TumbleWood and garden things

My "TumbleWood" stick sculpture at the Lancaster Museum of Art.

I entered it in the Summer Art Show , partly because I had a hard time finding room for it in my small space garden :0 AND.....surprise, surprise, I was given an "Honorable Mention" by the juror!!!!

Here's a mini garden I'm working on..... with Irish moss and a village. I love this light green color....It's so fresh.
More greens you just gotta love....a photo of my wire plant with a painted pot in the background.

George Washington Clematis revisited. (I darkened the background....I think I'll make it even darker. )
I've been so busy gardening but will post more paintings soon....if I can pull myself away from the garden.

From the sketch book

Radishes and Beets!
These veggies are part of our share. We bought a half share with a local farm, a CSA ( community supported agriculture) --we go each week and pick up our share of the harvest. I'ts soooooo much fun!! (even my son thought the strawberries were amazingly flavorful! --however, he isn't too thrilled about having to pick them.) I've never eaten so many different kinds of greens....green and red lettuce, spinach, kale, swiss chard, beet greens, bok choy, cilantro, dill, garlic scapes, onions,...all so wonderful mixed together!



A view from the patio. Schmincke watercolor and ink on Arches


Missy looking the other way. Schmincke watercolor and pencil on Arches

Garden Sketches

Pot on the rocks --schmicke watercolor on Arches


"George Washington" clematis --watercolor and color pencil on Arches


Poppy -revisited --watercolor on Arches



Lucky four leaf clovers!
Iris --pen and watercolor on Arches
Here's a photo of our other cat Musky being brave. He loves to walk the railing --I hold my breath.
and finally,
school's out for the summer! Here's a sketch I did while waiting for my son. I added the watercolor later at home.


Happy summer!!

Everything in 2's

LOOK what I found!!!! 2 of them!


And,
LOOK who found a friend-- 2 ducks swimming in my pond.


Update on the cardinal nest--

The cardinal's nest was suddenly abandoned. I checked on them one day last week and everyone was gone. The 2 babies were nowhere in sight and I'm sure they were too young to fly or hop out of the nest. It's a mystery....

However,
I did find 2 eggs that hadn't hatched and when I compared them one was much larger than the other.
I'm thinking a cowbird must have come and laid her eggs in with the cardinals. That's probably why the one baby was so much smaller than the other two. But why they ALL disappeared so suddenly is a mystery to me.

And finally,
2 paintings I did in the garden.


pencil with Schmincke on paper

Stoppin to smell the flowers

This beautiful poppy came to us as a tight bud. I really didn't think it would open but...
Voila..... it did!

I HAD to paint it!


pencil drawing with Schmincke watercolor above -- sharpie pen with Schminche below.





And, one of Missy cat .

The lettuce and onions planted in the boxes on the deck.


The cardinals are growing.
Looks like there will be only 2 babies-- the other eggs didn't hatch.

The weather's great

I took a pot of tea and my paints out on our deck this morning. It's a perfect 70 degrees. Don't you just love the lines of this teapot!? I'm thinking I may make the background darker to accentuate the pot.... I'd welcome suggestions, what do you think?


The neighbor's deck.



Wicker chair.




Our pond with fish and a deep purple clematis just beginning to bloom.


Most wonderful of all.....
the cardinal's eggs are beginning to hatch.
There were 5 eggs-- now there are 2 left to hatch. There are two babies in the nest and a third tiny one up on the ledge of the nest....see it on the upper left side.? I'm not sure if that one is alive or not but it seems smaller. I'm thinking it had to be alive to hatch out of the egg. Right? hmmmmm?

Mother's day

My violet plants are all sending up buds and blooming.
Done with a sharpie pen and Schmincke watercolor.



Our Japanese maple tree is in full leaf and the color is amazing.
Done with a sharpie pen and Schmincke watercolor.

And....
I thought I'd show you a photo of our duck swimming in "her pond". She just seems to love it here. She splashes around quite contently. We still haven't found her nest though it must be nearby.



5 eggs in this nest! A pair of cardinals have a nest in this grapevine ball hanging under our deck. It's fairly protected from the weather and we can see it by looking out the window.
Happy Mother's day!