vacation

i will be going on vacation to visit my family in chicago until labor day so i doubt if there will be any new postings until then. i am hoping to get a trip in to the botanic gardens and look forward to posting some pictures from it. see you soon!!

unusual blooms

native azalea tree

today's painting is of the blooms of a honeysuckle azalea, also known as native or wild azalea in the southeastern part of the country. i am not sure exactly what variety i had, unfortunately it did not take so i am lucky i took some pictures while i had the chance. they are normally found in partially shaded areas near streams or rivers. they bloom in the spring before the leaves have formed. it is one of my favorite trees along with japanese maples(my very favorite), japanese magnolia, white dogwood, swamp cypress and bottlebrush trees--there are lots more i am forgetting. here are some of the pictures that inspired my painting.

i spy an iris

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water pods

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garden finds

a fossilized shell my brother-in-law found near lake travis in austin.

large dead grasshopper

viney plant with succulent like leaves that my grandmother called rosary plant

butterfly vine pod(stigmaphyllon ciliatum) whose green pods(turning brown as they age) follow bright yellow clusters of flowers

echinacea still going...

some tiny acorns that fell off our water oak tree.

a bluejay feather i found in the grass on top of an old piece of bark that had fallen of a stump

my goal for today was to photograph SOMETHING in, from, or around the garden. here's what interested me.

art happenings

it has been a busy week and i have found that completing a painting every single day is harder than i thought. however, alot of other activity has been going on in my art world so i am looking forward to a good bit of painting. i went to one of my favorite shops today, the red onion, in baton rouge. it is about an hour away from my house and is a treasure trove of plants(a long-time nursery is home to the building the shop is in), household goodies, terra cotta pots, papers and ribbons, pods and branches and tons of other wonderful stuff. i came home with a handmade pottery soap dish, super stylish stationery for my sister, a couple onion-sized dried pods and a sheet of beautiful paper. the shop also sells art, including mine, and things have really picked up so i need to get to work to re-stock the walls. i planned on taking pictures of the shop and greenhouses to post but got so caught up in the moment i never even got my camera out of the car! will make a return trip soon and get some photos--it's definitely worth a visit if you are in the region.
the red onion
15680 perkins road
baton rouge, louisiana
70810
and a second location is coming soon!

blooming water

danglers

hard shelled gourds

here are my gourds, two different varieties, from bloom to maturity. one of the vines seems to be dying already and the gourds are turning brown. hopefully they are just starting to dry out, this is the first time i have grown them and i know you are supposed to leave them on the vine until it is totally dead. i don't really know what i will do with them but they are fun to watch and the plant itself is beautiful with all it's curly q tendrils and big green leaves.

pulpit pocket

this painting, along with all other paintings on this blog, except ones that have already been sold, is available for $45 + $6 shipping. it is 8"x8" on 140# watercolor paper. it is unframed and unmatted. to purchase please contact me through my website or leave a comment. paypal, personal checks and money orders accepted.

more critters

there is a big picture window off our great room that i call my bird-watching window. i keep my louisiana bird book there, a couple other field guides and my binoculars. in summer the regulars are cardinals, tufted titmice, carolina chickadees, carolina wrens, eastern bluebirds, red-breasted woodpeckers and the beautiful blue jays. they get a bad rap but ours are pretty well behaved but will be sent packing by the woodpeckers. here they are enjoying a drink out of the bird bath. a platform feeder(an old stump) serves the larger birds and a hanging feeder attracts the smaller species. i can't wait for fall and winter when all kinds of birds migrate through.

i also saw this tiny, crab-like spider on the leaf of my angel wing begonia. it's white body really stood out against the darker green of the leaf.

i was outside trying to get a nice picture of my rabbit foot fern when i discovered this amazing moth! i can't seem to find a picture that matches it, i'm sure it is something common but i am not the moth connoisure. if anyone can identify it i would love to know what it is.

spotted slipper

well, i had a color bug i needed to get out of my system. now i think i will go back to some softer washes in the background and a more complex composition. i can't believe it has taken me this long to post another painting, that day of extreme heat at the art market really took it out of me. hopefully now i will be back on track with a new one a day.

