Ruby Moon Seedlings

I wrote about my seed-starting project a while back. The seeds were harvested from last year's Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean plant. They have taken over one end of my desk and now stand 9-10 inches tall. Hopefully I can plant them outside soon. These are a vine-like plant, with purplish stems and veins and bright green leaves. Late in the summer they have amazing fuschia to purple-colored pea-like pods. I plan to do some studies of them in my Green sketchbook.

Road Trip

I've been up in the mountains, art directing a photo shoot for the past couple of days. The 3-hour drive was inspiring... great colors, beautiful weather, crazy geologic formations to admire. (I need to get out more!)

Green

I have been thinking about a series of collages related to growth, plant forms, roots, etc. That's probably why I am so taken with the seedlings that sit in the window at the end of my desk! Last year when I planted the seeds they took over a month to sprout. Somehow these are up and unfolding within a week. The shapes of the new leaves and the pliable stems stretching toward the light are beautiful and changing hourly it seems! It feels like a science experiment...

Contemporary Recycled Tapestry

When I was in Indiana a few weeks ago I visited the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I had seen photos of tapestries created by African artist El Anatsui but had never seen one in person. Wow -- they are composed of recycled, flattened liquor bottle caps (aluminum) joined together with copper wire. I wish I had been able to photograph it up close. It is spectacular from a distance and captivating on close inspection. This piece is 17 feet wide and hung so that it undulates. The museum website has a video clip that shows its installation along with some closeups and commentary about the piece. Very inspiring!