Solitude

Our pond life suffered from the harsh winters weather. We lost several large koi, catfish, bass and bluegill. Not tragic by any means but when you see them grow up year to year, it is a loss when they are gone. This little shell of a Rose of Sharon seed pod stood on the edge of the pond and made me think of solitude, the passing of the seasons and what is in store for us this year. I love the soft colors, the hue of the frail pod offering itself up to the sunshine and the muted pond in the background. I chose the off kilter composition to make you think and ponder for its meaning. What is it saying to you? Are you listening? I sure hope so!

Yucca Glory

I love yucca seed pods, they have to be my all time favorite and well, I really don't even know why. They are just so intriguing! The little chambers that hold the black seeds in neat and tidy rows. Their skeletal form bursting open like popcorn to expose the treasure inside. The delicate way they open as if holding something wonderfully exquisite. But most of all, I love that they will last through the winter standing upright with such conviction you can't help but notice them in the garden.

Here, they just remind me of a summer snow cone treat although they are only filled with snow from the evenings storm. The color in the photo is such an earthy one with the glorious yellow browns, the extreme winter whites and let's not forget that rich, vibrant royal blue sky. This is one of my favorite photos I have ever taken and now you know why. I hope you will look into the garden and see what remaining treasures are waiting for your attention. Be curious, take a camera and get inspired by nature!

Snow Cones Anyone?

Mother Nature extended our winter season just a bit with a nice heavy watery snow that stuck to absolutely everything yesterday. I loved the way it covered the trees on our road, almost like driving into a magical wintry wonderland. I couldn't help notice all the standing seed pods with their empty silhouettes piled high with bits of packed snow. When you looked around the garden, there was a snow cone in every size and shape imaginable which just made me giggle because of the silly shapes they made. When was the last time you observed your surroundings, I mean really saw what was around you? I hope it was today!

Wonderment

Some Thesaurus words for "peculiar" - abnormal, bent, creepy, curious, extraordinary, freakish, funny, idiosyncratic, kooky, oddball, offbeat, outlandish, quaint, strange, uncommon, unconventional, unusual, wacky, weird, wonderful.

Of course, I love each and every word up above but I think wonderful and oddball are the best descriptions for this Carrion Vine. I wanted to give you a closer look now that the fall weather is starting to turn the leaves a bright yellow hue. From yesterdays photo, you couldn't see all the intricate tendril structure within. Isn't it amazing the discoveries Mother Nature has put on the earth for us to find? I really love her humor and am so glad I stumbled upon this curiosity by random mistake. What peculiarity have you seen lately?

Let it Shine!

I love seed pods and well these just captured my heart. The form, their reach into the sky, the beautiful sunlight casting a golden hue over last years treasure - yes, everything about them spoke to my artistic side. I cropped them extremely to the right to make you give them your full attention for the brief moment you look at my photo. Hope you saw the beauty from my eyes to yours, that was the intention of the post today. To share in nature and really see the details it has to offer, that is my purpose as an artist. Thank you for being a willing participant in my art class today, I really appreciate it!

Radiance

These rose of sharon seed pod casings grabbed my attention almost instantly. The light was giving them a radiant golden yellow hue that spoke to my heart and soul. Not only was the subject lit up but the fanning shapes themselves were just spectacular. I love that you can see the wrinkled center vein in each petal giving movement to an inanimate object. How the light gives it depth and dimension while making you really study the anatomy and beauty of the fragile pod. The light dances from one petal to the next making you try to figure out what it what giving it a moment of intrigue that sends my creative muse twirling in the sunlight. Do you see it? Can you feel the sun giving it life and making you take notice? I sure hope so. I also wonder what you will see the next time you find yourself looking into a ray of light that focuses your attention on something you probably wouldn't have seen before. My wish, that you slow down and appreciate the beauty right in front of you!

Crimson Pod

These exotic crimson colored pods are from the hyacinth bean plant, aren't they gloriously rich? This is what first drew my eye to this vine, the multi colored flowers and the interesting leaves only captivated my attention long enough to know that I needed to bring my camera back and take a lot of photos. The pods dry up and shrivel to a nondescript tan color but I love them just the same because I know their past. I will share the leaves tomorrow because I know you will appreciate them as much as I do and believe me, they will pique your interest, that I promise!

Flower Tower

This is a hyacinth bean flower. It grows up and is a vine-like plant and I so enjoyed capturing this flower tower reaching up to the sunshine. It blooms like this in the fall, not sure what it looks like in the spring because well, it just doesn't grab my attention. The blooms remind me a little of a sweet pea but their symmetrical arrangement is unlike any other plant I've seen. Not only are the colors wonderful to look at but this plant produces a really dark crimson seed pod that forms at the same time as it blooms. I love, love, love this plant and can't wait to grow one of my own. I will share the pod photos tomorrow so make sure you come by to visit :)

Fragments

Some Thesaurus words for "remnants" - balance, bit, dregs, dross, end, excess, fragment, heel, leavings, lees, orts, part, piece, remainder, residual, rest, rump, scrap, shred, surplus, survival, vestige.

The ultimate seed pod for me is the wonderfully complicated yet extremely organized yucca. Although it has its moments of beauty in the long pale silver sage leaves that end with a pointed spike. Or it's tall slender stalk of little plump white blossoms that hang down and move ever so graceful with the slightest breeze. Ending the season with my favorite shaped pods that stand straight up then pop open to show us the rows upon rows of seeds waiting for extraction. Oh yes, I cannot pass them by without sneaking a peek into their little orderly world. Each pod reveals six seed sections carefully encased with a textured form that just calls to me. Let's not even talk about the tiny black treasures inside all stacked up and ready to go into the atmosphere in a moments notice. Who knew they would give me such joy season after season? Thank you Mother Nature for making me take notice to your creation.

