Yellow, pink and blue irises bloomed near my door this month!
I’m starting to paint again.
Also, I’m updating my web site at www.lizmacklin.com
Iris
Category: garden
Wings, Woodlands and Watercolor
Sunday afternoon at the park. Enjoy the animals — owls, hawks, tortoises, snakes. Drop by to watch and talk or bring your sketchbook and your paints.
Students from HB Woodlawn school will host activities for kids and demonstrate a variety of art techniques.
I’ll be painting, and I’ll be eager to discuss gardens, nature drawing, book design, popups and inspiration from the far east, especially Korean kimonos and embroidery.
Stop by and say hello!
Potomac Overlook Regional Park, — Marcey Road off Military Road, Arlington, Virginia
Sunday, June 6 — 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Radishes, Rise Up!
After months of neglect and three feet of February snow, my garden’s a maze of sticks, weeds and whatever else fell from the sky. A few shoots of parsley and a bed of lemon thyme are springing back to life. Time to break out the rakes, trowel and garden gloves.
I usually plant tomatoes, peppers and squash, but maybe I should try a few new vegetables this year. Radishes? What else would be tasty? Any ideas?
I’ve found useful advice from Tony Maniezzo, food garden horticulturalist at the Botanical Garden of the University of British Columbia.
Nature Drawing and Painting
It’s time to draw and paint outdoors! Join me and more than 40 other artists at the spring art festival at Fort C. F. Smith Park.
We’ll celebrate with an opening reception and exhibit on Friday, March 19th from 6 to 8 pm. Drawings, paintings, ceramics and glass will be on view all week in the historic Hendry House at 2411 N. 24th Street in Arlington.
There will be workshops, lectures and concerts — all free and open to the public. For anyone interested in sketching outdoors, Jocelyn Hunn and and I will lead nature drawing from noon to 2 pm on Saturday, March 20th. We’ll sketch flora and fauna throughout the park using easy techniques. All ages and abilities are welcome. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
For information about the full week of programs, see the Arlington Artists Alliance website. To register for workshops, e-mail sparkerart@yahoo.com.
Strawberries
Strawberries. You can grow them in pots on a deck. Just find a sunny space, fill your containers with soil or growing medium, add your plants and then water. Don’t forget the TLC.
I have a small garden plot outside my kitchen door. We pick berries for breakfast!
For more information on growing strawberries in containers, read the advice in the How to Garden Guide.
Blue House | watercolor on grey background | 5″ by 6″ | NFS
February Snow
Grey clouds. Icicles on the trees. White streets dotted with colors. Cars muffled by an airy, frozen quilt. At the first snow I become a tourist in my own town.
As I walk through my neighborhood, I start thinking about winter gardens. For sparkling textures and winter color, I look for ideas at the web site of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Of course, my children always wanted to lure rabbits to our back yard. That’s possible with advice from this article called Inviting Wildlife into Your Garden by Claire Hagen Dole.
Liz Macklin -- Writer & Illustrator 