annual arrival of the pink petals

when the accolade cherry buds are bursting
it is a fluffy pink reminder
that my girl's birthday will soon be here.

crocus of any sort are delightful but i think i like the stripey ones the best.
hellebores are a late winter treat.
one of the first trees to bloom...cornus mas...cornelian cherry, which isn't a cherry at all but a dogwood.
after pruning the roses (how do they manage to grow so fast in one season?!), chopping back some of the clematis and scooting accumulated leaves from the emerging crocus i went inside to work on the tiny scale of bead dolls. the instructions are in japanese so i do as best as i can.

our new bunnyshe's a chocolate tan

in the detailsin my travels i love the details that make a place alive with character. in lausanne it was the colorful banners that i just had to sketch to remind myself of the designs and colors. i abbreviated the colors used on each one so i could try to replicate them at home some day. i wonder if there is a book documenting the amazing array of flags that pervade swiss streetscapes.
throughout italy i would measure travertine steps and benches and the delirious designs of marble paving. there time had the means to produce perfection of scale in design elements and i wanted to know their exact proportions. notes on color, pattern, and scale were sketched as a reminder of their qualities. paving patterns so easily translate into quilting patterns, so i guess my passion for paving patterns is symbiotic to my love of quilting. here i added a bit of digital watercolor to a sketch of paving found in san giorgio maggiore in venezia to highlight the three dimentional characteristics of this particular pattern.

more fragments of paintings

this one is on the way to steps beach on nantucket
where wild rabbits regularly skip across the path
right in front of you. this part of nantucket is so special
because there is no hint of the culture of opulence,
just sand, rugosa roses, shore pines and grassy meadows.
you hear birds and feel the salt air.
the sand crunches within your flip-flops
with anticipation of the near shell covered beach.
the humidity is ignored here.
its just pure delight in the
quiet soft eastern shore afternoon light.

the original (unaltered) painting is an oil on panel.

birdie fragments

boogie boards, hibachi, bikes, towels drying on the line,
putter, aqua socks, sand pail, beach umbrella,
sun-bleached shingles, screen door....
it's all there under the canopy of scraggly trees
and the watchful eyes of a multitude of birdies.
that's summer on nantucket.
original (unaltered) oil painting on canvas

Endemic Plant Manifesto

Lately I have been thinking about Robert Oppenheimer and how after he developed the atomic bomb he realized its destructive power and deplored it.

After years of using ornamental plants in hundreds of projects I have come to the realization that their use has been so ultimately destructive to the environment that I wonder if it is too late to restore the endemic environment. Since middle school, when I would walk two miles each way to school through the pristine native veldt of northern California, I developed a profound appreciation for native plants. I think that windswept delicate landscape dramatically influenced my desire to work with plants, so I went on to study landscape architecture in college. Yes I did produce plans that restored lands back to native habitat in my career, but I may have done more harm on other projects where seductively opulent perennials, abundantly flowering shrubs and non-indigenous trees were planted with abandon. The use of ornamentals created spaces that were and continue to be enjoyed, unbeknownst to the observer of their underlying consequences.

But as I age I see how readily available nursery stock is not screened for its destructive behavior and becomes a pest or worse an invasive species. I used to love butterfly bushes. But after observing them seeding regularly into my driveway and parts of my garden I questioned their place in ornamental horticulture. I then went to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle years ago, and found that Buddleia had been listed as a noxious plant by the state. That was all I needed to confirm my suspicion and come home to remove all four of the mature butterfly bushes from the garden. They had such sweet honey fragrance and long bloom times, but that was overshadowed by their menacing nature. You see I grew up where scotch broom and pampas grass were evil. They wantonly squeezed out indigenous vegetation and made chaparral impassable for grazing deer.

When I worked on a native plant restoration project on the Oregon coast years ago I read in a United States Department of Agriculture publication that three scotch broom plants were originally brought to Vancouver Island in 1850 by a man to remind him of his native country and within a century they have colonized the entire west coast. Broom seed is so amazingly viable that even after 80 years they can still germinate. The plant is designed for rampant propagation. A mature broom can produce over 15,000 seeds. Its seeds once ripe can burst out of their pea like pods and be flung twenty feet in any direction.

