I don’t know what it is about graph paper, but I’ve always loved it. In school, I used it for note-taking. It’s also great when you hit a wall trying to solve the Times acrostic puzzle and need to start from scratch. So why not use a graph paper design to lay out some pretty foliage? I started with some individual fronds from my giant ferns and added some more delicate specimens to balance out the composition. They include Sweet Woodruff, new growth Andromeda and a single sprig of Candytuft.
For my pressed botanical art, I usually disassemble sprigs of Sweet Woodruff so I can make perfect little wagon-wheel whorls and folded leaves that work well as sepals for my fantasy flowers or shrubbery in my stylized landscapes. This time, I went the traditional route for pressing botanicals, and kept the whole sprigs intact. The central sprig — largest of the three — had a small white flower at the tip which I replaced with a folded rose petal.
Waiting eagerly for more roses to bloom. Meanwhile this little piece is the latest addition to my Etsy inventory. Hoping for drier weather than is now predicted so I can set up shop in Lippett Park in Providence on Saturday as part of the Providence Artisan’s Market.
When I wasn’t tending my display this weekend at beautiful Lippett Park in Providence, I turned my attention to some sweet little landscapes. I wanted to depict three different times of day and was tempted to use identical plants and placements, but my ADD wouldn’t hear of it, so the foliage differs from image-to-image. Some ferns, Andromeda, Sweet Woodruff, Columbine and even Raspberry.
I think it’s time to go abstract tomorrow.
I put them up on Etsy and Pinterest. Why not?
Even though it is outside of the oval that forms the focal point of this composition, I think the Foam Flower leaf steals the show. It is placed against text which reads ” Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it – Confucius”
See it in my Etsy shop or visit me at the Providence Artisan’s Market at Lippett Park on Saturday.
This week I’m getting ready to show lots of my botanicals at the Providence Artisan’s Market which forms part of the larger Providence Farmer’s Market at Lippitt Park. If you haven’t been and live within driving distance, give it a try. It’s one of the best anywhere short of Union Square in Manhattan. I’ll have about 40 pieces on display including this simple arrangement of Fern, Fringed Bleeding Heart, Yellow Archangel, Maple, and a trio of Sweet Woodruff ‘stars’. I used just a blush of color in the background and divided the image with a crossed ribbon graphic.
While I pass the week making more botanicals and waiting for the weather to heat up I’ll tuck this into my Etsy shop.
The background graphic above which these three bubbles of maple leaves float is a quote by Albert Schweitzer: “Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.”
See my other botanicals in my Etsy shop.
This is one of those days when I wish I had a graphics coach by my side. I’m sure there must be a shorter way to line up shapes perfectly than the one I use. Anyway, once it was done I got right to work on a companion piece which will have the same grey background and different colors in the ovals and outlines.
Meanwhile, my Andromeda is in its next phase — putting out new leaves which will eventually turn green but, right now, are a clear orangey gold. I can’t wait to see how they press! My Sweet Woodruff will be fresh and vibrant all season so I can harvest and process it at my leisure.
I have an unlimited supply of these perfect little whorls of Sweet Woodruff, but perfection can be boring. Everyone sees something else in abstract art and probably in plants as well. In this case, I see Laugh-In and Volkswagon Busses. I love the rich color of the Sweet Potato Vine. Since my garden is shady, I usually choose the vivid green variety better to emerge from the shadows, but now that I know how nicely the deep purple dries, I’ll have to bend the rules a bit more this season.
For my latest pressed botanical, I used some asymmetrical whorls of leaves from my Sweet Woodruff and added miniature ivy. I like the juxtaposition of soft and severe shapes. For the background, I chose some soft blues and mild rather than dramatic contrast in the alternating colors. This is a continuation of a series I did with oranges, golds, and reds and featuring the variegated leaves from my Euonymus shrubs. See the others in my Etsy shop.
I played a bit with a design I made several weeks ago when the first pressed flower heads of my Andromeda were ready. I tweaked the color scheme, narrowed the divider ribbons, added a neat embellishment at the center and gave the little andromeda trees some clusters of pressed Sweet Woodruff for a more vernal look. Maybe I’ll consider a series that represents all four seasons. Off to the Art of Craft in Cambridge tomorrow. Visit me at the Fayerweather School between 10:00 and 6:00. In the meantime, most of the work can be seen in my Etsy shop.
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My Stonington Garden 
