Artists Helping Japan

Keiko Tanabe has created a fund-raiser on her Daily Painting Blog. Artist create a piece of art which is then downloaded to the website and entered into the auction. She has chosen "home" as a theme for all the artwork submitted. All art is for sale with the proceeds going to one of the organizations that collect donations for disaster relief efforts in Japan.

If you are an artist or interested in purchasing art, here is the information you will need to know.

"The Help Japan Challenge" does not have an ending date.

Each painting has an auction that ends at 9 pm CST at least 7 days after the painting was submitted. Be sure to check the time remaining on the auction page of the painting you are interested in to see when that auction ends.

I entered this collage watercolor painting:

How About A Cup
Joanne Osband
watercolor collage

Katsura Tree

Yesterday I posted a blog relating to the tree selection for my yard.

I mentioned that I consulted with an artist friend, Karen Lohman; Matsushima Landscaping, who helped with the design. I love trees and it was a challenge to limit my selection. Karen insisted that I have a Katsura Tree. I never heard of one, have you? The Katsura Tree definitely appeals to the artist in me.

Katsura Tree is also known as the carmel tree. No, you do not get caramels from it, but some think the wonderful Katsura Tree smells like caramel or cotton candy when it loses it's leaves in the fall. Besides being wonderful to smell in the fall, the Katsura sports a lovely blend of orange, raspberry, and apricot-colored leaves. The Katsura is no slouch in other seasons, either. In the spring Katsura has reddish-purple new growth, in summer it sports heart-shaped blue-green leaves and in winter the gray, slightly exfoliating bark lends interest.

I have watched the heart-shaped leaves of my Katsura Tree turn from purple to red and now some green is emerging.......



The Katsura is native to Japan and eastern Asia and is widely used as a landscape tree in those areas. Katsura blooms in early spring. I read that the flowers are not showy. Maybe that is why I totally missed them? Or are they still coming?

I so look forward to its fall colors! I will definitely let you know if it gives off a carmel smell. But, I certainly do not want to rush summer!



Once again, I am overjoyed with Karen's selection of trees.