Link to old WebShots Garden Photography

While visiting my old WebShots albums, I copied this link that goes to a slide show of some of the flowers that graced my old gardens in Boise. We gardened in a half acre lawn and loved every inch of it. I miss that. My bones don't, but my mind does (grinning).

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/slideshow/73208482aSWzWG

Tulips

It's been awhile since I've posted. Life seems kind of empty right now. I think losing two precious children within a two year span is taking its toll on my emotions. Things just don't seem right anymore. Thankgoodness I have my scriptures and prayers. I also have two very precious daughters ready to spend time with me, and a wonderfully understand granddaughter and great-granddaughter who talk to me often. I don't know what I'd do without them.

I've been sketching a lot. Right now I'm finishing up a gorgeous cactus dahlia. I'll post it when it is finished. Because of a friend in the botanical art group, I've found a renewed interest in my old tulip photography. I'm posting one of the lovely pictures today.

The temperature in Boise is sunny and almost cool. In the 60s. Perfect weather for gardening.

My recent rose photography

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/559092473ZWJWMK

Pointillism

I did my first attempt at pointillism yesterday. Judging from the results, I'm going to leave that technique to the masters, whose works I admire so much.

More Mushrooms

You can never draw just one mushroom. They are so cute and it is fun. I'm posting a couple more done in graphite. Also, my beautiful container roses are starting to bloom and the first one to open slowly and gorgeously is Abraham Darby.

Boise is sunny and 83 degrees today. Nice.

May Challenge - Mushroon

This month's art challenge is to do a sketch or painting of a mushroom. I'm adding my graphite sketch of a mushroom. This is a broad-gilled collybia. The cap is thin and blackish-brown. Strong strands of white mycelium at the base is often pulled up with the mushroom. Growth habit: 3 - 6 inches across and 3 - 5 inches tall.

Last evening, while watching tv in bed, I sketched the little pumpkin pile. Getting the reflected light to show was a challenge and I think I need to do more work on it.

Sad

Today I'm very sad. On April 18th our son, an architect in Salt Lake City, was found dead at the job site of one of his projects. When the coroner in Boise arrived at my door and told me the horrible news, I couldn't believe it. Virgil and I have been planning, with our beloved son, to retire in Utah and he would spend most of his weekends with us in our new home. I guess our Father in Heaven had other plans for our precious son. I'm back in Boise and packing boxes, getting ready to move to Utah, but it is a lonely task.

There is a sweet story in a poem that somebody wrote once.... about standing at the dockside of a big a beautiful ship.... when it left it moorings I watched it until it disappeared. Some one announced... "it's gone..." But I knew that it was only gone from my old eyes..... on the other side of the water there was someone waiting and scanning the horizon.... then they suddenly exclaimed.... "I see it.... it's coming.... Nick is coming!" with joy in their hearts.

The days are sad and quieter now.... no more noontime phone calls to each other..... no surprise weekend visits to Utah.... no humor in our conversations.... just quietness and sadness.

While in Utah preparing for his funeral I sketched and sketched and sketched.... it was the only thing that kept my hurting heart and old mind from ruin.... I'm sharing a couple that I did. One is in colored pencil and is a WIP. The other is in graphite. There is another that I did and softly placed it in Nick's coffin.... for him only. It was a graphite of a journey through a quiet gate into a gorgeous mountain scene with a river and lots of trees and a beckoning path. At the bottom were the words of a favorite hymn... "Be Still My Soul."

Grandma Barbara in Boise

Boise Sunset

Living on the second bench (plateau) in the metropolitan desert city of Boise has its perks. One of them is the grand view of the setting sun in the western part of the valley. One evening on a cloudy day, the sun was going down in the west and setting the under-bellies of the clouds on fire. From our backyard I snapped a few shots as the scene changed before my eyes. The rooftops of our neighbors gave the pictures more depth.

Boise, temps in the 30s this early morning at 6am..... supposed to rain later in the day.

Clouds with Silver Lining

While driving to the SLC airport on Easter Sunday, we noticed this HUGE cloud covering the airport. Snapping as fast as I could while we flew along the interstate and wove in and out of traffic, I captures a few shots of this magnificant sight.

