New paintings and regular art updates.
Spot the caterpillar
hanging on the tree
Munching through the greenery
Salad veg for free.
When it’s had its fill of leaves
It will moult and grow
Turning to a chrysalis
As days come and go.
Soon it will be changing
Into something new,
A very tiny changling
Butterfly, bright blue!
One of our cat visitors, up the cherry tree. The pigeon flew away.
Cat up a tree
What can you see?
That makes you climb
This tree of mine!
My partners been out putting seeds in the garden, pottering with plant pots and sitting in a chair in the sun.
Two magpies are trying to pull twigs off a buddlea Bush, they are building a raggadey nest in the top of one of the trees. They managed to break off 3 or 4 twigs while we watched.
It was so nice I decided to take a few photos. The first is the chair my partner was sitting in. He didn’t want his photo taken second is the cherry tree. With blossom buds about to burst. The third is another tree at the side of the garden, with a great big waving piece of white plastic in the top of it! I don’t know how it got there but I think it must have blown up in a storm. It doesn’t look like a plastic bag, maybe some plastic wrapping? Things are getting green. We need to wash plastic flower pots to reuse them, but I caught my partner burning perfectly good ones! Grr….
These are from our garden. The reason why they are not still in the garden? We had to have a tree cut down and they were likely to be squashed underneath its limbs. And so they are now in a vase in the kitchen.
In fact we have had a lot of work done over the last couple of months so plants have been squished a bit. We also need rain to bring the perennials that are still dormant underground into leaf and flower. Hopefully we will have some more significant rain in the next couple of weeks.
I particularly love the tulip flowers. I go for dark rich colours….. If we ever get the garden done I will post some photos.
There is this Holly tree I keep seeing. It’s variegated with dark leaves and pale edges, but then on top of it is a pale leaved sport. I think it might be genetic. A mutation which has lost some of its chlorophyll.
Holly’s come in male and female types. There are many varieties and some have berries in the autumn and winter but some don’t.
I like their glossy, shiny leaves. Spikes can occur just round the edges but also across the surface of the leaves. They are an evergreen species so don’t lose their leaves. This can be a problem in a small garden as they can shade out other plants.
I have a variegated one which has had its lower branches chopped off to let light in. Unfortunately it is top heavy and the crown of it is bending over towards the ground. We gave also cut the lower branches of a dark green Holly Bush/tree but that is bushing out at the top and shading more garden. My idea was to trim them to look more like tall cylinders but they got out of hand and they are too prickly to easily cut back!
What should I do with thus painting called Druid. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I feel like it needs more shaping and shading. Maybe more detail on the leaves. I’ve stared at it for days now, but I’ve been busy and then ill so I haven’t worked on it.
I think I may change the colours a bit too. Maybe stronger greens or purples. I had tried a pale, frosty look, but it’s not right. Watch this space, I hope I can get it how I want it.
We have a small Magnolia Stellata tree that has come into blossom this week .
There are many species of Magnolia from tiny blossoms to as big as a human head. They range from pure white to dark pink. They are beautiful and spellbinding. Our tree is only just coming into flower but others are full of blossoms. Masses of pink and white petals adorn the local trees.
Magnolia can be affected by frost and seem to like sunlight. We were lucky to get ours to grow. All I would say is follow the instructions carefully if you intend to plant your own.
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