Back in the Garden

It was a frustrating spring. The weather remained cool for a really long time, following an extremely harsh winter that froze the ground to new depths. When things finally did warm up it seemed like I was busy when the sun was shining and the soil was dry and free when it was raining or the soil was still newly wet. I didn't get much in and I almost missed the fresh greens window altogether. Luckily I managed to throw some seeds in and harvest a satisfying crop of spinach and a few heads of lettuce before it got too late. 

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes

When I was free I put a lot of effort into getting all of my tomatoes in the ground. I planted 15 tomato plants including at least 7 varieties. Shortly after I got my last plant in the ground we took off for our annual week in Minnesota. It was a refreshing week of saying "yes" to the kids as often as possible. We kayaked, fished, swam, played in the sand, rode bikes, went on an exciting tractor ride and watched fireworks explode almost directly above our heads. (I have never had such an amazing spot to watch fireworks from during such a spectacular show - well done Park Rapids!) When we returned our yard was overtaken by weeds, the grass was overgrown, etc. etc. etc. Now, in mid-July I finally found the time to venture into my garden with my camera. The first three shoots produced a disappointing series of photos, reminding me that photography must be practiced just like every other discipline and I am definitely out of practice. Despite the disappointing show on my computer, I still enjoyed myself. It is always fun to dive into an overgrown garden and see the beauty that lives within. 

First up - Tomato Plants, mostly the variety Tigerella this time.

Sungold Cherry Tomato Blossoms

Bulgarian Triumph Tomato Blossoms

(Oh how I love the texture)

Baby Tigerella Tomato

Baby Tigerella Tomatoes

Tigerella Tomatoes

Tigerella Tomato Plant

Wood

Lately I have really enjoyed working with and painting on wood. I still work with the steel siding, but wood has held the greater appeal most recently. I love the warm tone that underlies my images and the how the wood grain shows through. I also love that it is free. It does take some work to prepare it if I want a smooth surface, but that doesn't cost me anything other than time. ( I realize the casualness of that sentence makes it sound like time is something I have a lot of, and like most people that is untrue! However, lucky for me, I enjoy the process)

My next painting is on three panels of old weathered wood from a crate. It was slightly weathered when Eric brought it home from work a year and a half ago, but I went ahead and let it sit out by the garden to cycle with the seasons, randomly rotating the boards, until two weeks ago. All that exposure caused the surface to darken quite a bit more. I'm almost done with another painting and I like to start prepping the surface for a new painting before I'm actually ready for it so there is not much lag time between paintings. The three boards next to each other were pretty close to the dimensions that I wanted, so down to the wood shop they went. 

I'm not planing this wood. I like the tone and texture of it, so it only needed to be cleaned a little, measured and put together. My intention was to get started on the it right away, but I got a little carried away looking at it and then I had to go and get my camera. 

I love how the wood grain is raised and looks like sunbursts around the knots. 

The texture is amazing. This last photo reminds me of an arial landscape shot of just about any midwestern state. 

I had a good time exploring the surface of the wood before I put it all together. Now it's my pastels that are doing the exploring as they form the beginnings of a sprouted apple seed on the newly prepared surface. Working with the texture is challenging, but I'm enjoying it so far. 

Seed. Plant. Food. *Revised Artist Statement - Barnes and Noble Photography Show*

Seed. Plant. Food. I find a wealth of inspiration in my garden. It all has the potential to be something beautiful to the eye as well as to the stomach. 

From a distance my garden usually looks pretty wild and crazy. I get close up and study the plants. They are extraordinarily beautiful. The texture, the color, the form. I observe the stretching and unfurling of the cucumber leaves and the delicate beauty of the bean, tomato and squash blossoms. The way the sungold cherry tomatoes ripen down the line is musical. My garden is a feast for the senses.

Several techniques capture the elements that I find captivating in the gardening process.  I use oil pastels, oil paint and recycled materials to create the images of the seeds in the moment of awakening, a moment that is typically not witnessed. Photography is used to capture all of the activity in the garden once the seeds have broken through the surface. I use photography as a way to temper the liveliness of the healthy plants, that can often be overwhelming, and spotlight their elegance. 

New Gallery Representation

EDIT: I am sorry to say that my relationship with the Crooked Canvas has mostly ended. Three photographs of Shullsburg remain there, but my paintings have all come home. It was wonderful to work with the owners but the gallery started to move in a different direction and my work no longer fit in as well. If you are in Shullsburg and you would like to explore your creative side stop in and schedule a time to create your own masterpiece!. 

The Crooked Canvas 

203 W. Water St.

Shullsburg, WI 53586

http://crookedcanvas.com

Is the current home of many of my paintings and photographs! 

