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| Crabapple Branch, colored pencil on cream Stonehenge paper, 14" x 11" |
Even when staying busy in my garden, I try to devote some time to my artwork. Above is a colored pencil piece I'm working on. It's not finished yet--the colored pencils need to be burnished, and I think that adding a bird to the branch might provide a focal point. Perhaps adding a cedar waxwing, or another small native that likes to snack on crabapples.
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| Sassafras Leaf, watercolor, 12" x 9" |
This sassafras leaf just starting to turn was painted at Lynne Frailing's workshop in Bath County back in September. I drove down to spend the night at the Sycamore Bend Cottage on Amanda's farm so that I could make it to the workshop in Warm Springs the next morning on time. We had a lot of fun with the material Lynne brought in for us to paint, but I didn't have time to finish the leaf during the workshop--I finished it later here at home. It's still a very loose painting, not exactly polished--really just a sketch.
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| Magnolia Seedpod, pencil with watercolor pencils, 5" x 7" |
The weather has been so glorious recently, that I've been stopping by Blandy Farm/Virginia State Arboretum frequently to take walks and sketch. On this occasion, I came across a group of magnificent Magnolias, both the M. grandiflora seen above, but some other more exotic varieties, including one called Veitch's Magnolia. This one has some very unusual seedpods, irregularly long and thin, with very pronounced aril bumps. Unfortunately, by the following week when I went back there, this deciduous magnolia was completely bare! I guess I can do a sketch from my photo, or wait until next year!
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| Veitch's Magnolia |
I started harvesting my Jerusalem artichokes (AKA sunchokes) and fingerling potatoes last week, and enjoying cooking these home-grown veggies. My sunchokes, part of the sunflower family, never had a chance to bloom--the deer kept eating the buds until I finally moved the grow-bag into my fenced enclosure. I'll definitely grow both of these again next season, they are delicious!
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| Jerusalem artichokes from my garden. |
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| Fingerling potatoes. |
As the colder weather approaches, I'll be spending more time in my studio. I've so many new projects to look forward to!
