In the Studio

I finally finished these three paintings - they are 8" round, and are oil on panel.  I haven't decided on titles yet.  They are a continuation of the small faux-landscapes I've been working on.  These happened entirely by mistake.  I had intended to paint a different triptych on these panels, but I was cleaning my studio and leaned a sheet of broken packing foam against the grey wall in my studio, and it caught my eye enough to inspire these paintings.  Inspiration comes from the strangest places sometimes.

I've also been working on a few more figurine paintings this last week - I'm attempting to finish these in the next few days so they are dry for my show in June-July at the Community Cultural Center in Brookings, SD.

This little snail was given to me after I did a talk in my colleague - John Nelson's - class about social media.  I'm glad my co-workers understand my love for kitsch.

I'm also working on this amazing brass cat:

This is the first layer of paint.

And here's the second:

In other new and exciting news, I downloaded an app called lapse-it to do time-lapses with my ipod touch!  Here's my first go - it is a painting session of about an hour and a half - I'm working on laying down the second layer of this painting:

Neat eh?  I've already done another one - but the light shifted mid-way through so I've got to edit it a bit to get it to look better before I post it.  

I also put together this handy little clipboard/ still life setup to clear up a bit of table space in my studio.

I basically just glued scrap wood to a clipboard and reinforced it with 1" screws after the glue dried.  It is nice because I can just hold it to the wall with a push-pin, and it makes it easier to stand while working from my little still life paintings.  I can also get a lot closer to them which is very helpful when I'm painting a 3 foot tall painting of a 3 inch tall figurine.  :)

Planning & Planting my Vegetable Garden

I'm almost finished with planting this summer's garden!  I made a little watercolor map of where I'd like to plant everything.  I've got a total of 6 garden beds in various locations around the house.  

This year we'll have strawberries, asparagus, onions, garlic, beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, jalapeno peppers, zucchini  cucumbers, radishes, beets, swiss chard, baby romaine, raspberries  eggplant, acorn squash, green beans, basil, thai basil, mint, oregano, thyme, sage, and hopefully cherries!  

I also built a 5x10' raised bed garden this year to keep out the roving herds of rabbits that reside in our yard.  I plan to add two more 4x4' beds next to this one, but I think I'll wait until the fall to do that. :)

The perennial herbs I planted a few years ago are already up and doing great - clockwise from the top: sage, mint, oregano, and chives.  These are growing along the south side of our house, and they do great there despite the fact that they are a little bit shaded.  Plus, they look lovely once they start to grow and fill out. 

The onions just started to pop out of the ground today.  I can't wait!  For some reason it is impossible to find a fresh onion anywhere in South Dakota.  Seriously, all of the ones at the grocery store look diseased!  I'm going to eat so many onions this summer.

The swiss chard also popped up this morning.  I can't wait!  I love chard - it produces all summer, and around here the leaves get huge!   

And there are a few pretty flowers starting to pop up all around the house. 

Happy gardening!