This is a graphite drawing I did of a Douglas Fir cone, Pseudotsuga menzeisii, for the course I am taking from the Society of Botanical Artists. I chose this particular tree because it is native to the Pacific Northwest where I live, and besides who can resist the beautiful fringes that dangle from the cone? […]
Dorothy’s House
September 20, 2010 by · 18 Comments
I live in a neighborhood of gardeners, not everyone, mind you, but enough of us putter and plant in our gardens that anyone strolling through the area has an interesting array of styles and plant preferences to enjoy. Perhaps the popularity of gardening in the neighborhood is due to a combination of our excellent sandy […]
Portrait of My Mom
May 5, 2010 by · 11 Comments
Drawing MethodsI was inspired way back in January by a post in Jennifer Lawson’s blog to try doing a sketch of my Mom using the upside-down method. The photo of her that I used was taken at college around 1945. In the upside down method, both the reference photo and the sketch itself is upside […]
Verbascum in a field
February 26, 2010 by · 6 Comments
I spent the afternoon sketching in a friends garden awhile back. In an area away from the main garden she lets the Verbascum reseed themselves, and I thought they were so pretty with the enormous Douglas Firs as a backdrop.
Magnolia Blossom
January 21, 2010 by · 11 Comments
I cropped a photo that John took of a Magnolia blossom awhile ago. Isn’t the developing seed amazing? This is a values study in graphite, and I hope to do the drawing again in other mediums. I find backgrounds very difficult and am not too sure whether I like this one or not.
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).