Studiology

Pandemic Art Two

This is how some of us have felt during the pandemic, isolated, missing our friends, missing our friend's hugs. This piece is built from an antique clock case, there is an hour glass that doesn't move at the bottom, a clock that has only one hand stuck in one place, and a face stuck in a box. There are also two men stand at the top with a good bit of distance between them. I titled it "Isolation". 

 

At the gallery in Occoquan, we are trying to organize and open the store. There may even be a couple of open days this weekend, with restrictions of course. The pandemic pieces will be there as well as other recent work (other artists have been busy too). The chance to go into shops this weekend will be so extravagant, or so I feel, of course we will be keeping up with CCD guidelines and wiping surfaces, but you will be able to see the art! There is also the option of buying items on our website if everything seems too overwhelming. And let's not forget curbside pickup. 

 

The Themed Garden

My garden book library is very large, held on two oak bookshelves my husband built. Winnowed down many times, there are some I've given away and regretted. One that I no longer own was written by Barbara Damrosch titled the "Theme Garden" published in 1982. Barbara's ideas for themes were simple, the fragrance garden, children's garden, a butterfly garden and moon garden. This last theme was significant in my life as a gardener.

Over the years, the concept of themed gardens has come up from time to time, whether it's a look or a connection to a plant’s botanical or common name, I've mulled over it. Too many landscapes are dull and repetitious, what fun they could be when themed to a place or business. The obvious reason for the lack of these conceptual gardens probably boils down to maintenance and maybe a lack of creativity or knowledge. 

Some obvious examples would be specialized restaurants. An Italian restaurant might have eggplant, basil, tomatoes, rosemary and thyme. Any two or three of these could be arranged with plants of ornament. Silver leafed perennials such as lavender, artemisia, or dusty miller could signify the Mediterranean region, a nod to their geographical region. A Mexican restaurant could have spiky leafed plants like yucca or hardy cactus and succulents. Hot pepper plants, particularly the small fruiting, multi-colored types could be planted with cilantro and Mexican sunflowers for their summer and fall flowers. If an entire garden is impossible, a container will do.

The outside of a veterinary office might have catmint and horehound (supposedly a remedy for the bite of a mad dog). Put catnip in raised containers, to avoid the occasional dog urinating yet not decreasing the effect on furry felines. There's also cattails and cat thyme or teucrium. If appropriate, turtlehead or chelone and black snakeroot or Actaea racemosa, both are native to Virginia. A brochure to explain the plantings might be helpful if staff are too busy to explain their theme to visitors.

The dentist's office is not impervious, toothwort or Cardimine diphylla is a locally abundant wildflower with underground bulbs that look like a tooth. Botanically words like crenata or serrata mean rounded teeth or toothed. Attached as an epithet you find them in holly and hydrangea (serrata). One of my favorite plants is the toothache plant or Acmella oleracea. A native of the Caribbean, when leaves are chewed they numb the mouth, bitter at first taste finishing with a lemon like twist. In some regions it is also known as the sore throat plant.

The bank's landscape can be home to the native groundcover Chrysogonum virginianum, which goes by the common name of green and gold. Add aurinia or basket of gold and Achillea 'Coronation Gold' to brighten the landscape and draw attention to something we tend to ignore. There is also Ajania pacifica or silver and gold, a chrysanthemum relative that flowers in the middle of November. Lost on just about everyone that goes to the bank, but bringing a smile to the horticulturist. 

Lately I have imagined a moon garden at the drive-in theatre. Placed near the concession stand, a place for socially distanced tours during intermission. The fragrance would lure you in, a fun place for the family to learn about night flowers and pollination. Bring a flashlight.

Pandemic Art

Creativity can ooze out of an artist during tough times, which is not exactly what happened here, I was invited to join a group that would exchange pandemic art and I said yes. Keeping with wands, specifically wands that are meant to ward off the bad mojo, I made two. 

Both are partially held in with magnets, this second one has supports that it slides onto as well.

Once detached the beads and medals swing around and make pleasing anti-pandemic vibrations. A little chant might help - "Avoid this house, no one shall be sick with this pandemic".   

I am currently working on a much larger piece which is titled "Isolation" and will reveal that one soon.

Available here with free shipping. 

Take care!

 

May 17

When the numerous frosts of May were finally finished, the gardeners leapt into action, it was finally time to get serious. Some of us planted too soon, happily I was not one of them, I was warned at the end of April that May 10th would bring a low of thirty degrees. Whatever weather app. my source was using was darn good. So here we are on May 17th, the coast looks clear, my tomatoes are in, the tenders are going in and I'm planting until it's too dark to see, life is good!

