Studiology

Last of the Snow Flowers

Anticipating this snow, I bought some ranunculus and did the deed. Freezing them in a block of ice is the beginning, setting that block out in the snow is the end. Ranunculus are one of the best flowers for freezing, at least with the technique I use. There is a new way to compose them in my containers, now I use magnets to hold them in place. With the magnets, you wire one to the bottom of the stem, let it sit flat or horizontal. The weight will hold the stem at the bottom of your plastic container. After you fill the container with water, use a magnet on the outside bottom to move the flowers where you want. If the magnets get too close, they will stick together, which can also work, but not always. I find that 2 stems is better than 3, only because it's almost impossible to not have the 3 magnets become attracted to each other. The buoyancy of the water will hold the flowers upright, which works better than my former, upside down way. The first photograph is of the ranunculus shortly after taking them out of the freezer (and out of the plastic container). The second is of the block of ice in the snow, several hours later. All of these photographs were taken outside, in the snow. I use a tethered (to camera) flash for fill light.

As you can see, the water bubbles freeze and the ice cracks. I often add a texture layer to the photograph, which can be very effective. 


 

The Dragon Chronicles

One more altered book finished. This is also a sketch book cover. The finished look is metal, like wrought iron. The inside and back are covered in a beautiful upholstery fabric. I've been reading "The Game of Thrones" and watching "The Walking Dead" series and this piece seems to be a fusion of the two. 

Here's how it started.

And here's how it finished. The wood is half inch, so it has a very hefty feel to it.

Most of the techniques are from Michael DeMeng's online class "Punk Fiction". I've spent all winter working on assemblage projects. I have a few more finishing up, time will be spent out of the studio and in the garden. Just another kind of exhilaration (ahhhh spring). 

Memo: Spring is Late (but officially here)

 

It always gets here, some years it's later than others. If we've gained anything from this long, cold winter it's a month of procrastination in spring clean-up. That has to come to an end, Helleborus orientalis needs cut back, last years foliage looks worse than usual. Epimediums need sheared, down to the ground, today. If you wait, spring flowers will be rising into spent foliage. Any shrub pruning should be done very soon, but only on those that bloom on new wood. Examples include caryopteris, lavender and summer flowering spireas. Cut them by 30%. Shrubs like Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' and Buddleia or butterfly bush can be cut to 6". 

 

Many broad leafed evergreens really took a beating this winter. The foliage is freeze-dried, I term I use when they suffered from the inability to re-hydrate. Frozen ground doesn't allow the plant to pull up moisture so the leaves dry out as winter winds desiccate them. We had our share of winter winds and frozen ground. With new growth, the dried leaves will fall, all should recover. A little assistance might be in order, a low dose of organic fertilizer will help when the temperatures rise. 

 

With spring flowers arriving so late, there's sure to be a spring collision. Redbuds might bloom with dogwoods, tree peonies with tulips and daffodils, a spring for the record books. I can only imagine that allergy sufferers will have a hard time with tree pollen because when spring arrives, it will be boisterous. In truth, the colder winter will make for a better spring when it comes to plants that prefer a long dormancy. Peonies will be more richly colored. Primroses will be delighted, The American Primrose Society is headquartered in Alaska after all.

 

The Fauquier Daffodil Show will be held at Buchanan Hall on April 8th this year and in many years the daffodils are almost done by early April. So the gardener bends in humility as one can only hope that some daffodils will be in flower for the big show. It's really a great thing, this gardening. We fret over things we can't change and learn to embrace the good things when they come along. I think this spring will be full of good things and the long wait has only made it more desirable.

 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day and March Lecture Information

There's at least 9" of now on the ground, and today would be the day to plant snow peas, a little irony there, kind of like the auto correct for digital devices, I said snow peas, not snow please. So here's some green for those suffering from green deprivation.

There are 2 classes still scheduled for March. Here's the latest information on them:

Free Lecture on Photography at Merrifield Gardens, March 22, 2014

This lecture will show some creative ways to take photographs of your flowers but also show ways to record what's going on in your garden as the year passes. I will bring along some equipment for show and tell plus give a slide show. This will be held at the Gallows Road location, or Merrifield in the class room beside the garden center. We begin at 10:00. 

