Early April Update

I thought I'd better poke my head in here to assure those I've been getting messages from that I'm doing well.

Been a busy two months with various treatments and procedures. I've got a window for a little over a month where I'm resting up. I've got some things I want to accomplish including update my blog.

Since just what I need is even yet another project; I'm going to create a separate blog just to discuss the LMS part of my life. While it is a part of the whole which is Me.... I want this place to be dedicated to the studio and garden (and the infamous Random Thoughts). I'll post here when I get that set up.

It will be my hope that it will be an inspiration for those dealing with LMS, cancer and other “terminal” illnesses.

So.... meanwhile back in the studio. I've not done a lot. But I have done a few things.
I do try to still do something creative everyday even if it's just reading about another artist or watching someone's Youtube video. :) Hoping that at least the brain synapsis are keeping connected. :)

One thing, is above, and is still a work in process but almost done. It's a little 2” x 2” canvas. It was fun to work on it; while it's size made it fast it took enough thought to make it interesting. Basically it's an acrylic painting with a photocopy of a little “grid” drawing (more on grid drawing in the future) I did in my journal that I copied and then pasted with gel medium over acrylic paint and then embellished with ink pens.

I liked doing something this small. It's a nice quick way of getting something accomplished and yet is reasonably quick and fulfilling.

I'm going to put little nails into the upper sides and hang it on some wire.

I've been taking a few online classes; free and one paid:
I took Cathy Johnson's Watercolor free class which I loved.
And Pam Carriker's Pursuing Portraits.
I've learned a lot from both of them.

So it will be interesting to see if any influences show up in my work.
I want to get back into the acrylic painting.


And I've been thinking of creating a tutorial for making my paper mache prints.
Any interest out there?
I miss teaching but don't have the energy to do it one on one anymore so this will be a good way to at least pass things on.

The Garden is waking up.... early, like everywhere else on the East Coast and perhaps elsewhere.
Though the weather shifted to a more seasonable chill and rain.

The greens in the greenhouse are up and growing but not big enough to eat.

I planted some Spinach in the coldframe but nothing is happening yet.

But the Daffodils are up as are the Hellebores and the tree buds are swelling. I'll have my Magnolia blooming soon. Today the sky is blue and it's supposed to get up to at least 55F.

I'll try to take some pictures soon.

The bad news is the ticks are worse then ever this year. After my bout with Lyme in the autumn of 2010 and winter of 2011 I have a serious tick phobia. So I'm very nervous when I go out and check myself the minute I go inside.

We've stopped feeding the birds and squirrels a week or so ago. We cut them off slowly to get them to start foraging naturally. As well as to make sure there is no seed around when the Bears wake up. :)
Those of you who have been reading this since the beginning may remember our Bear visits.

Well... hopefully I'll have some more artwork to show you soon. Stay tuned. :)

And lest I forget; Happy Easter, Ostara and Passover!

Studio and Garden Update and this weeks Art Challenge.

Studio update:

I didn't write here last week. I think I was still acclimating from the long weekend in Maine. I did work in the studio though. I've been working on rusting more of the paper mache prints (see previous posts) as well as I finished the last canvas from the previous weeks Challenge. I'd only been able to do four due to the trip and the last was still drying.

It was another experiment with crackle paste. I painted a layer of acrylic paint and collage papers first. Then I put crackle paste on part of the canvas and painted it a turquoise color. Then I copper leafed the crackled part and some of the texture from the collage. I used the adhesive lightly as I wanted the acrylic layer to show through. I finished it with a layer of acrylic faux encaustic goop I make up with matt gel and paint.

It's different and I like it. The image is to the left.

I'm sticking with 9"x10" canvas this week, as well as Ravens. I going to do a Raven a day for 5 week days. The first which I did yesterday has it's molding paste drying so I'll start a new one today. The paste should be dry on the first one tomorrow.

Garden update:

So far no "Black Frost". I still have some beans out there and if I get them in soon I'll have at least a serving. Not bad for October. I still have some in the fridge I'm eating. And carrots.

