Pacific Northwest Natives Gallery
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Native Violets and Oregon Silverspot Butterfly
Viola, adunca, Viola glabella and Speyeria zerene hippolyta
Watercolor on Kelmscott vellum
10" x 12.5"
The diminishing habitat of the blue Early Violet has threatened the survival of the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly. This federally declared threatened butterfly lays its eggs near clumps of these violets each spring because Early Violet leaves are its caterpillars only food. The yellow Stream Violet also grows in coastal meadows so may be pollinated by the Silverspot butterfly.
Available: Currently on tour
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Bristlystem Checkermallow
Sidalcea hirtipes
watercolor
6.5" x 8.5"
This threatened species grows on the rugged cliffs of Cascade Head, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Available -
Winter Gale: Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
watercolor on Kelmscott vellum
10.5" x 14"
A winter storm raises the dried leaf to dance in the wind once more.
Available-currently on tour -
Columbia Gorge Lupine and Carey's Balsamroot
Lupinus latifolius
Balsamorhiza careyana
watercolor
12.5" x 16"
Lupine and balsamroot blossoms brighten the meadows of the Columbia Gorge in spring.
Commission -
Douglas Fir Cone and Seeds on Vellum
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Watercolor on vellum
5" x 8"
Douglas fir trees are the only conifers with long fringe-like bracts that dangle down from the scales. According to an old legend, a Douglas fir tree offered shelter to a mouse during a forest fire, then the mouse invited his friends to scurry along high up the tree to hide in the cones hanging there..and you can still see them there today! The seeds flutter down like little birds so perhaps there’s a whole menagerie hiding in each cone!
SOLD; limited edition giclee prints available -
Three Primaries, Yellow, Red & Blue: Mahonia aquifolium
Oregon grape
watercolor on natural vellum
4" x 6.5"
The three basic colors displayed in the three basic parts of the plant, blossom, leafet and berries. -
Three Generations: Nootka Rose
Rosa nootkana
watercolor on Kelmscott vellum
5" x 5"
Bud, Blossom and dried hip--the beauty of three generations -
Wild Ginger and Ants
Asarum caudatum x1.5
Watercolor on vellum
8" x 10.5"
Wild Ginger's flamboyant flowers hide down under the leaves waiting to surprise and delight those willing to search them out. While researching this PNW forest groundcover, I discovered that it is propagated by ants, so in order to indicate the rich web of life in the forest, I included two ants climbing the roots of the plant.
Original available; also limited edition giclee prints -
Common Camas
Camassia quamash
Watercolor
16” x 12”
This flowering bulb in the lily family was a staple food of Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. Both Meriwether Lewis and David Douglas noted the lush meadows of blooming Camas in their journals, and well as the sweet taste of the cooked bulbs.
NFS; Limited edition giclee prints available
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Garry Oak
Quercus garryana
Watercolor on vellum
9.5" x 7.5"
Garry Oaks grow in dry meadows, often with Fritillaria and Camassia growing in the bright dappled shade of its canopy. Its acorns were a staple food of native Americans in the Pacific Northwest.
SOLD; Limited edition giclee prints available -
Fritillaria affinis
Fritillaria affinis
Watercolor & Graphite
Mission Bells grow in the meadows of the Pacific Northwest. I think the way the leaves whorl around the stem make the plant look like it is dancing. The bulb was a food of Native Americans.
NFS
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Licorice Fern and Redwood Sorrel
Polypodium glycyrrhiza and Oxalis oregana
Watercolor
13” x 8.5”
Licorice Ferns often can be seen growing on tree trunks and rocks in the moist forests of the Pacific Northwest. The rhizome has a sweet licorice flavor and was used as a cold and sore throat remedy by native peoples. Redwood Sorrel is a ground cover in the same region. Sorrel leaves, as well as Licorice fern rhizomes, were a food of Native Americans.
SOLD; limited edition giclee prints available -
Douglas fir cone
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Graphite
7.5” x 8”
Douglas fir trees form the backdrop of life in the Pacific Northwest, whether you are in the mountains, valleys or at the coast. I’ve lived near them for so long that they almost seem like friends. Their cones are the only ones in the world that have these delightful fringes.
NFS