Creativity is Magic

Hello Blog Friends!

It's back to art this week. With the shortening days I had almost forgotten how quickly it gets dark in my studio downstairs. Currently, it's also quite noisy as there are new people moving into the house next door and these past two weeks my art making has been accompanied by hammering and drilling sounds. I wish they would just hurry up, move in and get settled already. ugh.

On to more pleasant things.

I created this set of Washi Tape Artist Trading Cards (ATC). They are incredibly easy to make. Just grab your favorite tapes, a botanical stamp and a bird image. Start with neutral tapes, then add one or two colorful ones (tiny pieces suffice), stamp the leaf image and stick down the bird. I made a process video here.

I'm not sure if I have shared the following page before. I played around with acrylic inks, diluting them to make them very flowy, almost like watercolors. I painted random shapes and achieved an interesting layering effect. Just for fun I painted a face with flowy hair. There's a video in my channel, if you would like to see the entire process.

I also enjoyed creating the following pages in my small art journal. The collaged images are from Polish illustrator Sylwia Gryczuk, who resides in Ireland. She draws these quirky, colorful, childlike images for her brand called Tandi Art. I had purchased her cut out and collage book a while ago, but only got around to creating with it now. I like supporting artists who do not use AI to create their work. I painted backgrounds that matched her whimsical style and added a few of my own sketchy elements and doodles. What do you think?

 

By the way, this blog post took forever, as blogger refused to upload my pictures. I had to try several times. Is anyone else experiencing this issue?

Anyway, thank you for reading along and your lovely comments. I really appreciate them! Have a good week.

Garden Love ~ Gut Heidefeld

Hello lovely readers!

This post comprises the final stretch of my Autumn walk at Gut Heidefeld. If you missed parts one and two you can catch up here and here.

In the second photo you can catch a glimpse of the back of the guesthouse which is attached to the Café above. This is where, at the end of my walk, I enjoyed a steaming cup of tea and a scrumptious slice of apple cake.

Row upon row of a variety of potted hostas (and there are plenty) in their early stages. Eventually these will be planted into the ground. There's something so lovely about these little pots - they put a huge smile on my face 😊

Some of the pathways were especially narrow - I did not know where this particular path would lead me and that itself was wonderfully delightful! Others, like the one in the picture above were comfortably wide, and where I happened to spot a pond bird busy picking at fallen fruit. 

Although the main flower season is over, there were still a few bright pops of color to be seen. The holly bush immediately had me thinking of the upcoming Christmas holidays!  

The garden had a large area devoted to rhododendrons. In summertime this patch must surely be bursting with glorious color and worthy of attention. How happy was I when I discovered this single pink blossom hanging on?! As fellow blogger Anette mentioned in a comment the other day, it's a wonderful gift of nature!

Toward the end of this leisurely walk a little face (sculpture) peeked out from within the bushes - as if to say "see you again next time". Oh, I absolutely plan to re-visit next year in Summer! 

I hope you enjoyed this virtual garden walk. Thank you for stopping by and have a great day!

Garden Impressions ~ Gut Heidefeld

Hi everyone!

I'm still sifting through the photos I took on my walk through the gardens at Gut Heidefeld. This is part two. Since it's October not many flowers were left. I did spot a few bright spots along my leisurely walk and, of course, there are a large amount of evergreen plants to admire as well. Apart from the numerous trees, plants and shrubs, there were various ground-covering plants that were highly interesting. The groundskeeper thoughtfully stuck little signs next to most of the plants, so my walk was visually stimulating as well as educational. 

"The protector"

All of the sculptures amongst the plants, hidden in nooks and other surprising places are by local sculptor Wilhelm Bollwerk (1936 - 2022).

The Orangerie (conservatory) pictured above was built to provide shelter for the numerous potted plants during the winter months.

Fuchsias defying the chilly weather!

The above sculpture had me smiling. It depicts a choirmaster on the right hand side and the choir on the left.

Another resting place amongst the shrubs and plants. Note the chili plant in the bottom corner. This will probably be moved into the Victorian style conservatory shortly. 

I think that's enough pictures for today :) 

Thank you for visiting my blog and have a wonderful day.