Autumn Still Life

Autumn Still Life, colored pencils, 10"h x 13"w.

This is another demo piece from my colored pencil drawing class that I finished at home. The lighting here is the reverse of the usual, because I was sitting facing most of my students. I generally ask my students to sit at the tables so that the light from our classroom window is on their left. This is an established convention for drawing by right-handed people so that the hand won't cast a shadow on what one is drawing. Doing the opposite makes is difficult to see your work, but it is possible, particularly if there is another source of light such as overhead artificial lighting.

To reproduce the same lighting conditions in my home studio I placed a small LED lamp to the right of the objects, to try to replicate the lighting in the classroom, but of course, an identical recreation was impossible with such different conditions. My home studio has wonderful natural light coming from a double window that faces north, and my drawing table is positioned so that the window is on my left; I had to try to ignore the double shadows and some of the highlights that this unusual set-up produced. I like the way the apple came out (this was drawn first), but I'm not convinced that the highlights in the miniature corn and the pear, which were added later in my studio, match exactly that of the apple. Hopefully, the discrepancy is not too noticeable at a glance.

The back yard in late November

The colors in the still life echo the fall colors in this photo of my back yard taken in the past week--late November. Interesting how the black oaks have retained their foliage so late in the season, but again, these leaves hadn't started to turn until the early part of the month. Less sunlight reaches the back yard at this time of the year, and there are parts that will be shaded by the house until the Spring Equinox rolls around again. I wonder what kind of winter season we'll have.

Homework

Cape Primrose 7001 (Streptocarpus x hybrid '7001'), watercolor 10"h x 14"w

Recently, I've been bringing the pieces started as demos in my classes home to finish them, as experiments in techniques I can show my students. Obviously, I have to have a good grasp of the techniques before I can show and explain how to achieve the effect to them. So in essence, I've been giving myself homework.

I started this watercolor of my beautiful Streptocarpus hybrid  '7001' in class, and have been working on it to figure out how to render the color and texture of the leaves, as well as come up with an interesting composition. This demo started as a direct line drawing of the two flowers on the right, the two leaves to their left, and the arching leaf above to frame them. Once I had these down on the paper, it seemed to me that another pink accent was needed on the left, so I added another flower, two small leaves, then the two buds and the leaf curling to the left. I'm still working on it, to see how much more texture I can add to the leaves to make them look as real as possible. The leaves could all use a bit more color variation too.

Hyacinth bulbs, stage 1

Another one of my students was having trouble with a colored pencil drawing of some lovely reddish-purple hyacinth bulbs I'd brought to class. In order to show her how to develop her piece, I decided to draw one at home, trying to use similar techniques to what I'd learned at Elaine Searle's ASBA workshop at the Conference this year. The workshop was for watercolors, but I thought these techniques could be applied to colored pencil as well, and decided to test my theory here. I started by laying in some bright Teal blue in the shadows, and pink undertones with bits of Naples yellow, over a grisaille drawing done with a dark sepia pencil (stage 1).

Hyacinth bulbs, stage 2

After the first layer of bright colors, I began to put down the red-purple tones on the bulb on the right, bringing in more Naples yellow, while taking care to leave the white of the paper for the highlights (stage 2). Gradually, I laid in more and more color, varying the purple with magenta, burnt Sienna and dark ocher woven in with dark sepia, to develop the full range of values.

Hyacinth bulbs, stage 3

The challenge here was how to make the surface look papery, with its layers of peeling skin of different colors, while maintaining the integrity of the round forms. It's so easy to lose sight of  the main shapes when you are dealing with the color variations on a surface! The core shadows and highlights must be maintained in order for that shape to remain "readable." Breaking up the surface color to show tiny highlights on the edges of the layers of skin and the veins, I think conveys some of the shimmering quality of the skin. I could continue to work on this piece, to make it look even more convincing, but this is enough for now.

First Frost

Re-blooming iris before the first frost.

One of the irises I planted last year seems to be a re-blooming variety; this is what it looked like on Halloween. Halloween night was very stormy, with almost an inch of rain coming down in howling gusts. The following afternoon it became still, the temperature began to drop at nightfall, and by morning we had our first hard frost.

I wish I'd had the presence of mind to cut the iris flowers and bring them into the house the day before, but I went out the next day and cut the spikes, hoping to save some of the buds that hadn't yet opened.

Purple chrysanthemums.

Pink mums in the Little Indians bed.

The chrysanthemums don't seem to be affected much by frost, and are still putting on a show, as was the foliage until the Halloween storm blew away most of the leaves.

