maureenthomasdesigns.com blog

Short post today, but I did get out for my weekly garden photo shoot. The weather is heating back up in Northern California and the only thing I like about that is that my tomatoes are finally going crazy! This week’s garden pix focus on bugs…

Maureen

While on my weekly garden photo shoot this morning I was just about to snag a closeup shot of one of the pots on my back deck. As I was about to snap the picture a hummingbird zipped right in front of my camera. The first shot turned out OK, but the bird blends into the plants. In the second shot the little critter is just a blur as it’s making its getaway. I’ve peen picking pears, plums, and (finally) tomatoes. I often put underripe tomatoes on the kitchen windowsill, which catches the attention of the hummers. They’ll hover just outside the window checking it out. I’ve been noting their favorite plants: grevillea (their absolute hands-down favorite), lantana, butterfly bush, lavender, salvia, bottlebrush, and agapanthus.

Here’s what’s interesting in my garden today…

Maureen

The tomato wars continue. First, weird spring and early summer weather (as in, not our usual sunny and hot “Sacratomato” weather). Then continued deer attacks. A bout of blossom end rot. Finally got the 8 foot deer fencing up and now the tomato hornworms are in full force. Veggie gardening is certainly not for the faint of heart! Here’s what’s happening in my garden today…
Maureen

…..well, not exactly MY garden today, but in the general vicinity. Took a nice long walk with a friend at a local park where we meet occasionally to get some exercise. Beautiful place with walking and hiking trails, horses, and lots of benches to take in the views. One trail leads to a large cantileevered viewing platform from which you can look at Hidden Falls. I decided that it shows the local natural terrain better than my landscaped garden so took my weekly pictures at the park today.

Enjoy, Maureen

Hot, hot, hot! The garden is looking hot and tired as is typical for this time of year in the part of the world. It takes a little harder look to find things that aren’t a bit droopy, but they are there. We finally broke down and put 8-foot deer fencing around the tomatoes – something which we’ve been meaning to do for a while. So, hopefully no more nightly shearing of the plants!

I’m enjoying my weekly forays into the garden. It sharpens my photography skills. It also simply gets me out there, something I am pretty loathe to do at the peak of summer!

Maureen
Maureen Thomas Designs

I’ve been out there shooting lots of pictures and I’m trying to make it a habit to carry my little point-and-shoot with me. I’ve also joined a number of Flickr photography and art groups. One that I’ve been enjoying is Art Inspiration Revealed, which was started by Tamara Shea of Block Party Press. Artists create and post photo collages of their work to include a photo of their inspiration. Great fun to see that sometimes a little thing can spark a great artistic idea.

I posted a collage of my new ONION SLICE pendants which includes the onion slice that inspired me to create them. I tried to come up with all sorts of clever names for the series, but they all seemed to be copyrighted business names so I left them alone….ONION SLICE pendants it is until I have a better brainstorm.
I just posted a few on Etsy. Love that I can put some of my vast vintage button collection to work so I think I’ll be making more.

I am learning more and more to keep my eyes open for interesting shapes, patterns, and colors to use in my work. Mother Nature usually provides me with inspiration, but you never know what you’ll find….

Maureen

I’ve been faithful about getting out into the garden every Monday and posting a few pictures on Facebook. I’ve also gotten hooked on a few Flickr photography groups. Color groups, artistic inspiration groups, etc. Meanwhile, I’ve been neglecting this blog.

The Sacramento summer heat has arrived, making the garden look a bit tired. So, some closeup and macro views to focus on the things that still have some life left in them.

Maureen

I’ve been heading out to the garden every Monday morning for the past six weeks to take pictures. It not only serves to sharpen my photography skills (practice makes perfect), but also allows me to look for the beauty on my property rather than just seeing the undone chores. Since I’m a very undisciplined blogger I thought that posting the pictures here as well would get me here at least once a week!

Today is an overcast, drizzly day…perfect for garden photography. We are in a “Mediterranean” climate and are fortunate to be able to grow many Mediterranean plants as well as plants from Australia and New Zealand. There are many beautiful natives to the Sierra Nevadas as well. As in gardens everywhere, there is always something blooming in the springtime…

Maureen

My local polymer clay guild, Clayville California, issued a challenge to create something “stackable” from polymer clay for our May meeting. After several ideas failed to pan out I decided to make some pendants from polymer beads that ended up looking like a cross between stones and sea glass. I love playing with color and this provided the perfect opportunity to mix and match and come up with some unusual combinations. I had so much fun that it resulted in the Stakt Series.

I likely wouldn’t have made these pendants had it not been for the challenge (and the deadline). Lesson learned: if feeling creatively stuck, bored, or stifled try challenging yourself or your guild. The challenge can be very specific or as broad as a shape or color. Hopefully, you’ll strain your brain a bit and explore a technique you’ve been meaning to try or perhaps you’ll come up with something totally new!

Thanks, Clayville!!!

Today was the day for 100 artists to turn in their completed boxes to PlacerArts. Here are a few pix of my box as it progressed over the past few weeks. I have always claimed to work best under pressure, but I think that’s just an excuse for procrastination! I was touching up and removing tape that was holding the flowers together while the epoxy set a few hours before the deadline.

Every project seems to have at least one technical problem to work out and this one was no exception. I wanted the polymer flowers to look casually piled up in the basket, which required them to be attached to one another at barely-touching points with tiny dabs of epoxy…a definite test of patience as they flexed and slid around!

I’m happy with my Flower Basket, but I was blown away by a number of the other entries of which I caught a glimpse today. Can’t wait for the show to open and my fingers are crossed that all the submissions bring high auction bids. The arts are taking a beating these days and PlacerArts needs all the support we can give.

OUTSIDE THE BOX show: April 8-May 22, 2010
OUTSIDE THE BOX live auction: May 22, 2010
PlacerArts – Auburn, CA

Maureen