The High Life

Ever since we put in our garden two years ago I have wanted to add a herb garden. Unfortunately the space was taken up by wood which we have gradually been using up by having bonfires at the beach. After finally clearing enough room for it we then had to work out how to do it.

We knew it had to be a high-rise herb garden because the space available was limited. Herbs need full sun as much as possible and we couldn't block the vegetable garden to the left (out of sight).

As an IKEA fan I looked at their catalogue and found these steel shelves ($14.99 each) which were and are perfect for the task. Most of the pots (and herbs) come from two local nurseries. The grey and white pots on the bottom shelves are old paint buckets which have been cut down and with holes drilled in the bottom. We decided not to use trays underneath the pots as they will overflow anyway when it rains.

The configuration we used allows maximum sun exposure and hides the rubbish bin.

I chose the particular herbs I like to use, plus strawberries which are so much better from your own garden.

Left-hand shelves: top shelf: Basil; second shelf: Curly Parsley, empty pot awaiting French Tarragon; third shelf: French, English, and Creeping Thyme;

bottom shelf: Strawberries.

Right-hand shelves: top shelf: Rosemary (l) and Spearmint (r); second shelf: Basil seeds; third shelf: Mint (l) and Chocolate Mint (r); bottom shelf: Strawberries.

I'm looking forward to using my own freshly grown herbs again.

Drawn To It

I have been having some problems finding enough time to paint because other aspects of my life have been getting in the way. When I started to paint I found myself drawing much less. It wasn't through any conscious decision, it just happened.

Well over the past few months I have fallen in love with drawing again drawing every spare minute I can. I now have several sketch books, as well as scraps of paper, piled up in my art studio with different projects in them all on the go.

One of my favourite books to draw in at the moment is a book I bought at a library sale. I've seen this idea several places including here and wanted to try it for myself.
Initially, I wanted to use this a vehicle for trying new things and worrying less about the outcome. But I like these results so much I don't want to 'spoil' my book with reject drawings. I think I am better doing my experiments on single sheets that I can save or throw away. Even so, drawing with a ballpoint pen is quite daring for me so there is some element of risk involved. 

These are pen drawings of paintings by one of my favourite artists that I did on loose sheets which I stuck in my art journal. I like to draw paintings as it is difficult at times to replicate paint marks using a pen or pencil.

Most of my art journals are simple composition books with squared paper. They are a consistent size and, as a result, fit better on the shelf. 

Another recent project is drawing self-portraits as an assignment for an online class I am taking. This was drawn in pencil first  before going over the lines with brown ink. This was drawn on some very basic sketching paper.

Day Tripper 2

Some of the buildings in Balboa Park are very ornate. It's quite normal to see Spanish-influenced architecture in California but usually of a simpler style: adobe walls and red-tiled roofs.

With so many such buildings in one place there is an air of being in a European city.

Another beautiful covered walkway

Islamic tile designs came to the USA via Spanish settlers in California.

A neon yellow Koi in yet another fountain.

My favourite museum was the Museum of Art. The painting below is by the French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. 

Three years ago he turned up in a biography of Matisse I was reading. Bouguereau taught Matisse painting for a while. Several weeks later, we had our wood floor refinished by one of his descendants.

Day Tripper 1

Earlier this week, Hubby and I decided to enjoy a day out in San Diego looking at art.
It was the first truly warm day we've had for a while which was perfect since we went Balboa Park which has a collection of museums and parks all in a central location. Even so, we didn't get to see all we wanted to so another visit will be warranted sometime in the future.

We didn't have time to visit the Japanese Friendship Garden but this is a view from above.

Several of the buildings had these covered walks which had a graceful, serene feeling to them. Perhaps because it wasn't crowded.

Our first step was the Mingei International Museum.

The Mingei had an exhibition on musical instruments. One of my favourite was the Moon Guitar from China on the far left.

I'm not a great lover of models but I really liked this. Very creative and a lot of work.

These are batik tiles. Objects used for decorating can also be used as a decoration. Again it took a lot of work to make each of these intricate tiles.

This sculpture is outside one of the entrances to the Mingei. 

One the way to the next museum we passed through the Alcazar Garden. I love the sound of water in a garden.

Even a bathroom break affords a chance to see decorative design as in this tiled floor.

More next time...