Back yard in late October.

Last week I took my plein air student up to Skyline Drive, and we painted at Gooney Run overlook. It was one gorgeous afternoon, with the fall color at its peak. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling my best (still recovering from a nasty virus), and while I had made a good start on site, I tried finishing it at home. The results are not very satisfactory--darkening the foreground too much, I lost a lot of the light on those colorful slopes!

The view from Gooney Run Overlook.

Gooney Run Overlook watercolor.

Oh well, not every painting can be a masterpiece, but I wish I'd waited until I was feeling better.

Beautiful But Deadly Angel Trumpet

Angel Trumpets (Brugmansia hybrid), watercolor, 15"h x 12.5"w.

I've been working on this piece for the "Beautiful But Deadly" show that the Botanic Artists Society of the National Capital Regions (BASNCR) is scheduled to have next summer at the Athenaeum in Alexandria. I grew this plant for several years when I lived in Columbia, Maryland. After three years or so, it had reached some four to five feet in height. Being a tender tropical, it needs to be kept indoors during  freezing weather.

During the winter I kept the plant in our unfinished basement by the glass door of the walk-out, and I usually checked it only once a week to water it. I never noticed the buds developing, and then one day, as I was going downstairs to our basement, lo and behold, an amazingly beautiful trumpet flower greeted me! The plant had a number of flower buds, and these bloomed over the next few weeks.

The following summer, I set the pot outside by the walk-out basement door, since it seemed to like the conditions there, and it bloomed profusely. I took many photos of it at various stages. After a few years, the plant wore out, and stopped blooming. I moved it to our new home in Virginia, and re-potted it, but it never put out any more flowers. It was so large and hard to move, one fall I finally gave up and decided to let it die over the winter.  That was a few years ago.

When BASNCR'a proposal for a show on toxic plants was accepted last year, I regretted my decision--an Angel Trumpet would be just the flower to submit for this show! I started working on the painting above from my photos, but the information on the photos wasn't enough.

As fate would have it, this summer I was shopping for plants to bring to my botanical watercolor class at a local nursery, and there I saw a tiny Brugmansia in a 4" pot on sale for $3.99. I was looking it over, wondering if there was still time to bring it into bloom before the first frost struck, when another customer, noticing that I seemed to be mulling over it, came over to me. This lady started telling me that she had bought one just like it a few weeks before and after potting into a much larger pot, her plant had grown very quickly and was now about three and a  half feet tall and covered with buds!  I thanked her for the information and bought the Brugmansia.

After re-potting my plant grew at an amazing rate. Toward the end of August it was about three feet tall, but I hadn't noticed that it had started to branch until I saw one tiny flower bud emerging. Brugmansias won't bloom until the main stem has branched--that's the sign that the plant is ready to bloom.

Brugmansia flower

The first bud opened in September, and more have followed. After seeing the flowers again, I realize that I had not remembered how large they actually are, and I can see so much more detail in real life than in my old photos. I feel the need to re-do my painting, the one above hardly does it justice!

Interior

The interior of the trumpet looks very like a Georgia O'Keefe painting I'm familiar with, her "Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1", which sold for millions at auction a few years back. Jimsonweed is  Datura stramonium, another member of the same family as the Brugmansia genus whose flowers differ in being upright or nodding, rather than pendulous.

I've brought my plant inside in case we have an overnight frost. Now, I'm struggling to do more sketches of my buds and flowers from life while they last and work on a composition where I could show several views of the Angel Trumpet in all its intricate beauty.

Fall in My Garden

Swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustiflolius) & Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

Each year with the approach of the Autumn Equinox, the swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius) on the west side of the house begin their annual show. The date of peak bloom often coincides with my birthday and Herb's a week later. This year they were right on schedule despite a very dry September. 

Autumn Blaze maple turning red

West side of the house in the morning

The leaves of some of my trees have begun to turn, despite the unseasonable heat--likely due to a very dry month. The two photos above were taken within a week, and half of the maple's leaves came down while the swamp sunflowers and the purple asters began their show.

The back yard on an early October morning

This is the time of the year when I look to expanding my garden beds and increasing my stock of shrubs and trees. Seeing that my 'Amber Ghost' Japanese maple has now grown to a size sufficient to cast a bit of shade, I decided to expand the flower bed under it: a lovely Ninebark tree (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Amber Jubilee') in front, an unknown species of hydrangea in back, and three pink Agastaches on the left. The bulbs originally planted under the maple will bloom in spring: Mount Hood daffodils and Muscari armeniacum, whose foliage is emerging in the photo below.