When I was a member of the University of Washington Arboretum I received their periodical, which would describe plants that have gone out of control elsewhere in the world, and had become on watch lists here. One of those plants had started to seed in my garden after a short while following its purchase. I proceeded to yank it out of the garden after spending twenty-five dollars for it at a great nursery. I then called the nursery and mentioned to them that this plant was considered a threat for being invasive and they dismissed the idea of pulling it from their stock. I have asked other nurseries to pull stock of other plants that I have found so aggressive in my own garden that they are impossible to remove completely. Why would nurseries willingly offer plants that are obnoxious?

It is hard to reconcile my love for lilies and kolkwitzia and the desire for a solidly responsible footprint on the land. So this year I have decided not to go to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, because I think the push for new and exotic plants is a very destructive practice that should be questioned. Much, but certainly not all, of my garden has been developed using bare-root stock from the annual county’s Conservation District Tree Sale, which is coming up soon by the way. When we have drought through the summer those native trees and shrubs carry on like “so what…I can take it!” When we have extreme low temperatures they say it again instead of wither under the bite of hard freeze. So with a vast selection of lovely indigenous plants available (that were highly regarded by early explorers from England) which withstand all that nature dishes out what more could you ask for in a twenty-first century garden? It could be that consumerism is well represented in the plant world and that new and improved has always had an allure.

Native plants have been seen as raw nature to be managed. Native plants are a static list, rather than an evolving list, so how alluring is that? Can we look at endemic plants through a new appreciative lens? Buy a guidebook to native plants and see the glory that can be all around us. I have created a card that can be left at nurseries, based on the model from the California Invasive Plant Council, that might encourage nurseries to stop selling invasive plants. Please download your card here and let nurseries know that it is bad form to continue to sell noxious plants. Using endemic plants will enable us to tread more lightly on the earth and bring back a remnant of the balance that once was to this land.

hmmm,

my husband brought back two colorways of a fabric from australia this weekend for me and when i looked at the pattern i was amazed. the outline of the "land" is a close approximation of this island! and further x nearly marks the spot where we live!
aboriginal patterns always tell a story and this one is called, "watering hole".

fragmented paintingas i clean up my winter garden, clipping away desiccated spent flower heads, removing soddened chlorophylless iris leaves along with heaps of styrax japonica seeds mashed in with its fallen leaves, i am keenly aware of the process of decay. what would it be like to have my paintings look as though in the process of decay? were my recent gilded bird paintings old, were they new? the patina of age is sought so highly in furniture yet on a woman's face it is banished in popular culture. in an attempt to further fragment my paintings, in photoshop, in a spring-like manner rather than winter's harsh hand, i've been experimenting with flower petals and forms reminiscent of germanic ironwork to decay the image.

aaaah, as i look out the window spring is appearing in little jewels about the garden. spare canary yellow crocus and a pink bud on the cherry tree whisper the change of season is upon us. who is shouting outside? well it is the witchhazel of course. "come smell my intoxicating elixir perfuming the air", it beckons through the window, resplendent in a mellow fringe of yellow petals.
spring!

messing around with some new ps brushes that i made the other day...

i just started a new website: here. click the refresh button a few times if all the images don't load the first timeit's in progress. lots of the hyperlinks won't work yet. let me know what you think.

museo correr, veneziafrom my anglo/italian sketchbookwhen i was sketching alone in italy, following graduation, i would spend hours drawing without any distractions, other than from passersby. actually it was a great way to meet local people to sit and draw, since they would love to take a look at what i was doing and would inevitably roll into an interesting conversation. paper and pencil. that was it. no watercolors. no oils. just black + white. so simple and yet such a delicious medium to render shape and light. this one was of a beautiful relief on the wall along the stairway in the museum. i was drawn to the flowing lines and heroic nature of the woman. ahh to draw for hours in italy again. maybe someday, maybe someday.

