Studiology

January Art

The latest piece of art was built from a wooden shelf unit that looks like a little house. The unit was very old and somewhat crooked, leaning like an old log cabin might. It was also covered in crumbling paint, which was really challenging. 

After removing some of the shelves, I was finally able to move forward with a plan. This is an item that has been in my possession for a long time and has always been a source of frustration with its many compartments. After multiple false starts, I finally came up with a solution which I call "The Bird Angel". The 3 guineas at the top mimic their behavior so perfectly, I'm sure that anyone that has owned guinea fowl will be enchanted with this piece. 

There was a week long incidence here where our last surviving guinea was downed from a tree almost every night for a week. The predator was unknown, possibly an owl or maybe a raccoon. One of the old chicken coops was repaired and moved to the house, rebuilt to function and left for the next attack (if the guinea actually survived another). The decision had to be made as our guinea had spent one night in my studio (what a mess) and two nights in the kitchen, sleeping on a dowel wired to kitchen chairs. 

At 10:40 PM, the day of the chicken coop move, the guinea was attacked again, this time screaming and standing at the kitchen door, beside him a barred owl. As I rushed to see what the commotion was, the owl was lifting himself for the final kill, having already removed many of our guinea's feathers. As the owl flew off, the guinea was picked up (I have never come close enough to actually touch him), and was secured in the coop. 

That happened a month ago and all is well, at least the guinea is alive, but often refuses to go in for the night, preferring an old cryptomeria tree. I am astonished that this bird has survived for so long on its own, everyday is a surprise. And you see, this was the source of my desire to build this assemblage piece. 

This piece was built and then covered with metal paint that will rust when sprayed with an oxidizer. The stage of rust you desire can be halted by applying matte medium paint, diluted with water. I have found that the rusting process often continues, so the art will alter over time. 

As usual, these items are available at Art A La Carte Gallery in Occoquan, Virginia.

Uplifting Reads and Downloads for Winter

Our geographical location may not rob us entirely of gardening options in winter. Between pruning, cold crops under cover, or indoor seed sowing, the gardener can find preoccupation. Alas it's not nearly the daily submersion of other seasons so I would like to suggest a few alternatives to fill your days and keep the motivation high.

For those of us that like to sit with a good book, I have two suggestions. "The Cabaret of Plants" by Richard Mabey is an extraordinary read. Basically a history of plants, the author is British but includes subjects that are historically rich in diverse locations. Each chapter leads the reader on an exploration, beginning with cave drawings and finishing with recent findings of communication between tree roots or the chatter that takes place underground. Available as an audio book as well, the narrator speaks with a British accent, his botanical names contradicting my own pronunciation which often leaves me laughing out loud. I own both versions and have listened to the audio book numerous times, it's that good.

Another book titled "Head Gardeners" by Ambra Edwards is also a British publication that devotes 13 chapters to individual head gardeners working in England. Chapter titles vary from "Mission Impossible" to "The Naturalist" with a interview style approach where the individual explains their attraction to a place and/or facet of gardening. As an estate gardener I found it very entertaining but would argue that any gardener would find it interesting. 

Podcasts are something I listen to every week, daily when seasons are in full swing. Naturally a gardener wants something local, which can be challenging; the podcast world is no different than other social media platforms, building a bigger audience can be their objective. Lucky for us "The Native Plant Podcast" is the audio blog of John Magee of Middleburg, Va. The subject matter is primarily native plants, as John interviews nursery owners, garden designers, and writers. In recent years the spotlight has been shared with Preston Montague of Raleigh, NC and the format is loosely predictable as they share phenology (the cycle of bloom events in relation to climate), humorous dialog, a dog or pet story, and then share a local brew or craft beer. In John's most recent post, future podcasts will also be hosted by his wife Susana and Chris Felhaber of Chanticleer Gardens. Good news for local gardeners.

Another (very new) podcast is titled "Wild Plant Culture" by Jared Rosenbaum. The subject matter is field botany, herbal medicine, and regenerative practices. Jared's humor is quick and smart, the content highly elevated. Give this a listen if your horticultural interests include the local, native landscape. 

