Studiology

Freeze Frame

Six blocks of ice later, I have photographs of various flowers that I have frozen. I had hoped for the snow, because I like to photograph the frozen flowers outside while it's still snowing. Never the less (it was a lame snow), with a few already chilling, I kept with my original plan since I had already bought the flowers. If you want to try this at home, the time for the perfect freeze depends on your freezer and container. It turns out, it takes about 24 hours for mine to get just right. Once they pass their prime, the ice gets solid, you can't see the lovely little bubbles, or in some cases, the flowers. So here are a few from this past week. 

Happy New Year everyone, stay safe.

Using your DSLR Camera, a Beginners Class

On January 12th, 2013, I will be giving a class, an introductory class for budding photographers. The class will explain the basics, everything from the dials on your camera, changing lenses, working with white balance, and understanding the various file formats. There will be technical stuff but also artistic stuff. I have planned an entire segment on how to have fun with your camera, things like swiping, zooming, HDR and light painting. I like to think this is a class like no other! There will be 5 hours of class with lunch (on your own) in Old Town, Manassas. The class runs from  10 am to 4pm. Located at The Center for the Arts in Old Town, also known as The Candy Factory, here is a link to register:

http://www.center-for-the-arts.org

You can download the catalog and go to page 4 for more details.

The cost for non-members is $144., $129. for members.

Christmas with Little Miss Felicity

I traveled to Richmond, Virginia for Christmas to spend time with my daughter's family and Felicity, my 17 month old granddaughter. Naturally Felicity received many, many Christmas presents. At one point she was so tired and over whelmed, she simply fell backwards in total exhaustion, holding her baby doll the whole time. 

Here are a few photographs, highlights of a day with my granddaughter as she unwrapped presents. 

The rocking chair was a present from Felicity's mom, Rebecca, and she added a painting of Peter Rabbit's garden, complete with foxglove, a wren and a patch of brambles. I was amazed at the detail, yes, my daughter knows a little about painting and gardening. She grew up in a nursery and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in illustration. 

One of my presents was these snazzy little pink boots, can you stand it?!

 It was a very good Christmas for all of us, but especially little Miss (adorable) Felicity.

Happy Holidays

I spent most of yesterday at Longwood Gardens and Terrain Nursery, once again. It was a little impromptu trip, I wanted to see the holiday decorations. Always worth the trip and great fun to photograph, I was not disappointed. 

Terrain nursery was hopping, as it should be, 5 days before Christmas. Their terrariums were fabulous, as were the outdoor container arrangements.

Longwood Gardens is just down the road from Terrain, both are on Route One. The conservatory at Longwood is 5 acres large and as you enter there is an extravagant table set for dinner. No one will actually sit and eat here, alas..., but the making of the table is interesting. Planned a year in advance, holes are drilled to fit the potted flowers so they sit flush with the surface. 

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Fiji Waterfalls' or shooting star hydrangea, was evident in many of the floral displays, apparently the seasonal plant of choice and for sale in the gift shop. A lacecap hydrangea with a ring of flowers that hang from longer stems.

Even some of the large Christmas trees had this hydrangea nestled in them. Check out the hanging baskets of dicondra hanging above the trees!

The orchid room is always chock full, each orchid in full and perfect bloom.

A living wreath with orchids used yellow variegated liriope for filler.

Tillandsia (a type of bromeliad) was used to make oversized living ornaments.

Longwood Gardens charm comes from details that are extra large and sometimes extra small, here are 2.

A very cold, brisk walk back from the conservatory takes you through some of their Christmas lights.

The lights and holiday decorations will hang until January 6th. Happy Holidays to you all, be safe.

 

Christmas Cards

I'm doing my Christmas card thing. My cards require a sewing machine, fabric, card stock and the latest new thing - French knots. I'm a newbie at French knots, learned from Youtube. It takes awhile to get the hang of it, the difference in successful knots depends on the size of your needle, your embroidery thread and how talented you are when pulling the thread through. Since I am new at it, some of my cards look a bit weird. The perfect French knot looks like a little rose, made of gathered thread, some of mine look like a knot of loops. My apologies to a few family and friends, don't laugh, it's getting better.

