I have been busy bee since I last posted. So much so that I'm a year older now. Those birthdays sneak up on me when I'm not paying attention. We have also been working on getting the courtyard and back patio in better shape. One of our purchases was a white rose topiary that thanks us daily with new blooms. I decided to paint this little bottle of roses sitting on my sill. I popped the wet canvas in this frame to take a picture. It helps me to see it as you would, and now I see what I need to change. The flowers I painted had tiny stems, barely visible. But now they will have proper stems. Do wish I had noticed that before now. Live and learn. You seem to always see my "not quite" finished pieces.
A couple weekends ago we drove to Santa Ysabel to attend an art gallery reception. It was such a beautiful drive that we took some photos with our phones. I think it's amazing how a tiny camera in a phone can capture some pretty decent images. You be the judge:
The yard is taking shape. Finally I have my very own Ranunculus flowers. Oh, and for the first time I have Delphiniums!!! My window sill is lined up with vases filled with glorious color and inspiration.
Say hello to my friend Gwendolyn. She's one of my Nashville buddies (sang in our wedding a hundred years ago). Lately, she's has been hanging out on my easel for longer than anyone should hang. But more oral surgery put me out of commission for a few days, then a boatload of yard work and changing my mind about the background has delayed progress. Alas, I am back on track and wanted to show you the various phases I've put Gwen through to get her this far. I still have a couple tweaks and then she's good to go. Here's the progress so far:
The underlayment actually made me happy and in many cases would be considered done. But it's difficult for any painting to get out from under my brush that easy.
The original photo (above left) was taken on the beach and against my better judgement I tried to add the beach background and hated how distracting it was. Let it sit thinking it might grow on me, but it didn't and I quit trying. In the end my Mr. MacGyver was able to cut the rectangle canvas to a square and now I'm off to add the finishing touches and signature. Thank you Gwen for such a joyful smile and golden glow.
Hey, wanted you to know I have a new quilt tutorial, REGENCY SQUARED, coming out in the upcoming issue of Modern Patchwork, due out April 23. You can preorder Modern Patchwork HERE.
In other news, we are literally seeing the fruits of our labors. Realizing the neglected thorny trees left in small containers were citrus we worked to identify and nurse them to health. Transplanting, feeding, visits to the garden nursery with lists of questions and we are now the proud parents, uh, owners of a meyer lemon, blood orange, valencia orange and one more that is finally going to reveal it's identity this year. I keep hoping it's a lime tree, but most likely another orange. I made a marinade with lemon and dijon for grilled salmon that was to die for. Oh dear, I might be turning into a citrus foodie. Any recipe suggestions?