Yucca Glory

I couldn't help but share a seed pod covered in a mound of wintry white snow. Doesn't it look like a snow cone with a very interesting handle. The yuccas are one of my favorite garden plants. Not only is the green the most wonderful shade of silver sage but the flowers show up on a huge spike covered with wonderful cream colored blooms. After they are finished, my treasures show up in the seed pods. Not only are they shaped just spectacularly but the tiny seed form little rows inside each section creating a unified colony. Awesome from start to finish!

Word - Whirl

The word for this week is whirl.

Its noun meaning: a rapid rotating or circling movement; something whirling; commotion, bustle, a state of mental confusion.

Its verb meaning: to move or drive in a circle or curve with force or speed; to turn or cause to turn rapidly in circles; to turn abruptly, to move or go quickly; to become dizzy or giddy; reel.

I thought this was a perfect description of this dancing duo. Doesn't it look like they are in a tango position? I loved the composition and can almost hear the music, da da da.....

Highly Prized (SC2)

I reached into my tiny box of treasures and pulled out some of my favorite things to sketch. The time just flew by and I'm so happy with the results. Seed pods, acorns, feathers and leaves - could my creative juices be flowing any freer, not thinking so. I am loving having the opportunity to share with all of you my participation in the sketchbook challenge. It is nice giving myself time to actually sketch and produce a great page for future reference. I hope you are enjoying the challenge as well. Drawing or sketching 10-15 minutes a day will improve your ability to see, define values and make you a better artist in all aspects. Take the time, you are worth it!

Seed Pod Shenanigan

Some Thesaurus words for "joke" - antic, buffoonery, burlesque, caper, drollery, escapade, farce, frolic, gag, game, horseplay, humor, jest, lark, mischief, monkeyshine, parody, pleasantry, prank, pun, quirk, raillery, rib, sally, shenanigan, sport, stunt, tomfoolery, trick, wisecrack, yarn.

Lots of fun words in that group with monkeyshine and tomfoolery being my favorites. Just saying those two make me smile. Here's a challenge for you - work them into a sentence this week and watch peoples faces when they hear those words, he he he :)

I picked this photo because the pods look pasted into the air as if they were glued down as a practical joke. I love when this happens because it gives a different perspective to the actual subject matter and usually creates such clarity on the subject matter. Now, if I only knew what I did to make this happen. Any ideas?

Word - Joke

The word for this week is joke.

Its noun meaning: something said or done to provoke laughter; a brief narrative with a humorous climax.

After this weekend, I needed a good humored word of the week with a photo to go with it. This was taken in Tampa at the SDP Convention a couple years ago. Doesn't it look like the pod is sticking its tongue out at you? I knew it would make you smile!

Picturesque Pinecone

I love this photo because of the prismatic colors of the pine cone - they are almost unnatural. Did you notice the bright red orange hue, the striking peach highlights or the deep blue violet shadows? And let's not even talk about the pale, unobtrusive greenery that surrounds it. Beauty by composition, isn't nature great.

One of my favorite joyous things so far!

Dogwood Fruit

I can remember my excitement the first time we discovered a flower on our dogwood. We had planted four on the property and watched them grow, grow and grown but not a bloom could be found. So, imagine my surprise when fall came around and the flower turned into this charming little curiosity. I must have taken 100 photos just in case it was a fluke - better safe than sorry, right?

Intrigue

This is such an intriguing pod to me. Not only do I not know the plants name (it has delicate little red flowers) but these pods appear in fall each year. They start of this lovely bi-color of green and brown then turn almost burnt sienna and finally a black brown.

This one reminded me of a fairy dress. I know stretch your imagination here and bear with me. Picture the stem part as the tiny waist, add a head and you have a beautifully exotic dress. It would have to be a ballroom adventure in order to pull off this look but I think those charming pixies can do it. Okay, you got me, thinking outside the box again but it is an awfully fun place to visit you know! What did you see?

Amazement

I discovered this tiny treasure in the garden and was totally intrigued by what flower it once was - a stella d'oro lily by the way. I loved the stripped down nature of the pod revealing only the skeletal frame with a couple seeds inside. Something you may have overlooked but it is the promise of next years blossom, wonderment at its finest stage.

Isn't it amazing the way nature works - seed, nurturing, bloom, decay, beauty a second time - seasonal delights for the artist in me for sure! I hope you are seeing the end of the garden season as a great possibility for your senses with each new discovery no matter how great or small.

Vibrant Green

I discovered these chinese lanterns hiding in the flower bed. I caught the sunlight bouncing off their fragile shape and loved how it showcased their compartments. It will eventually turn bright orange then in late fall it will lose all the colorful skin leaving only the vein structure. It is a great plant and so intriguing that I'm glad to know we didn't lose them all. I'll try to get them in their various stages so you can appreciate them as well.

Symmetry

We have flower stalks all over the garden this time of year and it seems like no matter where you look, you will also see some kind of dragonfly resting among them. I loved the symmetry of the dark spotted wings against the tall stem. If only it would have cooperated and lined up the body with the stem it could have been symmetrical perfection! I let a little of the coneflower pink seep in at the edges just to add a touch of color. I love the juxtaposition between the dried and still blooming flowers, it gives it such an alive quality even though my focus is on the burnt out section of the garden. I hope you stop to look and I mean really look at what is around you - you never know what you might discover!