Boise, Cloudy and windy, spring is here and the nights are in the 30s and the days in the high 50s

Powell Gardens Conservatory Exhibit

This link will take you to the Powell Gardens Conservatory Exhibit. This prestigious Conservatory is located in Kansas City, Missouri. Curator Cynthia Padilla has put together a stunning exhibit of art work done by various artists in a variety of mediums. Please note that I have the honor of being included. http://orchidsandhydrangeas.blogspot.com/
http://orchidsandhydrangeas.blogspot.com

Clowns - sock and harlequin

Well, we decided not to buy that little house in Utah that we had looked at. It needed a lot of work done on it, and we would be pumping a LOT of money into it after retirement; so we are still looking. Meanwhile, we will move out of this gorgeous rental and into our BIG motorhome for the next 5 months while we continue to look at real estate in Utah. And, I am sketching to my hearts content. I'm posting two little clowns that I sketched a couple days ago. One I did in the SLC airport while waiting for our flight home, and the other I did last week - and hope to exhibit it sometime.

The temperature this morning is in the 40s and there is a cool wind, cloudy and a chance of rain showers. Good weather for the lawn and flowers.

Hyacinths and Muscari

Just as the morning sun was gettting to the potted hyacinths and muscari, I grabbed my camera and got a few pictures. The early morning sun is the best lighting for photos. Evening sun is good, too, but the morning sun seems to have a magic element in it.

Pansy leaves

For Eibhlim...... I took macros of the pansies growing in containers on my front doorstep and noticed that some are different colors.... just slightly. All of the pansies I have are the macro-flora bloomers (they have BIG flowers). I also took a few pics of the little leaves on the container roses and am posting one.

71 degrees in sunny Boise.... Good day for being outside.

Snow On Fence Photography

Today I'm sketching a sock-doll clown in graphite on 13x16 drawing paper. It is going very well. I love sketching dolls and cloth dolls and animals. They give me a nice break from botanicals. This morning I took pictures of the muscari and hyacinths on my back patio, as the sun came up and the shadows on the flowers was lovely. I'll post some later. Today I'm posting a picture I took of the wooden fence in our backyard when it snowed last month. We don't get much snow here in this banana-belt valley, but when it does, I hurry to snap some pictures. The temperature is 71 and the sun is shinning brightly. The back patio is lovely to sit on.

April Botanical Art Challenge

This month, Jill has suggested we use something red and native as our art work for the monthly challenge. I sketch so my "red" isn't really red, but the subject matter is definitely red, in it's true nature form.

I sketched a clump of red delicious apples with leaves as it hangs on a branch. Then I sketched a red strawberry. Both of these grow naturally here in the Treasure Valley of Idaho. Boise sits in a high desert plateau surrounded by tall mountain ranges that protect it from extreme weather.

Grandma Barbara

Pansy, ruffled

Pansies are one of my favorite flowers. They are hardy in cold climates and never stop blooming, it seems. Photographing them is a pure joy because they come in so many different colors. I'm posting one of my most recent photos of pansies I had.

Crocus

Today I'm sketching more orchids. I bought a book with beautiful photographs of orchids and love to sketch from it. I'll post my sketching in a couple of days.

Meanwhile, I'll put up a sketch of crocus I did a few weeks ago. I don't have any in the yard, but I do love the perky flowers.... they are like magic to look at.

Orchids

Today I'm sketching a portrait of daffodils in graphite. I am using a mechanical #2 pencil. The lead is soft and very easy to work with. I will post a picture of it soon.

Today I'm posting a picture of an orchid portrait that I completed recently for C. Padilla's art exhibit at the Powell Gardens Conservatory in Kansas City, MO. I feel honored to be included in the exhibit.

Rose Photograph

March is a promising month. Even though the roses aren't looking very much like they are alive, I can see new growth, leaves, and greenish tinges on them. While waiting for them to finish their early spring growing, I work on last falls photos of the rose blooms.

Grandma Barbara in Boise
Temperature outside is 32 degrees and cloudy