Studio Fruit Friday - Spring's Curtsey

I went to my favorite nursery yesterday afternoon to wander as slowly as possible among the plants. I needed something akin to a morphine drip so I went to have silent conversations with them where I compliment them on their cute sassy outfits, darling blue faces, fuzzy slippers. They wave their short little arms with wide palms, their long gangly ones with slender fingers, some just nod their sleepy heads. Nevertheless, it's good conversation. Some of my favorite kind.

I need a can-can line as tall as I am for the top of our retaining wall flower bed. I want a blooming row of dancers that I can prune up their skirts so their long legs show and up top, right at face level, they'll be putting on their best, blooming show. Wisteria has decadent, drippy blooms but is too root hoggish. Pyracantha is a too overused for my liking but the red berries in fall are quite lovely. The Crepe Myrtle, in just the right color, would be ohsolovely but I'm pretty sure the deer would think them a tasty treat. Lilac...not enough sun. I just learned about the Fragrant Tea Olive bush and am intrigued. The lady at the nursery suggested rhododendron...which could work beautifully if I could find a color I love. I'm not so much into sucker punching our land with bolts of hot pink. I'd prefer a deep salmon or orangey-cream. The nursery lady with poor bedside manor also suggested holly and then I had to remind her that they will be planted in a very high traffic area and no barefoot Lee likes holly needles stabbed in her foot. The "Annabelle" hydrangea would be my dream plant there but, again, the hungry (read: belligerent, greedy, destructive) deer. But oh how happy I would be if only the dogwood would work there.... sigh. When it comes to plants, my problem is never that I don't like enough options.

I wandered past a table of bonsai all posed freeze-frame style "Hold still! Maybe she won't see us!" but I saw them. And I complimented their holding still skills. Along the back row was a small forest of Black Jack fig trees. One followed me home. She'll share her tasty fruit this summer and it will be worth every square inch of garden she will inhabit.

So, by now it must be obvious that the growing season is on my mind. Spring is finally coming out from behind the curtain and has given us her first little tentative curtsy. There is a orchestra warming up in the pit tuning up with dogwood blooms and lilacs. Even holed up in the studio I am influenced and I find myself painting florals when I'm normally not a floral-y kinda gal. I don't resist the urge, as you can see. Afterall, who am I to argue with the song of nature? I just want to sing background, is all.

(click on the images to view them larger)

"Dogwood" 27" x 9" x 1.75"

plaster, acrylic, inscribed beeswax on wood
ready to hang horizontally or vertically
(unavailable)

 

"Why Not" 8" x 8" x 4"

plaster, acrylic, inscribed beeswax on wood
this deep box painting is ready to hang
$150
**Sold**

P.S. These paintings are not listed in my etsy shop. If you are interested in purchasing them, you can click directly on the buttons above.

Comments

[Jenny Lee Wentworth]

Beautiful,and congrats on the sale!

Happy Weekend,
Jenny♥

[Carol]

Stephanie, your words sing! I love your blog not just for the gorgeous art, but for your beautiful prose. And I've just received my latest ebook from you, so thank you very much.