Weekend Walkabout: Infrared Beach and an Owl Cactus???

Well, yeah, it's been a little weird here, I guess. But fear not, I always share the fun.

Conversing, MRobb, mixed media

 Back in the Jurassic when cameras were manually controlled and film was actually made of stuff that you had to develop and print with other stuff, I loved to shoot in infrared. Ordinary scenes (which of course, were never ordinary, I was just used to them) turned sort of...mythical. So I was delighted to learn how to create infrared photographs, digitally. Here is my beach with our handsome terns, beloved winter visitors:

Terns on the Beach, MRobb, 2017

And here's what the scene looks like without all the high-tech tinkering:

Terns 2017

I really love their sassy orange beaks, and little black head tufts...!
In addition to all this, my Mammillaria is still blooming, after many months. Why? I do not know. She tries on different looks. This week, she is clearly an owl:

Mammillaria Owl Cactus, MRobb, 2017

Can a cactus be a frustrated actor? What do you think?

It's the Bloomin' Holidays Again!

Yup, it's winter, and that's when Mammillaria and some mesembs love to bloom. Both have already bloomed this year (Mammillaria all the time, it seems, and Schwantesia in April). They just can't help it! Several orchids just finished blooming, too.

Mammillaria blooms again in winter, now you can see the "crown"!

This winter I've been in my studio making stoneware "fairy doors" and windows for outdoor gardens. They are attached to trees (these will be attached to aspens), in order to invite the Fairy/Faerie Folk to live in the garden. Lovely idea!

Fairy Doors and Windows, glazed stoneware, MRobb, 2016

And of course, to accommodate my ever-growing, ever-pupping garden o' Tillies, I've been making more Tillie Trays, also:

Maya Blue glazed Earthenware Tillie Trays, MRobb, 2016

I wish you all a very happy winter holiday and a creative, lushly growing New Year!

Mishmash Monday: Odds and Ends

I finished a really fun watercolor class with Helen Wheatley today. I am, or was, watercolor-phobic. A great friend of mine from my teen years was an exquisite watercolorist, and I've always dodged the medium because I felt I could never measure up to her. Nevertheless, I am pretty happy with this painting from the class:

MRobb, Autumn Leaves I, November 2016

And guess who's blooming? My favorite Mammillaria!

I just love the funny little faces she makes when she blooms.
At the market last week, I saw a really weird fruit, and I knew a little about it because it's featured in one of my favorite perfumes, Alexis Dadier's Buddha Hand. I had to pose the actual fruit with two new paintings, because I do love those funny faces:

The two paintings were commissioned as prizes for a poetry/essay contest. They're my usual mixed media, not watercolor. But I may attempt some more watercolor as time goes by, who knows?
I will write more about my culinary adventures with the mysterious Buddha Hand later.

A Pink Crown for a Mammillaria

Genus Mammillaria, my very favorite cactus clan in the world, are known for their beautiful "crowns" of flowers. They open during the day, then close at night. Not all Mammillarias bloom this way, but most do. Here is a recent example- first, open during the day, then closed at night:

Mammillaria elegans in full "crown" bloom, MRobb, 2016

Blooms close in the evening.

What a beautiful sight! Most Mammillaria have bright pink flowers, as this one does, but others have light pink, red, or even yellow blossoms. Gorgeous! Interestingly, they can have a primary, "proto-bloom" of just a couple of flowers, which can give them a funny "face":

Mammillaria elegans "Funny Face", MRobb

Then a month or so later, the full crown appears. I have no idea why this happens.

Mammillaria elegans blooms!

Mammillaria elegans is a native of Mexico.  They bloom in early winter. And what a sweet "face"!

Mammillaria elegans in bloom, MRobb 2015

Mammillaria vs. Croton

Who is the fairest of them all? Just a couple of weeks ago, a hook-spined Mammillaria bloomed:

It's very difficult to re-pot, but fortunately, only needs repotting once every few years. One more to go!  And I saw a magnificent Croton at a recent trip to the Leu Gardens in Orlando, Florida:

Which one is fairest? I can't choose!

Two Friendly and Charming Cacti

Is this the Face that Launched a Thousand Ships??

Mammillaria brauneana in bloom: MR 2014

Cactus flowers in winter always make me smile. But if flowers aren't your thing, how about a distinctive hair style?

Cephalocereus senilis: "Cousin It"- MR 2014

I love Cousin It's funky side-cowlick! Which denizens of your garden are making you smile this week?