A Day to March

This Saturday, October 27, people in 11 cities around the country will be marching to protest our warring in Iraq. I will try to be there, although it will be difficult for me. It has been just 10 days since my father died. A rough time. Very draining, emotional, exhausting. Sad. But participating in a protest might make me feel more positive about the world, more a part of trying to change the mess we seem to be in.

Black-Eyed Susan Vine

Here is one flower three ways: winding around our mail box, in a close-up, and in watercolor.

Nicaragua

We went to Nicaragua on June 30th and built two houses in a week, working with Bridges to Community and the local people. These are just a few of the many pictures I took, and they can not begin to explain the experience we had. The children fell in love with us, and we with them. Very hard work under extremely challenging conditions--bathing out of a bucket, sleeping in a church under mosquito netting, in a place of great beauty and great poverty.

Cute Kitty Pix

Here are Beebalm, Connie with Beebalm and a huge over-grown home-grown zuke, and Snap under the cover that is supposed to be protecting the chair.

Opening in Beacon

On September 8th, we went to Beacon to attend an opening at John Prendergast's new gallery. John has been cutting our hair for about a quarter century. He is an artist in his cutting and also in more traditional media. He has become an art dealer in recent years and here I am next to a work he represents. John can be seen in the background. Now I have the fantasy of moving to Beacon--which has become a real artists' town, with Dia Beacon on the river and lots of new galleries opening. I would have a studio with big glass windows overlooking the Hudson, and sell my work to crowds of increasingly enthusiastic art lovers.

New Classwork

Here is my latest work from my class. The focus this week was on veggies with a shine. These peppers certainly fit the bill. Now I am working on a squash--something textured. Next week is leafy, and the week after something knobby, like garlic. I am learning so much from Kathie Miranda, who is an excellent and generous teacher. She is doing demos in all mediums including graphite, colored pencil and watercolor. Her own work is exquisite and I feel very fortunate to be taking this class now.

My latest watercolor: "Tomato Season"

This is not--strictly speaking--a botanical work, since I have included the container that the yellow tomatoes are in. I think that my art is constantly evolving, and I am not bound by any definitions.

Last Week's County Fair

These photos are from the Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck, NY. Huge affair, with wonderful garden displays as well as the expected livestock. These pigs and rabbits seem to understand the design principle of "threes."

Three Pears: Watercolor

Summer's End

August 30th. The summer flowers are just about over. You can see the center flowers of beebalm without the outer red ray flowers. This part of beebalm provides winter interest in the garden.
As a botanical artist, the brightly colored arrays of newly harvested vegetables and fruits at the farmer's market are tantalizing. A fresh chance to capture garlic on the stalk, striped eggplants, 17" zucchini and yellow heirloom tomatoes. I found an odd eggplant that I bought to draw, but now feel it might be better just photographed--who would believe it? Starting the week after Labor Day I will be taking a course at the New York Botanical Gardens called "Drawing Summer's Bounty: Selections from the Farmer's Market." Every year I try to draw and paint the amazing gourds and squash of the fall, and every year I am unhappy with my work. Perhaps this year I will get some guidance from Kathie Miranda, the class instructor.
The fall/winter catalog from the NYBG just arrived two days ago, so there is still time to sign up for classes. I did it a couple of weeks ago when the info first appeared online. I am so anxious about being able to get into the classes I want--especially the pen and ink class this fall and the colored pencil class that begins in January. I need to learn how to use these very different mediums in my work.