serendipity

urban wildflower walk

 

Humankind has not woven the web of life.  We are but one thread within it.  Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.  All things are bound together.  All things connect.  
~Chief Seattle, 1855

While not as common as hostas and geraniums, wildflowers manage to hold their own throughout the Chicago region and are a primary source of inspiration for my Glass Prairie series.

These lovely Virginia Bluebells grow in profusion in a small woodland strand of wildflowers next to the Evanston Art Center.  

While walking last summer through the Ravenswood neighborhood, I came across this gorgeous collection with purple coneflowers ,black eyed susans and prairie blazing star.

Here's my own rendition of the purple coneflower made from beads and wire.

The blackberry lily isn't a native wildflower though often seen in wildflower plantings.  It was introduced to the United States from East Asia and while it produces lovely flowers, it is invasive spreading by seed and rhizomes.   

A walk through an alley last summer brought this surprise, a great mullein at over 6' feet in height growing through a crack in the cement. It's another non-native wildflower, this time from Eurasia.  The plant spreads itself by reseeding.  If you have one in your garden and want to keep if from taking over, head it before it seeds.  The seeds are hardy and can last in the soil for several decades before germinating! 

Of course, wildflowers are as beautiful when fading as when in full flower.  These last two photos are from an mid-autumn walk through the Skokie River Nature Preserve in Lake Forest, IL.

more from the glass prairie

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly,
our whole life would change."  -- Buddha

Here are a few more from my Glass Prairie series.  Making them is a fine balance between representation and matieral concern.  Wire and bead can only do so much.  I find that since starting this project, I've increased my awareness of a flower's structure and how it varies from genus to genus.  This variety is what makes flowers so endlessy fascinating.  

Image is from Wikipedia.

The above is Anise, while the following is Blue Eyed Grass.

Goat's Rue

Pasque Flower

As I continue my work on the Glass Prairie, I have begun work on another installation with a flower theme, in this case field of them.  This is a gouache study of what will eventually be a wall to floor quilt / piecing / haven't quite figured out....

Photo credit for the beaded flowers goes to Larry Sanders.

Happy Valentine's Day

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."  

-- Charles M. Schulz

For Valentine's Day I present to you a purple poppy mallow from my Glass Prairie series.  Why this flower in particular?  It is a member of the Malvacae family as is the cacao tree more commonly known as the chocolate tree!  And what is the best part about Valentine's Day?  Chocolate and flowers, of course!  Never mind that other well known members of the Malvacae family are okra and jute.  Pretty flowers and chocolate are what rule the day.  

Here are a few more flowers to add to your wildflower bouquet:

 Michigan Lily

Queen of the Prairie

May your day be filled with family, friends, flowers and lots of chocolate!

Thank you to Larry Sanders for the photos!

mini bead flower sweetness

 

 

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."  --  Claude Monet

I've been meaning to post a few images taken of work by Thelma Schweizer. These miniature beaded blossom are just so sweet.  I love the iris and the rose!  

 

 

I never had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Schweizer.  Her daughter contacted me after seeing my Glass Prairie collection.  Her mom had passed away and she had a huge stash of beads for sale. Needless to say, I bought the stash.  They were still labeld as from Czechloslavakia.  It's an honor to work with the materials that someone so obviously treasured.  

I'd never been interested in making miniatures, but after seeing this collection, I am tempted. Tempted enough that I also bought many of her small vases! I think a collection of these little treasures would make a very attractive addition to my collection of pewter miniatures.  Imagine them also gracing a dining table set for Easter dinner or the cheer they would bring to the kitchen window on a cold winter day.    

evening primrose

You know the bloom, unearthly white,
That none has seen by morning light-
The tender moon, alone, may bare
Its beauty to the secret air.
Who'd venture past its dark retreat
Must kneel, for holy things and sweet,
That blossom, mystically blown,
No man may gather for his own
Nor touch it, lest it droop and fall....
Oh, I am not like that at all! 
-- Dorothy Parker

My first evening primrose was the yellow Cleland Evening Primrose (see flower on the right).  I planted it along my fence and year after year it returned to light up my garden as dusk fell.  The flower's common name is derived from the simple fact that it blooms as light falls rather than like many flowers which follow the sun.  My father's favorite evening primrose is the Whitest Evening Primrose which he calls the Colorado Evening Primrose as it can be found throughout the state as one hikes the lower elevations of the Rockie Mountains. 

The evening primrose is native to North and South America.  It belongs to the genus Oenothera, which is Greek for "donkey catcher."  Perhaps donkeys have a fondness for the plant, I don't know, but I do know that the plant is edible and high in a variety of healthy essential fatty acids.  I use evening primrose oil to relieve skin inflammation and itchiness.  

Evening primroses make great models for beaded flowers.  Their broad petals are easy to fashion and the variety and subtlety of colors are fun to simulate.  Here's my version of a Missouri Evening Primrose.

The Showy Evening Primrose has pink edges and transitions gradually to yellow towards the center. I used a 26 gauge red-colored copper wire at the time I made it, but I think I will give it another go with some pink Artistic Wire from Beadalon to better blend the wire with the beads.

Photo credit goes to Larry Sanders.

fireweed, fire pink, tickseed and blanket flower

"I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright."   -- Henry David Thoreau

Here's Fireweed, also known as Epilobium angustifolium.  It's common name derives from the plant's responsive growth after fires.  Imagine a field filled with them!

Of course, Fireweed is not to be confused by Fire Pink, which isn't pink at all but a firery red.  This deceptively simple looking flower took me several goes to get right.  The petals' tips are serrated and rather tricky to do with beads and wire.  My first few attempts were clumsy and clunky.

