Garden Border

I know, no posts for ages then 2 come along at once :)
Just to let you all know, I have a shop on Artfinder (Janice Ayers). I will be having a 48 hour sale tomorrow and Thursday. The shop will then be closed for a week while we go on holiday :)
This is one of the pictures on there showing the view of my garden border a couple of weeks ago. The forget-me-nots lasted for ages and are just going over now.

Bees in the Garden

It was lovely to have a long weekend and be able to slow down a bit :)

Bees are having a hard time at the moment so I like to keep a good range of flowers they like in my border. At the moment they are particularly keen on the pale Aquilegia (Columbine). I noticed some holes in the spur of the petals and suspected a pest of some sort. In this case however, it was the bumble bees. In the photograph you can see where the bee has punctured the petal to get at the nectaries designed for an insect with a longer tongue. It doesn't help pollinate the flower this way, but as these are such prolific seeders I think we will still get plenty of new plants.

In the garden - Mother Squirrel

On the conservatory window we have one of those stick on bird feeders. It's great for watching the robins pop in and out and the pigeons can't get at at it.
The other day we were surprised to see a squirrel shimmy up the drain and try to get at it from the roof. It didn't do very well so we took pity and put some food out at ground level. Sure enough it came back and spent quite a lot of time eating. Somehow it seemed desperate.

 After we looked closely at some of the pictures we took, we realised why. It was a nursing squirrel and probably very hungry. We have taken pity and put a little food out each day. She deserved it for the bravery she showed - I was sat inches away to take this photos with just a pane of glass between us.

Wordless Wednesday

Across the Bay

This is a painting I completed yesterday. It is a view across the bay to Barmouth. I am fascinated by dramatic skies so wanted to keep that as the main focus of the work, subduing the landscape to the minimum of detail.

The sky itself was painted wet in wet with just indigo and alizarin crimson with the light gap in the clouds lifted out with scrunched up kitchen paper to give soft nebulous edges. A second lifting gave harder edges for contrast.

The mountains and town become one except for the tiny lights along the water’s edge. These highlights were scraped out gently with a scalpel blade and dotted in with cadmium yellow.

Sky studies are a great way to loosen up with watercolour painting. Add a little landscape detail at the bottom and they make great sketches to give as art cards J

Ladybird on Forget Me Not

Just hanging around.
I think this photograph will have to be a new addition to our photo card range.
I think it would be great as a print for a child's bedroom too.
What do you think?

In the garden

 We had been wondering why some things in the garden seemed to move overnight of their own volition - this cheeky grey squirrel may be the culprit. This one looks very well fed!
So far we know of at least 2 grey squirrels that visit the garden - the other is much smaller and shyer.
Interestingly there is still a law in England that says they should be reported when seen on your land. That could generate some paperwork :-)