Studiology

Back to Level

With a refusal to even print one page, my computer put its foot down and let me know that with no uncertainty, our current relationship was over. A trip to computer doctors fixed things (for now), and we are working together again. In the meantime, spring arrived, the daffodil show at Lewis Ginter has passed, and it's been warm, very warm. Plus, when spring comes, time creating art always suffers; it's no different this year. 

Some parts of the garden will be three years old this year, and it shows. The wet meadow was the first planting and it's been a huge success. The battle of seeding and spreading offers a different landscape each year. The mountain mint is the most aggressive, it's the bully that may need thwarted, but it's also the space with the fewest weeds. 

Daffodils also take a few years to establish, the results are obvious. The yearly visits to daffodil shows are like a trip to the candy store, but it's something I share with my oldest granddaughter, and she can remember each name and what it looked like! The show was at Lewis Ginter again, in Richmond, and we both entered the competition. She won for best single stem in the youth division and took home the silver cup. 

With her assistance, I also won some ribbons, so it was an exciting event. Once again, we picked favorites, but the conversations have become more specialized, like the traits of certain species in their progeny, breeding for the north or the south, and fragrance. Following are a few of our favorites from my garden and the Daffodil Show.

In my garden, a favorite for incredible fragrance is Daffodil 'Kokopelli'. A very sweet fragrance, somewhat like gardenia, wafts in the air, which is amazing given its tiny size.

A few other perennials have settled in and offer a lovely spring show. It's hard to not love spring!

Carnival Once Again

If there is a theme to Carnival in Mexico it's the devil. Parades are frequent, costumes marry clown with devil, and the occasional horned beast. Day of the Dead is typically filled with skeleton masks and costumes, so the two are quite different. Bottom line though, it seems like there are always festivities and lots of costumes and color on a daily basis. It is very inspiring for artists, there is art in multiple forms, everywhere!

The largest parade for Carnival runs down the main, cobblestone street, as it heads for the Alcala or town center. Various groups represent different villages, which is typical of parades in Oaxaca, although I understand that there is a new clown costume store in town, which explains the throngs of clowns. They were dressed to impress.

Not all were scary, or shall I say, some not as much. A simple mask can have a big impact.

At the rear of the parade came the oily boys (and girls) from the village of San Martin Tilcajete. This village is best known for the spirit animals or Alebrijes, and the oily boys, who are covered in oil, wear cow bells at their waist, and wood masks. The spirit animals are carved from wood and painted in incredible detail, so it's no wonder that their masks and body paint were so exquisite.

Our group travels to their village every year to watch a distinctly different parade with a day of festivities, complete with a mock marriage and dancing. It's difficult to explain how incredible the experience is, there is free beer and mescal for all (adults), and cow bells around the waist teamed with a band provide the background sound effects.

This year the oil came in various colors, not just red and black. 

There is also a visit to one of the Alebrije shops, where numerous artists spend years learning the craft. Some are carvers, some are painters. I am in awe of their talent.

The real reason to travel here is to create a piece of art, with all of this local immersion and more to build inspiration; of course it's enough to last much longer. The theme this year was to create an animal shrine. My work used 2 wooden rabbits, and the theme is basically rabbits, lettuce, and carrots.

There are 4 workdays built into the schedule for creating, and travel entails bringing all of the art supplies you'll need. A challenge that is hit or miss is getting that art piece home in one piece. Fortunately, it all worked out, so I call this a successful trip and one of comradery and inspiration that will last for a very long time.

 

From Snow to Sunshine, White to Green

The temperature is forecast to hit 65 degrees today, hallelujah! I needed a little soil prodding and plant checking. It's been determined that I don't have enough beds to prod as I seek spring arrival of bulbs and perennials. Shrubs have already been pruned, new compost has been added to existing beds, there is little left to do but sow seed. 

There were long periods of snow this winter, good when temperatures dropped to single digits and insulated any soft shoots, hopefully it's all gone now.

As a long time gardener and observer, I have always believed that as temperatures drop, stems also bend down, letting flowers come close to the ground for potential insulation and protection. A slow thaw is best and all recover in an amazing way with stems that stand upright again. 

