 

Painting my piece for this show, the Galeux d'Eysines Pumpkin absorbed a good amount of time in the garden as well as in my studio. My learning of my subject took place over the course of a year, not unusual for botanical artists, who often study the plants they depict over a long period of time in order to observe the plant at all stages of its growth.

 

Exploding sketchbook.

 

Some of my projects from this year are still in my studio; I'm hoping to finish them sometime in the next few months before spring arrives. I never had a chance to add the summer and fall sketches for the exploding sketchbook, we'll see if it's possible for me to add a few more to it. This is one project that could stretch out over several years, just like my perpetual botanical journals. 

One more thing: I changed the blog banner again for a refreshed look in the New Year. Happy 2023!

Christmas Decorations

 

It's that time of the year again, time for the annual photo of our house decorated for Christmas. This year the outdoor lights are almost the same as last year's, except that I added a garland of colored lights to the porch railing. Is it me, or does our neighborhood seem a bit lackluster this year? Inflation is definitely making inroads in everyone's budget.

 

 

Our tree is much smaller this year--with fresh-cut trees being so expensive, this was the best we could afford this year (FJB!). I like to think of it as our mini-tree...

 

 

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Lawn to Forest

 

Forest Scene, colored pencil.

 

Recently the Virginia Native Plant Society asked me to do some illustrations for a brochure they are developing called "Your Lawn Wants to be a Forest." The idea is to encourage homeowners to turn an ordinary dull lawn into something more environmentally inviting by planting native trees and other vegetation. Or, by simply not mowing the lawn, allow it to develop into a meadow, which will eventually grow into a forest.

 

Left Hand Meadow, colored pencil.

 

It's a challenge to find a way to illustrate the concepts in the brochure, and I loved our graphic designer's tip of using color in just some places for accent, rather than over all. This wonderful idea allows me to do a detailed drawing of the plants in sepia pencil, and then bring in touches of color to pop up and call attention to elements of the plants and associated pollinators.

 

Right Hand Meadow, colored pencil.

 

I created the sketches using plants from my own garden and the surrounding woods. I have lots of photos of these--it's impossible for me to draw a plant accurately from memory, I need to have a photo or the real plant in front of me to be botanically accurate, which is essential for an assignment like this.

Unfortunately, the last sketch has proved problematic--it seems that the common mullein, which I see all around our area and in my garden, is not a native. So, I'll have to try to find a way to turn that mullein into some other native plant.

The interesting thing as I read the text of the brochure, is to realize that my gardening efforts have instinctively followed its advice, except that I haven't confined myself to all native trees and shrubs. As an eclectic plant lover, I have a predilection for Japanese maples, as well as flora from the southwest and western states and I've indulged it with some success. 

Not all the plants I buy native to our western regions have prospered here--as I've learned, our native clay soils are too dense for some of these plants, but it's fun to experiment and see what will do well here.