Making Space

A couple of weeks ago I walked into the studio and realized there was no room to work, no space, so I started to rip up most of the last couple of months of work; and in that tearing and ripping saw beautiful edges to the paper so started to lay down strips of paper, and then finally realized that I was recreating a way of working from the 1990's so I put all that in the recycling bin. My mantra being “Don’t repeat yourself”. And as I filled bag after bag of paper I looked around and realized more had to go, the walls full of ideas not yet realized, into the trash. I need space to work. The lovely thing about this tearing away is how what I had been working on was clearer now, not bright, but not just sensed. 

Ripping and tearing...hard to put those beautiful edges in the trash. 2015

Torn paper, 2015

No space to work, studio, June 2015

White Poppies

Its exciting wandering about the garden early each morning and seeing the changes from the day before: this mornings treat was finding the so called "white" poppies had started to bloom; I love their fragile leaves, which the rain expected in a few hours, will turn transparent; but right now, with dew drops clinging to them are gorgeous.

1st white poppy, 2015

dew drops on the white poppy, 2015

A Bouquet of Peonies For You

It's one of those dreamed of, especially in winter, perfect day; morning dew, clear light, peonies opening and drifting scent about, roses, lilac, iris in bloom; a day to give thanks.

A bouquet for you, 2015

A bouquet for you, with an ant, 2015

and more, 2015

and more, 2015

for you, 2015

My Green World

It's lush out there; it's beginning to look like a rain forest or the Sutton Junction version of one. I know gardeners are always complaining about to much rain, not enough rain, too much sun, to dry, too whatever but I can't believe all the shades of green I'm seeing.  It’s heavenly… and the herbaceous peonies are about to open.

The upper part of the studio garden, 2015

The ferns are having a banner year, 2015

And the peonies are about to open, 2015

Dandelion seed caught in a tiny spruce, 2015

It Starts

It's Tree Peony time; those bare woody stems of a few weeks ago [link here] are beginning to burst with saucer sized blossoms. The luscious pinks are always the first to open, followed by the deep magenta and then the yellow. Though I'm not certain of the yellow at all after last winter, but it's still alive.

The first tree peony blossom, 2015

ready to burst open, tree peony, 2015

Looking towards the back, tree peonies, alliums and for-get-me-nots, 2015