Witchhazel 'Westerstede' has taunted and teased me but is finally opening with warmer temperatures. Honeybees are frantic, or so it seems. As they visit the snowdrops, any pollen and nectar is soon devoured, the next quest is to try and open flowers that are mostly closed, and they are persistent.

In art I have decided to do a series which I'm calling "Conflicts of Interest". It's my way of coping with the current disorder, the insanity of greed, ignorance of science, attack on nature and ecology (I"m sure you know what I mean).  First was a locust driving a truck loaded with corn. Titled "When the Locust are Running the Farm". 

Next came "Beaver Lumber Company". The beaver den is made of fancy lumber, the conflict is real! Who needs it more, says his expression.

Work on this theme is taking a break while I go to Mexico for another art retreat. A nice change, this is my annual trip for the season of Carnival. 

Meanwhile the greenhouse is ready, and the desire to sow seed is exasperating. The day I return, will be the day I begin. Doesn't everyone need a greenhouse?

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin

With monthly pop-ups at McGuffey Art Center, I've been bringing my Hot Wheels and a track. It's been a popular stop for shoppers, so I thought it was time to add a few more. The challenge is to see which one is fastest, but in my mind, it's more of "how crazy can you get"? Here is the current collection with the new ones in front.

As you might be thinking, a drink umbrella might slow the car down, so it can be detached. All in good fun on the First Friday of each month. And since I was already doing cars, I added these two;

Lastly came a new robot. His feet and knees bend and his right hand opens (& closes). The face was made from clay and I've held onto it for a long time because it was special (and looked like Daniel Craig - in my opinion). He is comprised of many parts, his legs are from a Ninja Turtle and there is a tire weight under his belly to balance him. 

 

The little spoke in front is a metal jack from the days of Game of Jacks. On his head is a small part for putting air in a tire (I think). In the past the robots would have a name that suited their job, this one just seems to be cuddlier and kinder, a robot that says yes mam and yes sir. He can help with groceries and recall important dates and passwords. And that's important stuff! He is Jack.

 

It's Complicated

My computer has struggled of late, it kicks and screams, refusing to contribute when it comes to photographs (photoshop completely shuts it down) and a few keys don't work. I think its time is short. So I finally went back to Macintosh and am still struggling with some items but have gotten far enough to conquer a few and with time, it should get easier. I wish technology was less complicated!

My little man, who is balanced on a ball is a new piece. He is part of a show for November of 2025 and I will try and be quiet about that until much later. He is only two inches tall! Made from wire and clay, I was very proud of the fact that I could make such a little man. The title is "And the Crowd Roared", so I painted little people in the background. 

There is also a new heart and a smallish piece with a lemon tree. These are available at art galleries in Charlottsville, in fact I have finally restocked everywhere after the holiday sales.

and sadly there is still the issue with the right side chop of my photographs..

Outside is still snow covered but it has been interesting to see the difference between mowed areas and gardens. The front meadow and wet meadow have been left to feed the birds and there is no doubt as to how well that works. The front meadow is always filled with birds, and I suspect a vole or two for hungry hawks. Little footprints in the snow are testament. 

I continued to play with frost orbs and have a long way to go, but it's been fun.

And lastly I wanted to share these orchids. I purchased Brassavola nodosa, or so I thought, and it ended up a hybrid with no scent at night (the reason I love it). She is commonly known as Lady of the Night, so I recently bought the real brassavola and behold, with only one flower, she is incredibly fragrant and lovely! I can't wait for her to get bigger.

As I switch computers, it should get easier! Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Winter

It's officially winter with another drab and cloudy day. The gardens are dormant, but promise is evident with buds on witchhazel, helleborus, and a few native azaleas. Lettuce is under cover, the texture gives the perfect crunch, the taste as good as it gets. In our climate so little is required for great winter crops. 

I am also growing bulbs in pots, sunken for better insulation and topped with row cover, an experiment to see if I can force them early. The greenhouse is finally set-up with electricity and plugs, the next step is to finish the floor. With that done I should be able to utilize it as the bulbs mature to the point of bud set. 

This morning was another hoar frost, and the front meadow was a glistening white. My photographs don't convey the beauty, but it was lovely. The lack of color is par for December and I'm fortunate to have all of the color I need in my art studio where lots of projects are underway.

 

If you lay down and photograph at an angle to the sun with a macro lens, you can capture frost orbs. I intend to get better at this.

