Weekend Walkabout: Painting What You See, and What You Don't See

So I've been putting in a little more time in the mini-studio, working on watercolors! They are wonderful challenges because you get one shot, that's it. No erasing, no painting over. One shot.
Frustration or fun, you never know which, when you're a newbie like me:

A beach scene in progress. Frustration or fun?

Here is a hot-press, controlled painting based on the wonderful artistry of Mithila/Madhubani artwork from India:

And of course, there's photography based on my weekend walkabouts, both indoors and out:

Lilies Close-up, MRobb, 2018

Vase of Lilies, MRobb, 2018

Our Fish Crows in Residence, Hugin and Munin, have returned, so I promise a post soon...have a wonderful Weekend Walkabout!

Weekend Walkabout: Fish Crow Bowls!

As you know, I am Corvid Fangirl. Bigtime. Our local crows are Corvus ossifragus, the Fish Crow. They are playful, intelligent, and highly sociable. Our local Clan Munin has two new fledglings this year, which I named Hoppin and Pippin. They are on the sand dune right now, hunting ghost crabs and bugs. Brunch! They have found good use for my avian cooling station during this hot spring, also.

Hopping in for a second bath.

And then a third....

To mark the end of nesting season, I designed and made Fish Crow bowls. Duncan has a great glaze called Shimmer Black Diamond which has flashes of deep blue, just like a crow's feathers. You can't see it in photos, but it's great IRL.

Fish Crow Bowl central design.

Greenware bowls.

Finished Fish Crow Bowls and SeaCeramic beads.

Have a wonderful weekend walkabout and enjoy the company of your local birds!

Adromischus cristatus, the Key Lime Pie Plant, Blooms!

My original post on the Key Lime Pie Plant, aka Adromischus cristatus, remains one of my top 3 popular blog posts. Who could have guessed?

Adromischus cristatus, MRobb

This plant is now bigger, has had multiple children, and is still going strong. This week, it bloomed next to my blue garden Buddha....

Key Lime Pie Plant and Buddha, MRobb, 2016

You can see that as the plant matures, those orange adventitious roots go nutty, and daughter plants sprout alongside the mother plant. Each leaf can start a new plant, so every once in a while, I pinch off a leaf, dip it in rooting hormone, and "throw it and grow it". Wonderful!
And here's a nice pic of a few American Fish Crows from our local Clan Munin:

American Fish Crows, MRobb, 2016

As I always like to say, they are as intelligent as chimpanzees, and as sociable as we are. Love 'em!
Have a great weekend!

Weekend Walkabout: Munin the Fish Crow and the Bloomin' Babytoes

Babytoes bloomed today, just in time for the weekend. And I finished a difficult painting, a tiny little thing that has been bugging me for months (another in my New Orleans Wall Fragment series), so I put them together for a mini-portrait:

Bloomin' Babytoes with New Orleans Wall Fragment 2, MRobb, 2016

After a whole month of drought, we got a lot of rain (phew, no more evening waterings!), so I thought I'd publish a portrait of Munin, our resident Fish Crow Patriarch and Way Cool Corvid, enjoying the rain on my fence- have I mentioned that Fish Crows are as intelligent as chimps?

Munin in Rain, MRobb, 2016

Here's a more regular portrait of Munin, singing on the balcony while I play my HAPI drum:

Munin at Dawn, MRobb, 2016

And finally, a new soul window, from an indigo center to a bright yellow outer ring. This one will go to the winner of our local poetry contest:

Soul Window, Indigo to Yellow, MRobb, 2016

Have a wonderful weekend and happy gardening!