My last recommendation is based on my own curiosity as I prepare for a lecture on citizen scientists. Titled "Citizen Science: Podcast Brunch Club by Adela", it is wildly entertaining. Subject matter is not strictly horticulture but still worth a listen as citizens are working with scientists under various platforms, some with little structure, others more formulated, to procure information to share. Bird migration and invasive plant spread are just a couple of topics that have been enhanced with input from everyday people. Call it a merger between eyes on the ground and data seeking scientists. 

So welcome to 2020, a new year with new sources of inspiration as we wait for spring to arrive. 

 

 

This and That

The garden is dormant and snow is an inch deep, with more predicted. For a full 4 weeks, if not more, my Galanthus 'Potter's Prelude' has been blooming, withstanding temperatures as low as 20 degrees fahrenheit. So happy am I with its spread, it is even naturalizing a bit. I paid a whopping $40. per bulb and see that they have risen to $59. each, in a modest way I am rich!

Christmas marked the end of my full time work and it was spent with my daughter and grandchildren. Juniper, the little red headed granddaughter was walking with me while we held hands and I explained to her that I needed to go inside and help her mother with the kitchen duties and lickety split, she maneuvered me into the kitchen. Her place is on a stool, high enough to stir, wash dishes, and be helpful. As it turns out, she loves helping in the kitchen.

Yes that's an ice cream scoop stirring the mac and cheese. 

The weather was beautiful and most of the day was spent outside, the way I like it.

Now I have plenty of time for studio work and plenty of time to fix a piece that fell from a wall and broke into 3 pieces. Purchased in 2015 as part of my Saints and Sinner's Show, the recipient asked if I might be able to fix it. I was delighted to get her back, despite the broken parts because it gave me the opportunity to see how far I have come since 2015 and didn't feel challenged when I saw how she had broken. That show was my first of all assemblaged art. I had moved from various forms of photography to 3D and the build part was challenging enough, the paint may have been more. Here is Saint Catherine in 2015:

Here is the repaired piece with a new repaint.

The radiating points are made from skewers, the case is an old clock frame. Saint Catherine was the Patron Saint of intellectuals, schoolchildren, and professions involving wheels, hence the contents. Almost always shown with a palm leaf. Parts of her were missing so some creative clay molding fixed that. 

The most current studio work is large and  complicated, involving various birds. I have been building miniature guinea fowl and have been following our single guinea around the yard to make sure that I get the finer points correct.

There are also new Hot Wheels, which take another kind of creativity to put together, the "think tiny" assemblage artist.

So you see the year ended and began with a little of this and that, as most people's lives do. My blog can take many twists and turns and as I have always said, I bore easily. So the topics will vary, but in looking back, not by too much, depending on the the time of year. A steady ride into the new year with gently curves is best, those unexpected detours can be challenging. Thanks for riding along and I hope your new year is filled with family, friends, gardening, and art - a gentle dose of all.

December

With the year closing out and a look back on 2019 I have to say it was pretty darn good. My last commitment is over, the full time job in the floral department at Merrifield Gardens (for the holiday season) has finished and I can get back to full time art. 

Within this last 6 weeks there were 3 floral workshops, all to build centerpieces. Two included flowers and one  was just with greens or evergreen branches. All were successful and some glorious arrangements came out of the class room.

I was part of a Secret Krampus Society Exchange and received a most awesome Krampus from 1 of 18 participants that are spread all over the world.

My recipient was in Pennsylvania and this is what she received.

In total I managed to build 6 large and 3 small Krampus figures of which this was the last one, delivered to Art A La Carte. 

Changing gears, this assemblage piece was finished last night.

God willing and the creek don't rise, 2020 will also be full to the brim. For all that tag along with me on this daily blog "Happy Holidays". I feel so blessed to have such wonderful people around me and I hope to see you soon.

 

Assemblage in Mexico

Of the 20 or so artists that joined me in Mexico, some have a direction or plan when it comes to building their projects, some haven't a clue and bring items to tinker with and then there are those that buy items on the street and work with them, happy to have something that comes from the destination. I fell into the group that knew 1 item I would build and had no idea on the second. With clay drying time and paint drying time, I always want to have at least 2 items going at once. There was also a little problem with shipping items and suitcase weight, which prompted me to pre-drill everything I could, there were no plans on bringing a drill in my suitcase, the Dremel, paint, clay and brushes was going to have to do.

