You might say that a trail of ants led me to these Pacific Northwest native violets and butterfly. Last year I painted the native, Wild Ginger featuring some ants crawling on its roots, which seemed appropriate since Wild Ginger is propagated by ants. I wanted to not only describe the wild ginger’s ‘personality’, or form […]
Oregon Silverspot Butterfly
October 3, 2015 by · 4 Comments
Insects…the good, the bad and the ugly…they are all around us. Few of us stop to think that without them we would all perish because if we had no pollinators we would eventually have no food, not to mention all of the other myriad things that they contribute to the ecosystem. Now I must admit […]
The Weaving of Plants and People
May 29, 2015 by · 8 Comments
I am fascinated by connections…the many ways people connect with one another, the complex interdependency found in nature and the threads of history that makes themselves felt through time. I’ve been reading David Douglas: A Naturalist at Work by David Nisbet, which describes the travels, observations and collecting of that intrepid Scot, David Douglas. He […]
Coastal Adventure
May 4, 2015 by · 4 Comments
On a recent weekend, a member of Oregon Botanical Artists hosted several of us for a two-day “Coastal Botanical Adventure”. We visited four different ecosystems in two days, all within ten miles of our base. On the first morning we hiked through deep forest near Fort Clatsop in the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. […]
The Awkward Stage
April 24, 2015 by · 4 Comments
My paintings always seem to go through an awkward stage…sort of like adolescence. At this stage, things are not in balance yet, the painting’s full character has not yet been revealed. Will it fulfill the dreams I had for it or does the path I’ve set it on lead to disaster…? Only time will tell. […]
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).