This Years Container Garden, Fruits, Veggies and Herbs in a small space

I'm really enjoying the daffodils this year. They really brighten the place up, don't they?

It's a little hard to make out from the shadows at this time of day but the tower planter is full of strawberries and a short container variety of peas that I'm trying out this year. Next to that in the large brown pot is a black raspberry bush surrounded by chives and the Half Pint or Tom Thumb peas. They're rare
heirloom shelling pea that was introduced from England in the 1850's. The plants are only 8 inches tall but they grow full size peas. I'm really anxious to see how well these work out because I can think of lots of planting possibilities for them. The smaller pots on the green table are also black raspberry bushes.

It's also nice to have these strawberry plants in our seating area so we'll be able to keep an eye on them for when the berries are ripe enough. My favorite thing
to then is to bring out a bowl of cereal, a knife and a small bowl of water so that I can relax, clean up the berries and have a nice, fresh breakfast.

Strawberry Day

I winter my strawberry plants in the ground but move them to these little strawberry pots for the summer so that it's easier for me to reach and pick berries over the summer. Moving them back and forth seems to do the plants good because they're weeded and tended to more often.

I plan to leave them on the tables where they'll get the best sun until after the berries are gone.

I haven't quite decided what I'll be planting in those large brown planters yet.

I put strawberries around the outside edge of this planter. I was most excited about this one because it also has nasturtiums, radishes, carrots and chives in it. I'm anxious to see what it will look like when everything is blooming.It's not often that you can fit fruit, flowers and veggies all in the same pot. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Daffodils

We planted a lot more daffodils here because I realized it's been years since I'd done a new series of daffodil drawings.

This time we planted several different varieties of them to make things more interesting.

They just started blooming a few days ago so I'd better grab my pens and sketch books and get started.

I hope to be able to add the drawings to the blog soon.

Painting sunflowers on garden buildings, fences or decks

I've been enjoying painting sunflowers for a few years now and thought they'd be fun to add to a railing as well.

I'm experimenting now with painting sunflowers on different colors of backgrounds to see which way I like them best.

Wheelchair Ramp Garden Art

A couple of inches of the top and bottom horizontals will be painted black with a white dot trim to "stitch" it together with the other work that I've done over the years.

The rest of the horizontals are free space for anyone that comes here to express their creativity on. 

I'm hoping to make it a creative hub in the neighborhood and let everyone have fun with it.

Painting a bright welcome in yard and garden art

I took this photo while heading down the ramp today. Every time I go past it I can't help but smile and so far it seems to affect most other people that way too.

An Artist's Life and Projects

An artist's life and projects intertwine in ways that most people don't really understand. How do we make or choices? Why do we pick a certain media or subject? What drives us? Well there as many different answers as there are Artist's or craftspeople.

In most circles what I'm doing with the wheelchair ramp would be considered more craft than art. I don't really care what people call it as long as it makes them smile.

My reason for painting it is to protect it and make it last longer. My reason for painting it so many different ways is to help me work out different design ideas and color combinations that I use on other projects.

The main thing I do with some of these ideas is paint Swedish Dala Horses which is what I enjoy doing when I'm not caught up in easel painting abstracts or florals.

Two Good Reasons for Art in the Garden

The first and most important reason to include art in your garden is that you only have fruit, veg and flowers to brighten it up part of the year and you'll want color all year around.

Clay pots are a cheap and easy way to get started and even old ones can be brought back to life with paint. The rim on this one was a great place to practice a border that I've been wanting to teach myself. This one didn't turn out very well but the plants won't mind.

I need a lot more practice on this design so I've gone back to painting the spindles on my wheelchair ramp to keep at it until I get it right.

I kind of like my second attempt better but I've got a long way to go before they come out like that clipping that I've been saving all of these years.

Next time I'll try it with colors used in the clipping instead of using up the stuff that I've got on hand.

Turning the corner with Sunflowers

This old frame was pretty beat up and just didn't look nice enough when I tried to repair the chips in the corners so I just painted a couple of Sunflowers over it.

I'm planning other changes to both the frame and the painting but will hang it up for now and move on to other projects.

Painting without brushes, boundless creativity

Whenever I start a painting I like to connect with the canvas, run my fingers across it and beginning to apply paint. Yes, I start with my hands, any found objects near by and some palette knives. As the color and texture begin to build inspiration usually sets in.

Even if the painting doesn't work out the experience is calming, centering and even healing at times. no effort is ever wasted and I'm amazed by both the process and the possibilities. After nearly half a century it's still the driving force, lover and demon in my life.

Art projects for the house and garden

As you can see there's still a long way to go before the wheelchair ramp will be painted but each step of the way I'm learning new things and practicing favorite techniques so I don't feel like any of my time and effort on it is wasted.

I'm trying a lot of color and pattern combinations that I've never used before. Doing it outdoors gives me the opportunity to get feedback from neighbors and passers by about what things people like best.

I also think that it may help people find "That Dala Horse Lady" in town so I'm waiting to see what the summer will bring.

Creativity at Home

As I get ready to do some paintings on canvas I'm playing a bit by painting the wheelchair ramp and working a bit as I paint ornaments for an order. Work or play there's always paint brightening my day.

I came here with over 90 paintings and only have about a dozen left. I'm re-evaluating those to see if I want to make changes on them or paint over them entirely, it depends where the mood takes me. Living in a small space makes you look at things differently.

In the meantime these small projects keep me happy and come in handy for a lot of things. Paint yourself happy- I do.

Fun with Paint in the Yard and Garden