The stop in Mexico City was an add on, for those that wanted to really immerse themselves in famous art and artists of that place. We visited the murals of Deigo and went to Frida Khalo's blue house or Casa Azul. This was a real highlight for me and I was impressed with that and everything that happened in one of the biggest cities in the world. Frida Khalo was severely handicapped in an accident that involved a street car when she was in her late teens. She was bedridden for a large part of those early years, eventually moved to a wheel chair, but never recovered fully from the injury and wore a back brace. This began her painting career and there were 2 beds in her house, one of which was a bed with a canopy top and a mirror so that she could look at herself and paint self-portraits. The studio where she worked has been left after her passing, paints, brushes and easel all where she used them.

 

 

 

She kept various animals in the courtyard and also owned the hairless Mexican dogs known as Xoloitzcuintli or Xolo dogs. We saw a few from time to time, better in a tropical place with their lack of fur.

Once in Oaxaca the art tours continued and we visited artists that made alebrijes or the very ornate animals.

Clay Catrinas are another common form of art, the lady skeleton for Day of the Dead. 

As our projects began I put together my piece just as I had planned, a skeleton form with a child inside. It had not made complete sense when I left but it became very clear once there, or at least the idea percolated and fit into my surroundings.

These giant paper mache forms have a person inside and they tower over everyone as part of the Day of the Dead parades. Called Los Monos, they often have a skeleton-like face.

On my piece the legs and arms are hinged and swing, the whole piece is on a mount and can be removed. Essentially a Day of the Dead parade participant.

My second piece became a Mexican hairless dog, specifically Frida Khalo's dog with a back brace and red flowers on its head. A little skeleton face too, naturally! Here are some of the other artists work;

This one had a little mask that could come off.

 

There were many others and we celebrated our accomplishment with local Mescal, a drink that comes from the agave and as old as the conquistadors. Made from any agave plant, not just the 'Weber's Blue' for tequila, it's essentially fermented mash. 

Michael deMeng was our instructor and once again delivered a delightful critique leaving us all feeling accomplished.

I am not done with this revisit of my trip and plan on adding at least one more blog to highlight some other art and artists. I hope you have enjoyed it and the "Rise of the Forsaken Toys" workshop. 

 

 

Street Art and an Antique Toy Museum in Mexico City

Before I show you what I created in Mexico for my art retreat and workshop, I feel that I have to show you what influenced my creations. If you have not been to Mexico City, then you may not know that it's one of the most artistic cities in the world where street art is encouraged and people travel there to go on street art tours which take them all over the city. 

One of our stops was a museum, specifically the Antique Toy Museum of Mexico City. This workshop was titled "Rise of the Forsaken Toys", so it's only fitting to go to a toy museum (which also displays a lot of street art). A long time love of toys lead the owner Roberto Shimizii to fill a multi-level building with toys from all over the world which displays approximately 40,000 items but houses a collection of over a million. Vintage Barbie dolls caught my attention, who knew there were so many?

The entire place was wall to wall toys, clustered into themed areas, the entire worth of this building for a toy collector can't be imagined.

There was also local street art, mostly on the roof and it was incredible.

A view from the roof shows how prolific the street or wall art is as well as how a each roof is used, there were cats, dogs, pigeons and clothes lines on the roofs of Mexico City where the climate is mild, few homes have air conditioners or heaters.

We also toured the murals of Mexico City and other museums, all to prepare for our workshop time in Oaxaca where there was also incredible street art.

Inspiration could be found everywhere, the colors, the freedom of expression, all part of everyday life in Mexico.