This morning I took a look around, the wonderful Sunday morning walk about. With the super mild winter and my  "believe in averages"  bias, I suspected that we might have a long cool spring and planted lettuce seed on March 5. The results have been terrific, especially after a lot of homework on new varieties, as noted in a previous blog. Many of these are miniature head types that mature quickly. Here are Romaine 'Truchas' (the red one) with R. 'Dragoon'. 

Mr. guinea fowl has discovered my lettuce beds (which are all raised) and munches away, eating only green leafed varieties and ignoring any red or bronze leaf types, an interesting tidbit, in case you have chickens or guineas.

My gardens did not suffer any frost damage, although I waited until this week to plant tomatoes, peppers, and tender annuals. At Oak Hill we have some lilies that will not flower and damage to numerous shrubs with their soft new growth. Japanese maples and hollies were hard hit.

Peonies don't mind a bit of cold, and mine are glorious as usual. Here are some other photographs from my garden with notes.

Peony 'Scarlet O Hara' is a winner, super tough, has outlasted most of my others despite amsonia encroachment. 

Amsonia tabernaemontana with it's soft blue flower which are gorgeous with peonies.

In that mix I have a reseeding aquilegia that is perfect here. I think the seed came from my grandmother and in isolation it will remain true, growing just tall enough to make an impressive display above peony blooms. 

Beside lilies for later, I also have the hardy bulb Nectaroscordum siculum or Mediterranean bells. 

And my bearded iris are here, many have disappeared, viola pressure or root rot. The survivor is 'Immortality', a rebloomer in fall as well. I love tight macro shots of bearded iris beards.

A new purchase is for experimentation, Nepeta subsessillis 'Blue Prelude' (the subsessil means there is no petiole, the flower is directly connected to the stem) is supposed to get three feet high and wide. I'm keeping an eye on its spread, a good gardener is not afraid of getting rid of thugs.

The mild winter was kind to Salvia greggii 'Burgundy Seduction', this plant will often regrow from almost ground level and usually takes awhile to be beautiful again, but not this year. Hummingbirds love it.

In the wild garden I have Silphium terebinthinaceum or Prairie Rosinweed. This one will be big, flowers can be nine feet tall and the leaves are impressive, now and in fall when they are one of the last to succumb to freezing temperatures. In fall the leaves turn a dark chocolate brown.

In my shade garden there are some remnants from the plant farm, I often laugh when I see my little tiarella that has never spread. The inside joke when I had the nursery was finding the true Tiarella 'Wherryi' named after Doctor Wherry. Year after year I would proclaim that I had finally found the true tiarella named after the doctor and then the plant would spread and it would be time to search again. This goes back to the eighties (he passed in 1982). The common name is foam flower and most are spreading, groundcovering plants. I am so happy to have this little perennial that I truly believe is the real thing.

I am much more receptive to cut flowers in the house after the lecture I gave on unusual cut flowers several years ago. This weekend was a marathon house cleaning effort and my reward is always a bouquet or two from the garden. It really doesn't take much.

Take care of yourselves.

 

In the Studio

With closed doors at the art gallery in Occoquan, I have continued to work on assemblage pieces, both big and small. A few are for the October show which I am calling "The Dream Show". But in anticipation of opening doors to the public, I have concentrated on some smaller pieces, and creating them with a sense of humor. Several artists are creating "Pandemic Art"  and I have been as well but I'm not quite ready for the reveal. Soon, very soon.

There is also a new Facebook Group, titled "The Occoquan Marketplace" and only vendors from town can list their wares. Some wonderful things have been listed and sales are good, despite the closed shops. I will be putting these on that site and am sharing them here first. 

This first one is a circus scene, much like others I have done in the past. The clown and seal are positioned with magnets and can be switched around.

The title is "Chuckles and his Sidekick".

I  have another piece titled "A Bird in Hand", also a wall hanging, measuring 8 x 3.5". 

So much uncertainty about shops opening and our art gallery is a coop and I feel some artists may be unwilling to "man the store" even if we do open. These are trying times for artists but many are joining the ranks of online sales. There is work underfoot to polish our website and list many more items, another thing that takes a lot of time and effort. Bottom line, it's a good time to reach out to artists if you have had something on your wish list. Free shipping and discounts are abundant.

Both of these wall hanging pieces are $120. with free shipping, so reach out to me if you are interested.