My other new thing is stamping the fabric and the envelope to match, a la Ruth Rae style. Ruth has been an inspiration of mine for a long time. A jeweler, until she discovered sewing, now she often combines the two with fabulous results. 

Blending 2 or more fabrics together, adding the inked stamp, maybe beads, ribbon or French knots, is all so much fun. Inexpensive muslin is the best base fabric, once washed it shrinks down by half, and it takes stamping  in such a beautiful, vintage way. In the middle of each card is thick, fusible (on one side) Phellon, to make the card more rigid. The thread is the final touch that holds it all together.  I went through my variegated thread phase and am currently back to metallic threads. I don't own a fancy sewing machine, mine is the Brother PC-420, Project Runway model, which can even sew through thin metal. The reason I bought it. 

It's very slow going when you make such crazy, fancy cards. I just bought some snow flake fabric because I'm thinking some of these will end up being Happy New Year's cards. By then I should have the French knot thing perfected.

 

 

 

 

A Walk to Mount Zion Church

Another walk today led me and Duke to Mt. Zion Church, on Route 50. Adjacent to our property, I visit a couple times a year. I have seen it change ownership 3 times. Currently it's owned by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority which also opperates Meadowlark Gardens. The church was a hospital during the Civil War, a very active one after a nearby skirmish with John Mosby and his rangers and Union forces in 1864. The Old Carolina Road runs along the west end of our property and was a well traveled road during the Civil War. Also the road that Union soldiers ran down to escape as the battle was ending in 1864.

 Behind the walls of the cemetery is another, smaller cemetery. There are 63 African Americans buried here, slaves or freed men, buried prior to 1865. 

Inside the stone walls are headstones dating back to the beginning of the church (built in 1831). I recognize many names of local families. Occasionally there is still a new grave added, sadly I knew all of those that have been buried here in the last few years. I  knew them from the nursery, they were gardeners.

 At the very back of the cemetery are headstones for Twelve Union Cavalrymen, buried after the battle with Mosby and 13 Confederates, buried when the war was over. 

The Mt. Zion church was a frequent meeting place for Mosby's rangers and it's said that a lit candle in a window was a signal for them to meet. In 1995 The Mosby Heritage Area became a designation, about 1,800 square miles, bound by Bull Run, the Blue Ridge to the west, the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River to the south. It was formed by the Mosby Heritage Area Association in Middleburg, Virginia, their motto; to educate about, and advocate for, the preservation of the extraordinary historic, cultural and scenic resources in the Northern Virginia Piedmont. In John Mosby's time it was called Mosby's Confederacy, a place where Union soldiers had to tread carefully. It's also said that occasionally you can still see a lit candle in one of the windows of the church.   

Finding a Better Mood

Taking a break from crankiness, that's what I needed to do this morning. Fortunately I was at home and had time on my side. Not everyone is so lucky and believe me, I thought about that. So I put on a couple of layers and headed out with Duke, my yellow lab. We regularly take a 3 mile walk and today it was the perfect thing to do. The sun came out, it was quiet and best of all, private. We walk into our woods and head for a pond where Duke will swim.

My husband set up a bench in the woods, located at the perfect half way point. If the mood strikes, it's there to sit and stay as long as you want. You don't have to wait for anyone to leave or worry about how much time you're taking.

I spend most of my time walking quietly. I know where the deer hang out and look for things that have changed, like where the turkeys scratch the leaves around. Today we found where a rabbit had been eaten, I'm sure by a hawk or owl since Duke didn't pick-up on a scent (like a fox).

The pond is 3 acres and there were plenty of geese and a kingfisher who just hung out and was very non-vocal. I saw signs of otters there last winter. Their scat is full of fish scales which is the most obvious sign and what I look for.

I say that the swimming for Duke it the real reason we go on such long walks. Cold water never stops him and I  have to yell at him to keep off of ice. Such is the life of this Labrador retreiver.