 

Tillandsias

A late comer to tillandsia love, some plants take a little more time than others to appreciate. Air plants describe them well, types of bromeliads, these are the kind that collect their food and water from the air, there is no central water trough, no real root, and no need for soil. You can find them in tropical regions of the world and as far north as southern Virginia, the most northern range for Spanish moss which is the most common and well known tillandsia. Some orchids and other bromeliads can also live on tree branches or in a cliff hollow, they have a small root system but collect their nutrients through their leaves and we call them epiphytic. In tillandsias alone there are 6,000 species, most found in South America and Mexico.

Just over a year ago I sampled a few on a windowsill where I laid them in pots with other houseplants. East facing, the water they receive is from my infrequent watering of the houseplants with occasional misting. They have thrived, expanded, and even flowered with nothing more. My opinion rose, so simple and satisfactory, a thumbs up. 

My second nod to their tenacity came when I noticed hairy phone lines in Oaxaca, Mexico. Fine little hairy tillandsia clusters were literally growing on the utility lines, attached by a wiry root which was only there to grip the line, everything else supplied by the air around them. A marvel of nature, I decided it was time to explore air plants further. 

The third and maybe most impressive encounter came at work where I seasonally build holiday arrangements. A small collection of tillandsia sat in my work space as my purchase of the day. Many comments were made; assumptions that they were destined for a creative addition to a holiday bouquet. The thought had entered my mind. In response, seven or so small tillandsias were delivered to me, having been placed in a dark closet in July and forgotten, there were pronounced dead and available for experimentation, gold glitter, fake snow, that sort of thing. Upon inspection I realized that they were very much alive, barely changed from their imprisonment, delighted (I'm sure) to be saved. Clearly this was a most impressive tale of survival, and not an experiment anyone should try.

Of the many species, they can be roughly split into xeric and mesic. The xeric environment is dry, often a dessert climate, the tillandsias may have fuzzy leaflets to help with moisture retention. Mesic tillandsias are from habitats with more moisture, perhaps a tropical forest. All tillandsia have trichomes or modified scales on their leaves which control the amount of sunlight and water that are absorbed. The trichomes are also capable of changing their angle to increase or decrease reflectivity, saving them from sunburn or allowing more light in when it's compromised. Root systems are largely nonexistent, their sole purpose is to anchor the plant to their host, which is nothing more than a support, they are not parasitic. 

Within this large and wonderful world of tillandsias you can find species with fragrant flowers, showy foliage, big and tee tiny sizes. With their small footprint, a windowsill can house many and care is little more than misting or dunking them in water when you water your houseplants. 

I've become a big fan and have plans to add more to my collection. Fortunately they are not hard to find at local nurseries that offer tropical plants. They get two green thumbs up from me. 

 

The In Betweens

It's a crazy busy time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can add that I am working full time, making art and managing an art gallery, so my busy may match yours or may not, we all have different levels of time maintenance or lack of. Despite that I have been so happy and time with family has actually been better than usual. Thanksgiving was wonderful and today was grandson Quinn's 5th birthday party, so we visited him to participate in a Nerf gun themed party. 

Allow me to share photographs from both Thanksgiving and today's party as I show off my adorable grandchildren. The energy is high and conversations can be hilarious. Felicity is the queen of knock knock jokes, Quinn is all about guns, although he was restricted from using a Nerf gun until he turned 5 because he shot a Nerf dart at his sister, and little Juniper is just precious.

I hope you find time for family and friends during the holiday season and take lots of pictures. These guys are growing up so fast.

Turkey Day

The Tule Tree

The famous tule tree of Oaxaca is located 6 miles outside of the city, and the fee to enter the gates and visit this enormous tree is ten pesos or about fifty cents. Listed as the stoutest tree in the world or the tree with the largest trunk diameter of any tree on the planet, it is extraordinarily beautiful and awe-inspiring. The actual age is unknown but it is estimated to be two to three thousand years old. 

Botanically known at Taxodium mucronatum, it is a tropical species of bald cypress. As a water lover, it can become very large when conditions are right, but none have surpassed this specimen.

A beautiful church stands beside it as well as gorgeous gardens.

I feel blessed to have stood in its shade, the full impact of its size is almost indescribable. 

As is the case in many parts of the world, trees that attain this size and age are considered holy. Time shared with these senior citizens is far too fleeting in the context of the time they have been alive on this planet.