it's almost dahlia planting time! actually the last picture on the right is an artichoke, but i thought the petals were cool, like the dahlias. i used to hate dahlias when i was growing up. they looked so stiff and plasticy. now i appreciate them for their enormous blooming season (up until they are killed by frost). the trick is to get them past that stage when they are oh so delectable to the slugs. once the emerging plants reach a certain size they seem to outgrow the chomping abilities of those slimy critters and off they go to produce bazillions of blooms. i try to find dahlias that are the anemone or waterlily types. they seem less artificial looking and are great for bouquets. happy gardening season to you...

...sprinkles...it's a baking extravaganza lately....

i made lime tarts for birthday treats that were yummyliscious! a flavor explosion in your mouth. recipe from the barefoot contessa cookbook by ina garten. i love her cookbooks!

prunus 'accolade' is at its peak today. i love looking out the window at a big frilly puff of pink.

i just feel like dancing lately!

it was the thrill of a lifetime to meet dr. wangari maathai before her lecture, in seattle, and have her see my fiber art tribute to her and the greenbelt movement!!!! i gave her a copy of my piece with an explanation of the project. this woman is a goddess! listen to her nobel peace prize acceptance speech and it will bring you to tears. for more information go to the greenbelt movement and join the effort to heal the earth.

ahhhh.....the details in nature.....

the colors of koigu yarns + kaffe fassett & oilily fabrics+ botanica inspire me

	another unfinished painting project, this one on silk: a scarf about wildflowers of northern california. brodiea laxa, iris douglasii + orthocarpus. the common name for orthocarpus is owl's clover and if you look at the tiny flowers up close they actually look like little owls....

messin' around....
bits of the "green belt" project. for more info click here and here.

this has to be the tiniest garden i ever designed but it is one of my favorites.

it's raining so much today i feel like a fish.
this is an intaglio print made a long time ago. for anyone who loves to draw intaglio is a fun and magical process. a zinc or copper plate is prepared by polishing the plate and beveling the edges. then a ground is applied to the plate. using a sharp tool you draw through the ground to reveal the plate. the plate goes into an acid bath and etches away where the plate is exposed and creates an etching. the plate is cleaned and inked, placed on a printing press with paper on top and the press squeezes the paper and plate to print the image. the first print is labelled A.P. for artist's proof. it has been many years since i have made intaglio prints. i'd like to return to this fun and intensive form of expression.

i'm having fun making fake stamps on flickr toys with my photos.

detail from "incipient summer"








front and back of a card i'm doodling

the cherry tree buds are swelling yet it's 26 degrees outside....hold on blossoms, not yet, not yet

happy valentine's day....

welcome back to all the bees as we inch closer towards spring!

will i ever finish the mural of island wildflowers?

crow show extended

my allegorical fiber illustrations will be on display at gallery fraga through the end of february

illustration friday
for the past couple of weeks i have created submissions to illustration friday. it's a way to experiment with media that i don't ordinarily use (i'm dabbling with digital media). each week illustration friday e-mails a topic and there you go...create whatever seems appropriate and send the link in to their website. i love seeing how others, from all over the world, interpret the same topic. this week the topic is "glamour" and i illustrated my favorite fashion designer's latest purse design. click here to see my submission. it's certainly not fabulous, but it is fun to make, and that's what it's all about.

p u s s y w i l l o w s

it's just delightful to happen upon little gems in the garden this time of year. i started a french pussywillow , salix caprea, from a cutting, purchased from the northwest flower + garden show a few years ago, and now it is a full fledged tree. it really needs to be coppiced so i can harvest the pussy branches more easily from year to year. for basket making i have found that coppicing willows, red-twig dogwoods and eucalyptus make for nice long straight rods. eucalyptus is such a ferocious grower that coppicing keeps it to a manageable size and you can enjoy the juvenile foliage for flower arranging.

this peony is just a reminder of sun and bloom to come. the need for sun and flora this time of year in the pacific northwest is extreeeeme! i was happy to see my camelia sasanqua, witchhazel + winter jasmine blooming. thank goodness the days are getting longer!