LMacfarlane

the first green, 2021

I spotted my first green growth of the year yesterday. These chives were weak enough last year (their first year, grown from seed) that I wasn’t sure I’d really see them again. But here they are, bringing some early strong green to my garden.

the woman in the moon

This piece is an outgrowth of my “Unfinished Woman” drawing. I liked the circle within her hair as a geometric feature, but decided that the positioning wasn’t right to use it as a halo. So here I re-envisioned it as the moon. Pastel on hardboard, 7×10 inches.

bundled up

Pastel pencils have become my favorite drawing tool. Smudge-able, erasable, and in full color. This drawing was inspired by my having to bundle up a lot like this just to go down to my basement art room during the winter months. I have a space heater I can turn on once I get down there,Continue reading “bundled up”

adding a little color

I decided to add a little color to this drawing from my post “Unfinished Woman.” I used a blush brush to apply the color very lightly, and I think the finished product has kind of an illustrator’s feel to it. Pastel on paper, 7×10″

pan pastels

I had fun exploring with a new medium. Pastel on paper, 6×9″.

dig a hole, fill it up

I chose this Big Cis plum tree to block the line of sight from across the street to my back patio because of its beautiful leaves and perfect size. Arborists can look down on red leaf plums because they are overplanted in some areas and they only live about 20 years, making them a short-termContinue reading “dig a hole, fill it up”

leaves turning

I love the color details on these autumn crabapple leaves.

paperbark maple

The record heat we had this summer was not kind to this young paperbark maple in its first year in my yard. It only has a handful of leaves, and most of them have suffered from sun scorch. I’m interested to see whether this tree ends up doing well. On one hand, USU’s Tree BrowserContinue reading “paperbark maple”

the jury’s still out on growing raspberries

This is year two for these Double Gold everbearing raspberry bushes (ordered from Burpee). Year one started like this: My raspberries have been enough of a hassle to make me question my commitment to keeping them around. Right now, though, I am getting a tasty Fall harvest and I know I’ll try at least oneContinue reading “the jury’s still out on growing raspberries”

a little wild and in motion

This has been such a wonderful painting to carry from beginning to end. It’s been about a year since I started putting down my first ideas for it, nearly three months since I started working in earnest on the final product, and I can tell that I’ve grown as an artist in that time. HereContinue reading “a little wild and in motion”