Blanket flower is so named because of its resemblance to the bright the color work of Native American blankets.  I don't know from which Native American nation this reference derives, but the flower is definitely beautiful.  The plant is especially drought tolerant, so if you have a spot in your garden that is difficult to water, this is your plant.  Extra bonus - it is easy to grow from seed.

And finally I show you my version of Tickseed,  Tall Tickseed to be exact.  It is an excellent flower for the back of your flower border.  I have some growing in a the corner of my garden where I want to block out the view of my neigbor's garage.  When I say tall, this particular variety of tickseed will reach heights of 5 feet or so.  It is also a favorite of butterflies.

Photo credit of beaded flowers goes to Larry Sanders. 

thinking ahead to spring

"You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet."   --  Hal Borland

A few more flowers from my Glass Prairie series. Violets are among my favorite flowers.  I love their vibrant color and delicate fragrance.

Their arrival each spring is a sure sign that winter's frosty spell has finally lifted.  While the Prairie Violet and Arrow-Leaved Violet favor the prairie, the common blue violet can be found throughout one's garden and lawn.  I love to add them to salads for a dash of color and some extra Vitamin C, but this coming spring I think I will make some violet jelly.

These recipes show a gorgeous jelly, light purple in color and sure to be delicious.  Just imagine it with some lemon scones!

The Taste of Spring

A Sustainable Life

Prairieland Herbs

Glass Prairie : beaded botanicals

By the harebell's hazure sky,

(Like the hue of thy bright eye;)

That grows in woods, and groves so fair,

Where love I'd meet thee there.

-- John Clare  

from the poem, By a Cottage Near a Wood

My garden is limited.  While I fill it with black-eyed and brown-eyed susans, phlox and tickweed, there is only so much space in a typical Chicago backyard.   Glass Prairie has become my gardening substitute.  With the slide of a bead and a twist of the wire I can fashion my own prairie, filling my studio with flowers.  

Foamflower (Tiarella) also known as Sugar Scoop.

The California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) also known as Flame Flower and Cup of Gold is the state flower of California.

Photo credits: Larry Sanders

looking for rainbows, seeing possibilities abound

"Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."  --  Lyman Frank Baum

Two weeks ago I woke early to find this lovely surprise.   I stared in disbelief and awe.  Rainbows are rare.  Surely it had to be an omen.  A good omen.  Right?

I was preparing to install my work at ArtPrize.  Did it mean I would find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, like a  $250,000 first prize?  One can dream, but alas no.  But then again, maybe I did find my pot of gold, if not a direct monetary one.  

Opportunities are what you make of them.  ArtPrize afforded me an addition to my public art portfolio and gave me direct feedback from others.  This feedback proved encouraging.  For one, many asked if I would be making the flowers available for individual purchase.  They saw my work in their home, a part of their lives.  They just couldn't take on the size and expense of a full installtion. I can't either which is why I designed it for easy storage and shipping.  So when they asked, I had a price in mind and not one person flinched.  Several gave me their cards and asked me to email them when they come available.   

Others asked if I would be selling patterns of the individual flowers.  Yes.  I am already in process of a book proposal based on this very thing, full of details about the flowers themselves in addition to the patterns.  I've loved making them and enjoy the thought of sharing the fun with others.  In the meantime, I'm preparing several patterns for sale in my Etsy shop and am considering kits.

I even had a request to rent the installation for a wedding reception!  I am meeting with the bride-to-be in a week to discuss the possibility.  Now here is a concept I had never considered in my wildest of dreams, but it has me thinking about how I can expand upon it.

Money for art doesn't have to be derived from the direct sale of the work. And I question the model of the arts depending on grants.  A recent survey I took asked if I felt my career was ever impeded due to lack of  grant funding.  Are they kidding?!  While grants can help and provide one with a structure for working out an idea, it doesn't have to be the primary source of income.  In fact, that way of thinking actually limits one.   I've always tailored my ideas to be within what I can do now with sketches worked for grander schemes.  Some of those grander ideas have taken fruition, such as The Red Thread Project®, others remain in my sketchbook, but my career has never been held back due to lack of funding.  Don't get me wrong.  Times have been tough.  I've raised a daughter on my own.  I have piles of medical bills (literally two inches thick when you stack up the envelopes), but I will never let money or someone dictate my career.  Call me stubborn.  

So like the beauty of finding a rainbow at dawn, I keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities.  I take the disappointments and look at how I can do better.  I hope for an ease in cash flow, but know its constrains don't limit me, only I can.  For now, I'm going to put on the kettle for more tea and get back in the studio.

Glass Prairie grows for ArtPrize with more beaded flowers

"Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience."  --  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Each flower I make takes an average of 5-12 hours to complete.  Average sum of time calculated for the flowers completed in the past month - 224.  My fingers and wrists ache from all the bending and twising, but I am happy with the results.

A whitest evening primrose was made as a suggestion from Dad.  It's one of his favorite wildflowers.

A pasque flower with a shooting star, fire pink  and michigan lily in the background.   I love wildflower names almost as much as the flowers themselves.

And for a glimpse into my studio, here are some of the necessary tools.   Flexible wire is at the core of each work.  I prefer ArtWire's product as it is easier to twist into formation and comes in many colors.

And of course, you need a giant bead stash! I've organized most of it in my uncle's former dental cabinet, but it spills over into other areas of the studio.

ArtPrize opens September 21st and runs through October 9th.  I will be installing Glass Prairie  at the Fifth Third Bank lobby in downtown Grand Rapids with a total of 6o flowers.