Expanded bed under 'Amber Ghost' maple

West side yard

Here's what the yard on the west side of the house looks like these days from the bottom of the hill. Still has a ways to go before the trees begin to cast much shade, but remembering how bare this hillside was a few years ago, it's coming along nicely. This summer the artichoke plants grew well, but haven't produced any tasty chokes yet. If I can keep them alive through the winter, I may get some chokes next spring, who knows?

Replanted sunflower bed

Herb's sunflowers were setting seed in early September when one morning I discovered that all the flowers had been decapitated! Following the trail for likely suspects I found a couple of torn-off flower heads with scattered seeds at the edge of the woods in back, and it seemed to me that deer would not have easily bitten off a sturdy stem such as a sunflower's and dragged it off. No, a more likely culprit would be a bear--one could have torn all the flower heads to eat the seeds. It's known that bears happen to love sunflower seeds.

Taking that into account, it seemed wiser to replant the flowerbed with other plants that wouldn't be so attractive to bears. I had originally planned to expand Herb's bed to add other plants, and with the sedums beginning their fall show, I bought two new 'Autum Joy' sedums to put there, to echo the others in the Little Indians bed.

Fall is also a great time to take stock of plants that haven't done so well in their present spots and try them out in new locations. I transplanted the small clump of Muhly grass beneath the Seven-son flower tree to the new bed, as well as some yellow mums that were getting scraggly, being shaded out by the cherry tree in front. For a finishing touch, I added one of the three lavender plants bought at the Blooming Hill Lavender Farm when the Outdoor Painters of the Shenandoah painted there this past summer. We'll see how this bed will fill out over the next growing season.

The Badlands bed

The Badlands, as Herb calls the rear-most flower bed, seem to be improving somewhat. The purple aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) here survived the predations of the voles through the winter to put on a decent show--the other plant I had put in the Seven-son flower bed was completely eaten from the roots. The Shasta daisies in front developed only a few buds this year, despite being watered during the dry spell. The bee balm to the left of the Shastas was not doing well (probably too sunny and dry for it here) so I transplanted those to a shadier spot, and moved the native sunflowers (Helianthus sp.) in back which were getting chewed up by deer, to the front. I planted some of the prolific native mints from another bed to the back, in hopes of discouraging the deer. The Badlands have proved to be one of the most discouraging sites so far, but I'm determined to find some plants that can survive the onslaught of the weeds, deer and other rodents that assail this part of my garden, and flourish!

Chrysamthemum & 'Golden Globe' Arbor vitae

 Most of my Chrysanthemums got burned out by the late summer drought and haven't been much to look at this year, but a few plants in more favorable locations such as this one, managed to prosper. I hope to have a better show next year.

Purple aster

The original purple aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) is still the queen of the garden at this time of the year. It is simply covered with butterflies and bees all day long!

All in a Garden Green

The Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region (BASNCR) proudly presents a showcase of the work of its members, "All in a Garden Green" at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Va.

Green Spring Gardens (31 acres) is a public park operated by Fairfax County Park Authority. It includes a historic 18th-century plantation house, "Green Spring", which is the heart of a national historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The park has a wooded stream valley with ponds, a naturalistic native plant garden, more than 20 thematic demonstration gardens, a greenhouse, a plant shop, two gift shops, the historic house, and a horticultural reference library.  The gardens and educational programs focus on practical landscaping techniques that are appropriate for the Washington metro area.  Admission to the park is free.
 
About our theme:

In 1828, English writer Frances Trollope (1779–1863) began a four-year journey around the then United States. Her travels took her up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, across the Allegheny Mountains, and along the east coast from Washington DC to Niagara Falls. In her book “Domestic Manners of the Americans” (1832), she frequently noted the plants she encountered. From the Spanish moss and palmettos of New Orleans, to the mountain laurels of Pennsylvania, to the redbuds, dogwoods, and azaleas around Washington DC, she found this country’s flora a constant delight. Dazzled by the number of plants new to her that she couldn’t name, her advice to her countrymen was “let no one visit America without having first studied botany.”

Given that she spent many weeks at houses near Green Spring, this venue is an ideal spot to display pictures of the kinds of plants that Frances Trollope might have encountered on her American adventure.

A small group of us hung the show this past Monday--thank you to the Exhibitions Committee and volunteers for working with us to present this beautiful show! We look forward to the opening reception next Sunday Sept. 8, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM; please come by if you get a chance. If you can't see it in person, the next best thing is the on-line exhibition of All in a Garden Green on the BASNCR website.

