Art and Sculpture

I have returned to reading A Garden Gallery; The Plants, Art, and Hardscape of Little and Lewis to my friend and long time artist, Doris. We began the section called Art and Sculpture and I thoroughly enjoyed the introduction by David Lewis.

He says, "Since ancient times, when the Greeks and Romans adorned their garden walls with painted frescoes and their courtyards with fountains, we have embellished gardens with our personal taste in art. The garden itself is a living work of art. It is a result of creativity and style, shaped by the maker's imagination and courage to take chances. It seems only fitting, then, to want to introduce artwork - whether we purchase, make, or find it - into this dynamic living canvas."

The photography in the book is fabulous! I got this great idea to try out my new camera by taking a few photographs of the pages in evening light. I am sooo impressed with this camera! These are center spreads taken from the book featuring the incredible garden of George Little and David Lewis.

Notice the pomegranate?
One of their many sculptures which they move around the garden.

The blue wall is permanent and the color has become their trademark.

Here is a dinosaur egg........similar to mine that I blogged about.


How about this gunnera leaf sculpture.....



This book is wonderful! A must read for artists and gardeners.

Ocean Meditation

I have been partaking in the 21 day meditation challenge sponsored by the Chopra Center. Even thought I have been mediating for many years, I enjoy being guided at times, especially by Davidji. I met him when I attended the Seduction of Spirit workshop in Whistler, Canada.

Davidji explains;

"When we meditate, we don’t have a target. We don’t have a goal. We are simply relaxing to the point of stillness and silence. Whatever happens during the meditation is perfect. If you have thoughts, if you fall asleep, if you experience stillness or silence, if you are listening to the mantra . . . all those experiences are perfect.

The powerful benefits and miracles of meditation happen when you’re not meditating, but in the remaining hours of the day when you are back here with the rest of us nurturing your relationships, practicing conscious communication, living your life with compassion and creativity, and loving unconditionally.

In this moment, know that meditation can be a piece of your life forever. And as you continue to meditate, your life will continue to blossom and bloom."


Being drawn to the ocean myself, my favorite meditation so far was the one where we were transported to Carlsbad,(the sweet spot of the universe) California by way of youtube.

Try the ocean meditation. Only fifteen minutes.

Another Black Spider Lily

This second watercolor painting of the Black Spider Lily has been sitting on my drafting table way too long! I cannot seem to get the colors and look I desire.

I gave the painting some attention today, and believe it is done. Or am I just ready to move on?!? On another thought, this subject might make a great collage........

Stay tuned!

Done or not done, that is the question?

Visual Art by the Human Body

A artist colleague shared these incredible images with me, and I wanted to share them with you.

Take a close look as these flowers, maple leaf, fern and peacock are created using the human body.



















Pretty remarkable, wouldn't you say?

Berry Picking Time

SUNDAY   +   FAMILY   +   SUNSHINE   +   BLACKBERRIES   +  
CHEHALIS WESTERN TRAIL            PERFECT COMBINATION!

Early this morning as Ebony and I traveled the Chehalis Western Trail from Woodard Bay to Martin Way, many people were seen, full buckets in hand and blackish mouths, picking blackberries.

My favorite was this couple and their two children who came on bikes.

The little boy eating from his bucket made me think of times to come with my grandson :)

New Camera

After days of research and reading reviews, I finally picked a camera. This point and shoot camera appears to be the leader for image quality, lens quality, ease of use, and many other important criteria. I decided on compactness over the digital SLR cameras.

THE WINNER: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

I have been having fun!

Here are some photos of my happy Gerber Daisies.....






I love the shadows in this one.


Maybe a painting soon....

Metal Sculptures

As promised, I will share the unique metal sculptures created by Layne Koina who was one of the artists I met at the annual Art in the Garden show in Enumclaw, Washington this past weekend.

Actually, I met him last year and purchased a few of his whimsical metal sculptures.







This year I could not resist his cat tails. The cat tails are metal and the leaves are stainless steel, so as it ages the cat tails will rust but the stainless steel will not. I look forward to this transformation.



Unfortunately, Layne does not have a website where you can see more of his creative metal sculptures. He is local to Enumclaw and is associated with Arts Alive.