 

Krampus Land

It's been a couple of years since I've been able to build the larger, fourteen-inch Krampus's (Krampi?). After finding a source for these bigger, blank, wooden nutcrackers, the season has begun. The official Krampus night or Krampsnacht is December the 5th, but with the close friendship between St. Nicholas or Santa (Krampus takes care of the bad kids), they are often displayed together, right through Christmas. It's been a whirlwind season, and they have sold as I make them, so Krampus Land is what has become of my studio time and space. 

As raw nutcrackers, they come as drummers, or giant lollipop holders, so the ball shaped hands are removed as well as the drum. The biggest obstacle has been replacing the hands with something that has creepy long fingers. It's been a couple of years, but I have come up with a method using wire, epoxy paste and clay. 

The best creepy hands to date have been on this masked Krampus. Just enough expression and matchy, matchy to make it outrageous. The fingertips are now black to add to the creep factor.

There are several in the works which go to McGuffey Art Center or C'Ville Arts in Charlottsville, VA. Complete with chain or cowbells, I'm always surprised how popular they are.

I learned a new technique for creating small, free standing characters from Michael deMeng, which is illustrated here. Two thin wood panels are cut (I use a scroll saw) to carve exact replicas and then cut the top one down to create a skeleton half. The bones are built with clay and then the painting finishes it all. This is the drawing and another subsequent Krampus character.

It will soon be time to get back to more innocent items, but I did finish this small "Shell Collector". He is forever searching for the perfect shell.

And back to work I go. 

Family Days

November turned out to be a great month. A visit to Florida for a sistas vacation turned out to be extraordinary, the weather was gorgeous with an excursion every day to some wonderful sanctuary, bay, or restaurant. We flew into the Tampa airport, where a giant flamingo decorates an interior alcove, and I knew I had to find it even if it meant walking the entire airport. 

My youngest sister has moved to Florida from Virginia, so our time was booked with all sorts of adventures. I will admit to my first time in a kayak, and I could not ask for a better place to be on my maiden voyage. 

Two excursions were to visit the manatees. Since the waters were still warm, they were spread out, but we spotted 10 or so in various locations. 

To end the month, I had plans to finally have my entire family visit for Thanksgiving in our new home. The theme was a pie Thanksgiving, which turned out better than I could have imagined. We had Sheperd's pie (with ground turkey), chicken pot pie (s), quiche (s), and plenty of dessert pies including my favorite, sweet potato and pecan. 

Yep! Pass the pie.

I hope yours was good too.

 

 

Happy Halloween

With great joy I return to my Halloween posting! The photograph is a long exposure with selective light from a flashlight. Enjoy your evening!

 

Late Flowers

The last of the monarchs are still passing through. Without a hard freeze, there is still nectar to be found and my garden is a good source, I have seen more in October than all the rest of the year.

 

One of the monarchs favorites is Mexican flame vine, found in Mexico but also native to the south and northern parts of South America, it produces floppy stems and is considered a vine. I originally knew it as Senecio confusus, which translates to a confused senecio. To realign, the name was changed to Pseudogynoxys chenopodiodes, which means; looks like it belongs in the genus Gynoxys (all from South America and in the aster family) and resembles a goose foot. In searching for Mexican geese (in an attempt to understand the epithet), surprisingly even our Canadian geese will overwinter in northern regions of Mexico as well a few other species of geese, so maybe there is some basis for the species name. Bottom line, the name will probably change again, and DNA test will resolve any relationships, we can hope for a botanical name that's not such a mouthful.

The salvias have also been a hot spot, specifically Salvia leucantha. The species name translates to "white-flowered" but there is a great deal of diversity in the flowers, something hybridizers are searching for. I have a selection called S. 'Phyllis Fancy' which has been going strong for at least 3 months. Before the hummingbirds migrated, this was their primary source for nectar.

There are still zinnias, more salvias, and a third sowing of sunflowers, which are busy with various bees. 

PS for some reason my photographs are displayed as half of what they really are, despite the fact that nothing has changed other than my poor internet. I am publishing this post to see how they display when clicked on and am waiting for an answer from Typepad as to what I'm doing wrong. This has been a big part of why there aren't more as this has been very frustrating! Hopefully this will be fixed and refined at a later date.