conservatory of flowers, san francisco

it was such a gorgeous day, although quite chilly for s.f. there was ice along pathways in golden gate park. in all the years that i lived in s.f. i had never seen ice there before. it was amazing!

sfmoma from yerba buena gardens (i did the construction documents for some of the gardens there many moons ago).

inside moma ...architecture by mario botta.
we visited some of his cool buildings in lugano switzerland on our honeymoon.

the inspirers

after a recent visit to the de young museum i was pleases to bring back a new book, ruth asawa contours in the air, which has been delightful to read. long an inspiration, since she developed many public works in san francisco when i was growing up and was a continual presence for art education in public schools, reading, especially about her youth, was fascinating. what friends she had: buckminster fuller, joseph albers, willem dekooning, imogen cunningham! b. fuller even designed her wedding ring! it was such incredible joy to see an exhibit devoted to her long career of extraordinary work in so many media, especially the long overdue recognition of her wire works that are sublime. i can't think of a solo exhibit that i have seen that has been so overwhelmingly pleasurable as this one was.

back in my studio, here's more stuff that inspires me mixed in between my paintings.

architecture notes

from my spatial composition class
architecture has quite the syntax!
i was going through boxes of stuff in my mom's garage and came across some folders of class notes. some i recycled like planning, blah blah blah, all talk and no action. but the design stuff i saved mostly because of the enthusiastic professor that taught the class, but also because it reminded me of all the hidden language of design that was pounded into us for five years which tends to pervade the process to much of my artwork.

everywhere i looked there was another live diebenkorn paintingtime to get out the oil paints and a big fat canvas

i left my heart in san francisco....legion of honor museum
i miss the sweet old museum
(damaged beyond repair after the '89 earthquake + demolished)
but the new one is quite a wow! experience.

my son reflected in a sculpture at the legion of honor

coit tower cityscape
ahhhh san francisco in january!
could there be a more beautiful city?

buzz.....my latest illustration friday submission

just a peekat clarity of adornment in the january exhibit

gilding remnantsfrom oil paintings in the january show

old stuff

gilding is so much fun.
light bounces all over the place, when the sun is out, off the little orbs of gold.
i dragged this one (oil on panel) out of the archives just as a reminder,
on this stormy dark day, that spring blossoms will come again.

a peek at the altarcloth shown this month at gallery fraga.
it's one of the ingredients of the birdie altar.featured here is applique of an oregon junco and red-shafted flicker.

what a way to start the new year!

i think it's going to be a great new year with the sighting this morning
of a female peregrine falcon in our back yard!
it was perched atop the bunny hutch (empty!),
that we painted recently, from where she surveyed
the whole garden for critters to eat.
no wonder there were none of the usual small birds present.
they knew when to hide!
what a gorgeously regal creature that falcon was
as she spun her head completely to her rear
and back around 360 to the other side
with those intent eyes beeming.
happy new year to all and happy birding!
(painting: detail from 3, oil on panel)

wishing you a happy new year!

please come visit either on opening night, january 5th,
or through the month of january
to see my latest creations at gallery fraga
in the group show entitled, "birds of a feather".
my installation will be a shrine,
combinating oil paintings, fiber art and sylvan votary,
in reverence to endemic bainbridge bird friends.

ho ho ho!

happy holidays!

making photoshop paintbrushes has been too fun

left-over paint
oh the buttery goodness of oil paint! i hate to leave any remnants on my palette just to dry up into uselessness. so some of it ended up on these little squares of masonite, for what i don't have a clue. experimentation i guess. painting on textureless surfaces is dreamy. no fighting the weave of fibers. luscious paint, i just want to use it all the time. could it be like making mud pies when you're little? the slimey squishyness of adulthood.

detail from my latest birdie creation
in progress
using ribbons, velvet, silk, chiffon, corduroy, linen, cording, flannel...
it's a soup of fibers.