But the truth is when the feet keep moving and the body warms up there's a wonderful release of anxiety. The shoulders come down and the face relaxes. Creative thoughts come into my mind, personal complaints vanish. I made this little video of branches reflected in the pond. The wind blows the branches but not the leaves under the water. It certainly put me in a better mood. I realize I have many things to be grateful for. The ability to take these private, long walks is definately a plus. 

 

 

 

 

Jolly Holly Berries

Most gardeners hate short days and long nights. The season we call winter is hardly a season at all, at least not one we like. Call it the "let's appreciate brown" season. Shades of tan and sienna with a little gray and black, so it goes in winter. There are a couple of redeeming points for December, days stop getting shorter and red looks so good with brown. 

There are numerous shrubs that produce bright red berries, one of which is so stellar for December that it glows in the landscape. A native holly, Ilex verticillata is deciduous, shedding its leaves to reveal bare stems covered in berries of red, yellow or orange. The most popular selections have red berries but all are worthy. Indigenous from Maine to Georgia, the national record holders or largest specimens are both located in Virginia Beach, Virginia (16' tall x 13' wide). 

You need to plant a male and female to ensure berries and there are two cycles for flowering, early and late. It's often worth planting two males, both an early and late flowering variety to guarantee  pollination and berries. Only the female shrubs will produce berries, so plant accordingly. The small flowers are produced from late May to late June and watering in July helps hollys hold on to their fruit. Stress, like drought, will result in premature berry drop.

Ilex v. 'Sparkleberry' was hybridized at the National Arboretum and might be the most popular of all. Ilex 'Winter Red' gives slightly larger berries and I. 'Red Sprite' is a dwarf. I personally love I. 'Winter Gold' with creamy gold berries that become more orange.

The popularity of their cut stems, especially in December, has created a demand that continues to grow every year (to the point of shortages). The cut stems hold up for a long period and can be placed in a container without water, drying with berries intact. 

In the landscape they do best in an area with some natural moisture. In the wild they love swampy areas, but certainly don't need that to do well. I love them with ornamental grasses, particularly the native little bluestem or schizachyrium. The yellow branches of thread leafed cypress or Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Mop' also make a striking combination. It takes the drab out of December.

The Hanging Weekend

The Open Studio show begins on Thursday the 6th and this weekend is hanging weekend. We're hanging in the kitchen, the hallways, pretty much everywhere. It's so darn exciting. There will also be jewelery, Christmas ornaments and little things. 

I will be there on Friday and Saturday, which is exciting because this is a working studio space, I will be working in my assemblage space, which looks like this:

I call this my "wanna be an assemblage artist" space because I find it very difficult to put things together and create a piece that is better than all of its parts. So I plod on, taking online classes from Michael DeMeng and going to New Orleans for his February workshops. If you visit you will see my collection of dark things. No photo, you have to come and see. 

We have a very nice kitchen which will have great snacks. Come and have a cup of coffee with us. 

We will also have a raffle of 3 pieces and tickets are only $1. 

And I'm not kidding when I say it's room after room of art, this is a big space so feel free to roam and see how we work.

Plaster Transfers Continue

I so love a challenge and these plaster transfers are giving me that. For each one I mess up, I'm more determined to make the next one work. For the last 2 days I have been working on 5 and will keep 2. This latest one turned out so good, I was smiling from ear to ear. 

The challenges are many beginning with finding or creating the right image. From there you make the plaster (on burlap), crack it when dry, glue it on a board and sand. The transfer part is the most difficult and if it doesn't take, a quick removal of ink will save the plaster base. Even when it does take, you will have to do some finishing with oil paint, my very favorite part. I studied oil painting in college and this is the closest I get to revisiting that. The challenge is mixing the colors and applying them well enough that your fixes don't show. Hence oil paints, which are much more forgiving than acrylic. 

I often stamp the piece with a script stamp before I call it finished and frame it. Lately I have been working on botanical specimens or at least that look and feel. The plaster is a perfect base. I think I might be doing these for a very long time.

This one will go to the Lorton Workhouse. I also have a few at Oatlands Plantation, outside of Leesburg.