Dog Days of Summer

Brazilian blue salvia.

We're entering the dog days, so-called after the "dog star" Sirius, which becomes visible in the night sky at this time of the year. The summer has been quite dry; other than the occasional gully-washer, there's been very little rain. There's not much in bloom in my yard at this time--the annuals in pots are doing better than those I planted in beds, despite regular watering.

Above is a blue salvia I bought earlier this summer, a tropical variety known as Brazilian blue sage 'Black and Blue' (Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'). I bought it because the flowers are supposed to attract hummingbirds, sightings of which are increasing as my garden develops. The deep blue flowers and the velvety dark buds of the salvia are unusual, but I've yet to see a single hummingbird in its vicinity. The plant is worthy of painting, though, and I've already started working on some sketches.

Black and Blue Salvia sketch

The front porch

Many of my house plants summer outdoors on the front porch and back deck, but my collection has expanded so much that I'm having a hard time finding places for them. I tucked in the beautiful red Mandevilla I bought last year amid the greenery below front of the porch to great effect.

Red Mandevilla

The back deck is more populated this year. The Australian red lime (on the right, behind the asparagus fern) has grown a lot, I can't wait until it starts fruiting! My begonia collection is also blooming well this year. I pruned my home-grown avocado tree (back left) to re-shape it--still hoping that it might actually fruit at some point--who knows? Here's the current ensemble.

Back deck

Coleus, red impatiens and purple sweet potato

Herb's bed of sunflowers got attacked by the deer while I was away in June--I returned to find the tops of the plants chewed off and Herb ready to give up on his plot. I thought the plants might still bloom from side shoots so we fenced around them and yes, we have some flowers--smaller that what they would have been if not eaten back, but still a bright addition to the yard.

The chiggers and biting insects have been savage this year, to the point that I'm afraid to go out there unless covered in bug repellent from head to toe. Herb has been attacked by a mysterious gnat or midge while mowing, and the bites are really painful. It's really difficult to enjoy the yard under these circumstances, so we confine ourselves to the safety of our deck most of the time.

Herb's sunflower bed

This spring I planted four artichokes in the new bed on the west side and these have been growing much better than last year's plants in the raised bed. I don't know that I'll ever get any edible chokes, but the consolidated bed looks much better now. The Caryopteris' (blue mist shrub) airy blue flowers should start opening soon.

West bed with Caryopteris and artichokes

My Venus flytrap plant is also doing great outside on the deck, watered with distilled water--it seems to be catching its own meals too, judging by the one half-closed trap on the left.

Venus flytrap

I wonder when the bugs will start to die down and I can once again enjoy wandering through the yard...

The Sperryville Maple

The Sperryville Maple, watercolor, 14" x 13.5"

Last year I finally got around to visiting the Sperryville Maple, one of the trees featured in "Remarkable Trees of Virginia," a beautiful book that I found in our local library shortly after moving here. The book has proved to be such a great resource that I finally purchased a copy for myself, with the idea of trying to visit some of the trees featured in it in order to make portraits of them.

The Sperryville maple is a sugar maple that is estimated to have been growing in the front yard of a private residence since the 1890's, making it about 130 year old at present. The tree has been a local landmark in the small community of Sperryville for many years. Its massive trunk has apparently lost several major limbs since the book's publication in 2008, but it's still impressive. Here's what it looks like from the other side of Main Street.

Photo of Sperryville maple

I photographed the tree from several angles and chose my particular viewpoint to emphasize the massiveness of its trunk looking upward into the leafy canopy. Last year was not the best year for autumn color in our area, and the tree had probably not reached the peak of color when I photographed it, but I find this particular stage when the leaves are turning, when there is still a little bit of green in the lower shade leaves, to be one of the most attractive. At this point the leaves display the widest range of colors possible.

I worked from my photos, but I lost track and only took one photo of my progress along the way. I started with very watery washes of yellow, let that dry, then a wash with red and after that was dry, a last wash with blue. These first layers established the areas of light and dark overall, then the trunk and branches were gradually darkened.

Painting at an early stage

After each layer dried, I laid on more layers of pigment, with each successive layer being drier until the desired density of color was reached. The blue sky was added almost at the last minute, after which the surrounding edges were cleaned and heightened. I plan to show the painting at Art at the Mill's fall show this year. Look for the show opening on Sept. 28, 2019, and continuing for the next three weekends until Oct. 13, 2019.