The mulch in the greenhouse has me ticked off. I've used this same companies shredded straw in the past with no weed issues: yet this time it's full of them and I'm pulling grass stems out of the entire bed.

The lettuce is up; the celery is looking very good after it's transplant; the artichokes are perking up some and hopefully survive the winter in there. No sign of carrots or spinach but then it's hard to see with all the grass.

I'll report back on Friday on the Challenge and the grass in the greenhouse issue :)

October 19 2010

That was as far as I got.  A synopsis of the rest of the year to today is:

~ We had a great crop of tomatoes both in the garden and in the greenhouse. There are still some growing in half the green house bed. I'm not sure how long we'll have them before the cold kills them back but they are still thriving. I've already pulled up the outside tomatoes and brought in green ones that wouldn't ripen before the first heavy frost. And I've mulched the bed and put it to "sleep" for the year. Next year that bed will be the lettuce and greens bed. 

The picture above are the tomatoes in the greenhouse.

I have a ton of tomatoes frozen and ready for soup, sautes, bruchetta and whatever else I think up.

~ We had a pretty good bean crop. Mostly green and wax beans but I have some pods of Black Beans and Italian/Americans drying in the greenhouse for soup this winter. Not much but they'll be good. ... I hope. :)

~Peas were ok; a few meals and a lot of munching off the vine. The latter is one reason I don't get a big pea crop. :)

~ The Greens crop was really good this year and I still have a ton of Kale and Swiss Chard (Rainbow) going. I just planted seeds in the greenhouse of a mesclun mix I put together myself, Spinach and some Arugala. There is some Swiss chard still, parsley and basil. And a couple pepper plants near the tomatoes. So lots going on in there still that will survive the cold.

The cement block path project is going slowly but surely. Lots of work to lay down the gravel (on landscape cloth) level it then put the blocks on. I decided to put them down flat after all. Once this is done it will not only look good but make getting around in the garden much easier as well as keep the weeds away from the paths. Did I mention how *long* it takes to do this? :)

As in most gardening years there are successes and failures. My most surprising failure was my zucchini and summer squash. Hardly  had any and had to buy them from the road stand. Almost embarrassing. :)  At least I get to help support the family that has the stand. 

The great success was I grew the biggest Butternut Squashes ever. I can't wait to have them in soup, sauted in olive oil and garlic and of course, pureed for the traditional Thanksgiving Feast next month.

Another success and my first ever with it is my leeks. I planted them by using my dibble and making a hole about 8" deep, 4" apart and placing the baby leeks I'd started in the greenhouse in the spring into the hole one at a time.  The rain and hose water refilled the holes naturally and I didn't have to do any "back filling". I've just this past weekend pulled up about half a dozen to make into leek soup and was delighted with how long the white part is. I'll leave as many as I can to over winter and harvest in the Spring.

Here are some pictures to give some visual insight as to where the garden and greenhouse are at this point. I've written under them to give you some idea as to what you're looking at:

Standing in the doorway end of the greenhouse looking down the bed. First the tomatoes and you can just make out the chard and fennel plants. At the far end is the new seed bed for the salad mix, spinach and arugula.

 One end of the Kale bed. These were planted along the pea fence and are just now coming into their own. Pea fence was moved this past weekend to it's new bed for 2011.

 Looking south down the lower garden beds. First wood fence is where the Tomatoes were grown outside... you can see left over calandula and the first leek bed. In the back is the bean fence where the tomatoes will go next year. Way back is the potting shed.

 You can just see the cement block walk where the peonies are starting to go to sleep for the winter. In the far back is the bed with the other leek bed.

 mmmm. Can't wait. Not quite ready to come in for storage yet. There is still a little green on the stems.

A first for me: French Sorrel. I've found some recipes to try including Sorrel Vichyssoise that I can use my leeks with too. I'll report back. :)

 Food for the eyes. Even this time of year there are still some flowers to feed the soul.