Lecture at Virginia Tech

Here's the description of my lecture and the fee information:

Garden Flow with Karen Rexrode
Saturday March 29, 10:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. $15 Friends of the Garden/$20 general public

Have you ever wondered how a garden can seem to fit around a home, like the perfect piece in a puzzle? When the house and landscape flow together, you feel very comfortable in that space. For many years Karen has found this concept intriguing. Questions arise, is it a personal thing? a naturalistic thing? a lack of mastery or someone's great attention to detail? After years of studying the concept, Karen has come up with some thoughts on the art of garden flow. She ties the 2 by movement and visual queues into a lecture that will help you understand what makes a person feel comfortable in your garden.

Held in the Hahn Horticultural Pavilion, the address is 200 Garden Lane (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA 24061. Phone # is (540) 231-5970. 

People's Choice Award

A nice way to start out the year, my second People's Choice Award in 2014, this one is first place, so I'm very excited. Titled "Siren" this piece is another encaustic/oil painted photograph. The original photograph is mounted to a cradled board and then coated with hot wax which is put on with a brush and directed by the flow in the photograph. Lastly I added black and white oil paint to bring out the texture in the wax. 

Hanging at the Workhouse Arts Center in building 9, gallery 902. I have 2 other pieces hanging this month and will be bringing my sketch book covers next month. Also have cards in building 9, pieced together and then sewn, each one is  "one of a kind". 

Thanks to all that voted on second Saturday. The Workhouse Art Center is open this Saturday from 11:00 to 6:00 and I will be manning the front desk all day in building 9. If you're in the area, come visit.

Virginia Maple Syrup

The Maple Syrup Festival was held this past weekend and will continue next weekend. Held in Monterey, Virginia and surrounding towns, sugar shacks are steaming away the sap from maple trees to make their signature maple syrups. The weather has been cold, too cold, but there's hope that everything will turn around with some warm days. It takes two things to happen in a 24 hour period for the sap to flow properly. A freezing night followed by a warm day and it must happen in that order. Sounds simple, right? Well, this is way in the mountains of Virginia, it was 45 degrees in Monterey, Virginia but only 35 at the Rexrode sugar shack, with a biting wind. 

The Rexrode home place is in Hightown, Virginia, a town with less than 200 residents. Only 3 miles north of Monterey, all uphill. There were a lot of people coming by but there was no maple syrup to be had. They're working on it. Here are the vats as the sap comes out of pipes and is boiled off. Each vat will produce 9 gallons of maple syrup. A lot of work in a short period, the vats sit above wood fueled fires that burn 24 hours a day.  

My daughters family met us there and we posed for various photographs next to one of the old maple trees. 

Since we called ahead and we're family, we did score. Hopefully they will be up and running with more soon. I wish them luck because this is the best maple syrup around. 

A New Altered Book

I have just about completed another altered book, in this case another sketch book holder. The standard sized sketch book that fits into this shell has a lovely line drawing of a tree so I decided to cut out a square in the half inch wood to show the tree. 

This is how it started with clay, a small frame around the cut and embellishments. It ended a bit differently, a little more simple.

I aged the various pieces and roughed up the surface to give it a nice old feel.

The patina on the bee was matched in the frame. I felt pretty good about getting those colors to agree. The interior needs a little finishing, but it's close.

 

 

The density of the half inch wood has a great feel when you hold it. Very substantial. 

 

The Granddaughter

I spent a weekend with Miss Felicity. She's growing so fast. Can you take enough photographs of them at this point???? So here are a few of a most adorable little girl who just melts your heart. 

As the Chill Leaves

It's hard to believe it's March 7th. Normally there would be helleborus blooming and budded daffodils. I do have a few bulbs in flower and a week from today I'm hoping will feel like a month has passed. Of course the snowdrops are lifting their cheery little heads, despite the repeated snows. 

The winter aconite is just as tough and has been blooming for weeks, every time the snow melted, their bright yellow flowers would smile in gratitude. 

About 30 years ago I had some lovely gardens in the yard where it's now lawn. The gardens have been gone for a very long time, perennials dug and moved, but the little tommasinianus crocus continue to emerge, despite mowing. At this point they have cross pollinated and I'm left with yellow, purple and bicolors of the two. They are extraordinary in that the squirrels have not killed them and they even survive the rabbits.

In the gardening world they are affectionately called little tommys and hearken back to a day before hybridization and those super, duper mammoth flowering crocus. 

The helleborus are poised to bloom and I'm sure the first will open next week. 

The most remarkable thing is how well my miniature gardens have done. The snow was good to them and I can't wait till it's gone.

Mr. Skeley is tired of being chilled to the bone.

 

Happy Mardi Gras

A little fun at the studio with my beads, masks and sistas! How's this for a nice break on a cold snowy day in March?

Let the good times roll!