i'm sorry!i would guess about eight years ago i bought a fraser fir seedling at a christmas tree farm, which is now city parkland, and planted it in the backyard. abies fraseri are the ideal christmas tree. beautiful symetrical structure, strong green color, lovely needle form and an openness that allows for decorations to shine. well, as our garden has become more mature all my little seedlings, and i have planted many trees of all sorts, have started to obscure my beloved sunshine so i made the decision that i would wait until christmas time and harvest the faser fir. i think the tree grew four to five feet just in the last year, so if it were to come down this would have to be the year to do it. this is the worst part of christmas time to me. i hate that a tree that has grown for years and years is chopped down to enjoy for just a few weeks and then turned into compost. so i said to the tree just before we cut it down, "i'm sorry!".

i must admit that this is the most beautiful tree we have ever had in our house. we cut it so it is just a couple of millimeters from hitting the ceiling. it looks so odd out there were it used to be in the garden, so open, unconfined. the tree was cut right to the ground so it appears as if it were never there. a ghost tree. it has to be the freshest christmas tree ever, just hauled in from the backyard. thank you tree for your years of growth to become our holiday decoration.

happy holidays.

World AIDS Day is Today!

"Visual AIDS Postcards From the Edge Benefit

Hosted by Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
530 West 22nd Street (between 10th & 11th Avenues)
New York City

Preview Party on World AIDS Day
Friday, December 1 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Sneak peek only -- NO POSTCARD SALES.
$75 admission includes one raffle ticket.

Benefit Sale

Saturday, December 2 from 12:00 - 6:00 PM &
Sunday, December 3 from 12:00 - 4:00 PM
$5 Suggested Admission

Over 1,500 original postcard-sized works of art."
including one from this artist
"ONLY $75 EACH. Buy four cards and get one free.

Postcards From the Edge is a show and sale of original, postcard-sized works on paper by established and emerging artists. Famous in the art world as the most exciting and affordable way to build a collection of work by internationally renowned artists, as well as young and emerging artists, all works are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The works are signed on the back and exhibited so the artists' signatures cannot be seen. While buyers have a list of participating artists, they don't know who created which piece until purchased. A collector might end up with a work by a famous artist or someone they don't know yet. Either way, they walk away with a great piece of art while supporting the important work of Visual AIDS."

ho ho ho happy december!

i unearthed all the christmas decorations today from the farthest reaches of the closet under the stairs, where everything gets stashed. it is like excavating a tomb with all the archeological layers accumulating in there.

i made this stocking about six years ago after making personalized stockings for everyone else around here. my daughter's features a kitty ballerina with jewelled tiara, pearl necklace and tule tutu. my son's took the longest to make...all cross-stitch. and my husband's is a felt applique snow scene with sequins + beads. i think he would rather have a plainer one. i will have to make him a new one that he will like better someday.

winter appearance
i made this scherenschnitte probably twenty years ago. most of the year it resides in my constantin brancusi book. in the years that i remember it jumps out of its covers and onto the window for its winter appearance (hard to believe that officially it isn't winter around here yet!). this year the wycinanki looks especially delightful with the snow as a backdrop. from the photo you would never know that the scherenschnitte is actually white arches printmaking paper (a beautiful heavy weight creamy texture paper!).

p.s. scherenschnitte + wycinanki are german + polish paper cut-out folk art....google these terms to find amazing creations far more complicated than my attempt.

pod garland

ice spilling from the sky knocks on the south facing windows, tap tap-it. what will the morning light reveal? trees weighted or broken from frozen precip in a field of white slickness? or will the snow be gone, temperatures moderated and bunny at last moves back out to his outdoor abode from his rental house in the garage?

sunrise on the olympics

what a day!

snow day!

the soft crunch under foot reminds me of my month of frigid vermont in 2003. ahhhh snow. thank you for this november treat!

i just learned how to make photoshop brushes from my photos of plants and birds. ooowee this is fun. i have always wanted to design fabric. maybe this is the way i finally get my wish.

just a peek 2...

just a peek...

in print!

the first publication of my work...
in KNOCK #6
Antioch University Seattle's Literary Arts Journal.
my Green Belt project won their green art contest
along with eco-lit winners.