Goodbye summer

Weird and Wonderful

Some people call them Arbutus. Here in Seattle we call them Madronas. Whatever you call them they are extraordinary trees.


They are the only broad leafed evergreen trees native to this area.


I took these pictures in a park in Magnolia to help with a new painting. (By the way. The story goes that the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle was named after these wonderful trees but the namer got the name wrong. There is another neighborhood called Madrona, where, as far as I know, there aren't many of these trees.)

Artists and Friends

Saturday was such a pretty day. The late summer sun was a little bit low on the horizon making dappled shadows everywhere. We were eleven artists showing our work in my studio and garden and in my neighbor Jennifer's studio and garden. Many wonderful friends dropped by to enjoy blackberry, rosemary lemonade, home made cookies and art. Thanks to everyone who brought food and wine. Thanks to my amazing artist friends for sharing their time and work. It was such a lovely day.


Susan displayed her paintings on the patio.


The nicest and most talented artists in the world!

My friend Bobby took some great pictures and posted them on her blog. Make sure you scroll around and see her other great work here.

Jennifer has also posted her impressions of the day here.

Today!

Open Studio on Saturday

I am opening my studio doors on Saturday and sharing the space with ten friends and their art. My neighbor, Jennifer, is also opening her studio. We are having an art festival in the back alley! Drop by 1618 - 10 Avenue West in Seattle between 2 and 6 pm. See you there!

August Breaks My Heart

My cat, Huckleberry, sleeps beside me in my studio as ripe blackberries scent the warm sunshine and hummingbirds squeak outside my open door. There is so much bounty and beauty in August - warmth, food, color, parties, children home from school. But August also signals the end of all these things. Soon it will be fall and I will hunker down once more indoors in the quiet of my home. Maybe it is my Scottish roots that detect grief in the happiest of seasons. Maybe growing up in Maritime Canada taught me that winter is never far away.

This painting embraces August's ambivalence and shows a wistfulness for a simpler season - maybe for spring when joy is unbounded and mortality doesn't enter our thoughts.





This painting measures 8"x10" and is oil on panel.

Dyeing to Knit

To start the knitting season some friends and I got together to dye wool.


Mahonia (Oregon grape) bark.


The bark boils on the stove. We also tried onion skin, blueberries, carrot leaves, blackberries, red cabbage and beets.


Mahonia dyed wool dries in the late summer sun.




Barbie with her wonderful colors.


Sandra's bright yellow comes from carrot leaves.

Colour from the Garden

My garden is full of colour and to capture this I usually like to make paintings of the plants and flowers. But another way to preserve the colours of summer is to use plants as dyes for wool. Here are some I have been playing with. Mostly blackberry and Oregon Grape bark.


A pot full of red zinnia petals produced a disappointing pale yellow dye but it looked pretty while I cooked it.

Tangled

Summertime can be a tangle of activities in the midst of which a nap is often welcome. These bunnies are happy in each other's company in their flowery bower - safe from the tangle of the world.



The painting is oil on panel and measures 11"x14".

Playing With Bunnies

I have been playing with hand painted fabric designs though the summer and am enjoying the look of these fuzzy bunnies. I paint on wet fabric and allow the paint to spread and soften so that there is a nice furry look. I have made some cushions and think that it would be fun to try clothing too. So many ideas. So little time. I may sell some of these cushions at my upcoming open studio, on 29 Aug. I'd better get to work.

Blackberries

Many people around here curse the invasive Himalayan Blackberry bushes that take over gardens like thorny bullies. The upside though is having lots of delicious food growing for free in my back alley. Thanks to my mum who was visiting recently for encouraging the kids to pick and to Jenny who made warm berry compote for our morning pancakes. I am even planning to use some of the berries to dye wool for winter knitting projects.

Summer is pretty nice, isn't it.

Shadows and Sun

The weather has been so hot that we have all been spending time in the shade. The pumpkin vines are enjoying the heat and their leaves are providing shade for more tender plants.




I love fountain grass, pennisetum, even though it isn't hardy and I have to buy it each year.


The sun shining through the pony tail grass takes my breath away. With a little wind it sways in the most beautiful way. When I walk past I can trail my fingers through it and it feels soft, like a large dog's fur. Much softer than a pony's tail.

I found a little beetle...

It will be one hundred degrees here today (38 C). so Huckleberry and I made the most of the cooler morning by walking in the alley and watering the garden.





Because I have been walking around in bare feet I have noticed all kinds of little things on the ground. I found this dead beetle who looks just like an "Alexander Beetle" from E H Shepard's drawings of A A Milne's poems.

I found a little beetle, so that beetle was his name,
And I called him Alexander and he answered just the same.
I put him in a matchbox, and I kept him all the day...
And Nanny let my beetle out...
And beetle ran away...

We went to all the places which a beetle might be near,
And we made the sort of noises which a beetle likes to hear,
And I saw a kind of something, and I gave a sort of shout:
"A beetle-house and Alexander Beetle coming out!"



I can't find a copy of the book here in the house so I made my own painting of Alexander Beetle.

Friends

Sometimes the world can be a little bleak but friends can make it all beautiful. The plant is a lupin with such nice furry seed pods.

The painting is oil on panel and measures 11"x14".

Circles and Sunshine

Bloggers in Paradise

Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United to Talk (SAGBUTT) enjoyed a perfect summer afternoon at the Snoqualmie Valley garden of Daniel Mount and his partner Michael. Here we sit under the cherry tree.


David Perry who blogs at David Perry Photography and Michael.


Molly from Life on Tiger Mountain and Karen from Greenwalks


Paula from Petunia's Garden and our generous host Daniel of Daniel Mount Gardens


In the foreground - Liisa of Intercontinental Gardener


I don't remember the names of the friendly dogs who walked with us around the spacious woodland paths and marshland. Later we heard some stories about their many encounters with bears - so far with no injuries on either side.




We all brought treats from our gardens. Isobel helped me to ice the cupcakes that we decorated with our own blueberries. (Yes they are officially now called 'eyeball cakes') Looks like they got a little beat up in the car. Other delicious food included black currant and apricot tart and a black currant crumble, exotic salads, fava bean humus with home made pita, tabouleh, and home made rhubarb juice. Wow.


I don't know what David was photographing but I'm sure he made it look beautiful. I hope he posts it.


Thank you Daniel and Michael. It was a slice of heaven.