Creepy Crawlies

i spotted my first banana spider of the season today and boy it's a big one. it's web starts about ten feet up in a tree out by the road and goes all the way to the ground. i got my husband out there to try to get a good picture of it because i just can't get close enough to those things to focus my camera right. he really couldn't either so here is a good shot i managed to get last year of one a little smaller. they are beautiful and horrible at the same time, i definitely have a serious fear of spiders.

snakes are not so bad but i did worry a little when i found this guy outside my back window one afternoon. it ended up being a non-poisonous specimen that mimicks poisonous snakes by puffing up it's head into that telltale triangle shape. i haven't seen him again which is fine with me.

cucumbers

i went out in the garden today and found a new watermelon, cucumber and some bell peppers that were ready to be picked. last night we fried some of our okra for dinner--my favorite way to eat it. here is a "bush slicer" typical looking cucumber and some heirloom lemon cucumbers that are the similar in size, shape and coloring to a lemon. i finally got a picture of my native red morning glory with a little more green than siding in the background. i wish i had a window looking out on it since it is a hummingbird favorite.

in the lillies

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original watercolor painting. 8"x8" unframed and unmatted for $45+$6 shipping. shipped within 24 hours. to purchase contact me through my website www.greenfishwatercolors.com

saturday art market

Saturday was the Covington art market, an outdoor market that happens every other month featuring local painters, potters, photographers, jewelry makers, metal workers etc... well, let's just say that this one was more a test of will and endurance to see if we could all withstand the 100+ degree weather and not very many shoppers. wow, it was hot. only the die-hard regular artists were out there. i am looking forward to the next one, in october and to the New Orleans mid-city art market which is the last saturday of each month. i have not participated in that one yet but i plan to in september. i am not brave enough to try another all day outdoor market in august. in an attempt to think "cool" i have painted another water lily piece and will post a couple more watery pictures i took at the new orleans ciy park botanical gardens.

Sun Lily

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this 8"x8" painting can be purchased for $45+$6 shipping. it is an original watercolor, unframed and unmatted. please contact me through my website http://www.greenfishwatercolors.com/

more praying mantis

i couldn't resist posting another picture of my praying mantis. i finally did my homework and found out that color variation depends greatly on the dominant color found in their habitat and that they do not change color according to their surroundings. i hate to think this means my garden is mostly brown?? just kidding. it has been fun watching them although i haven't seen one catch anything yet and i'm not sure i want to see it chomping down another insect. ugh.

My best buds

Since things in the garden are very sad looking right now, with the exception of my newly blooming red morning glory, it is time to introduce my pals who keep me entertained during the day.
sam is 16 years old, loves to play with string, is snuggly when hungry and loves my husband.

fern and hazel, my two new babies, love to play and sleep together and are trying to befriend sam, who is finally relenting--a little. fern is my shadow and loves to be cuddled and purrs when i look in her direction. hazel, my sleek black beauty, is a little more independent but loves her special petting time and sleeps on the very top tier of her six foot tall cat tower. she never tires of chasing her long tail--and i never tire of laughing at her doing it. i don't know what i would do without them.

Slipper Orchid

buy this original watercolor painting for $45+$6 shipping. it measures 8"x8" and is unframed and unmatted. paypal and personal checks are accepted. contact me through my website at www.greenfishwatercolors.com

Reaching Agapanthus

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Big Scary Stinkbugs

i would love to know if anyone else out there has these bugs all over their tomato plants. i can't stand them, they totally creep me out, even though i am pretty sure they are harmless. if anyone has anything nice to say about them please share--maybe it would make me feel more at ease. on a better note, my native morning glory that i grew from seed finally bloomed yesterday!! it was very exciting and felt like a long time coming. i also have bleedingheart and dutchman's pipe vines growing on the same trellis, with some luck i will have all three blooming at the same time. i love the dutchman's pipe, for anyone who has never seen one it is one of the most unusual and beautiful plants i have ever seen. unfortunately, my pictures of it were lost when we evacuated for katrina so we will have to wait until this one flowers. i can promise that the day i spot a bloom out there i will be posting a photo.

Tiger Lily

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Embracing August

well, i am trying to make the best of my least favorite month and my "rainbow sherbet icebox watermelons" are definitely helping. i was worried they would never produce fruit, the vines were weak and scraggly looking for the longest time but now they are flourishing and putting out new flowers and fruits every day it seems. i can't wait to cut them open and see if the flesh will be orange, yellow or pink.

i think this one may be ready by this weekend, they only weigh in at 4-7 lbs. here is a tiny new melon still wearing it's dress. so cute.

Ode to Okra

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This painting was inspired by the okra growing in my garden. I believe the variety is an ornamental called"red velvet". This piece is also available for purchase--perhaps to an okra lover who needs a little brightening touch in their kitchen? it is 8"x8" on 140# watercolor paper and is $45+$6 s/h.

Okra: a great southern food

red okra flowers are the most beautiful buttery yellow color with a deep burgundy center