I took a nice drive to Shullsburg, WI Saturday, February 22 to drop off a number of my paintings and photographs to be displayed in this new art gallery. It was an easy two hours from Cedar Rapids, about 40 minutes across the border from Dubuque, IA. I'm excited to have some of my art displayed in this gorgeous, light filled space.

Shullsburg, WI is a small town with good old fashioned charm. It is about 30 minutes north of Galena, IL and just under 2 hours from Madison, WI. It is the home of Shullsburg creamery, the producer of the delicious cheddar cheese that I often buy right here in Cedar Rapids. 

 It has a nice downtown area.

A few Antique shops . . . 

A few restaurants, like this one - The Water Street Pub and Eatery. In case you can't see the sign it is a self declared "Foodie Destination". I did eat lunch there and I will say that it was mighty delicious pub food.

Main Street is full of the architectural details that I love in small midwestern towns, like brick store fronts . . . 

Wrought iron stair cases and fences. . . 

And stores and restaurants with warm, inviting lighting on a cold winter day. 

February Photos at Barnes and Noble

For the month of February I have the privilege of displaying some photos in the cafe at Barnes and Noble.

Since gardening is on my mind this month these are the photos I chose.

After Christmas all the color seems to fade away. Everything is a shade of brown and black with lots of white. I love the vibrant green of these leaves and the negative spaces they create within the photo.

I love this photo for the texture and the color. Yellow is one of my favorite colors. It makes me happy. I  like the spiny texture of the curly leaves above the blossom in contrast with the soft petals of the flower. 

Watching the sungold cheery tomatoes ripening is musical. It's the visual accompaniment to the ping of a xylophone. 

So delicate, so beautiful. 

I adore squash blossoms. They are like nature's fireworks, pointing for the sky as they grow and then exploding in gorgeous, deep yellow color. The different textures from beginning to end are amazing.

Mmmmmmm.

I love the way the light hits the hairs around the edges of these Holland White cucumber leaves and highlights the veins in the middle. During the summer months I walk out every morning to check on the progress of my garden and scout for any problems with pests, etc. Checking on the cucumbers is always the most exciting because they seem to grow so fast and change so much from day to day and sometimes from morning to night. 

Tomatoes are the fruit that I look forward to growing the most every year. They are so delicious fresh and we also go through jars and jars and jars every winter. There are so many blossoms on the tomato plants all season long that it is a little overwhelming to photograph sometimes - trying to find a new way to capture them is a challenge. From a short distance they all look the same, but each plant has slightly different blossoms. I liked this shot because of the echo of activity and extra colors just behind the subject. 

Something about looking at a newly sprouted seed makes me say, "ahhhhhhh". I can only imagine that as the sensation after being dry and curled up in a dormant state for so many months to finally emerge green, plump and searching for sunlight and nutrients. This is also a stage when is fun to check on the status of the plants. At this point they not only change from morning to night, but also from hour to hour.

My pear tree. Last summer was an exciting year for me and my Everbearing Collette pear tree. It was the first year since planting that it produced a significant amount of fruit. It was beautiful from first blossom to harvest. 

Unframed 8 x 10 prints can be purchased for $18 and the framed prints hanging in the cafe can be purchased for $30. Contact me at kimmelion@yahoo.com 

Sending warm, spring and summer like thoughts out into the cybersphere on this subzero February day! 

Another Hike and Another Display at Barnes and Noble

I recently learned that a park very close to my house has an actual hiking trail. I had always thought it contained a few roads up to some secluded shelters for picnics and of course the main playground and pool, but no real trails. I was wrong. Since I haven't been too enthusiastic about running in the snow and freezing temps, I decided to give up the running shoes and throw on a pair of boots, get out and go for a brisk walk and check out this trail. I hiked around a bit in the timber before I found the main trail, and truthfully getting off the main path is often more fun. I took my camera to get in some practice shots while I was walking. 

I think taking photos in the winter is a special kind of challenge. 

Everything looks a little desolate and it seems like there are only a few varieties of brown and white to really look at. Finding a beautiful shot is more work than it is in the summer when I can go into my garden and with every quarter turn of the camera I find some new incredible blossom, leaf or color to photograph. Winter photography also seems to require kneeling or lying down in the cold snow. The biggest lesson I learned today is that I need to buy a pair of snow pants. Layering isn't cutting it. 

The second lesson I learned today was about camera angle. . . or that I need to get a better handle on my camera's light metering system. Either way, I produced very different photos by simply shifting the angle of my camera. The berries against the snow look dark, shadowy and uninspiring. But . . .

when I get lower and shift the lens up so that the background is no longer snow, but the abundance of brown brush and twigs, the berries virtually glow. The color is gorgeous. 

It seems like many of the berries have vanished from the bushes, but I managed to find the few that are left. 

The shriveled look of the remaining berries adds a little extra edge to the numbing cold.

I love looking into the trees that have fallen. This one looks like a mouth waiting to consume an unsuspecting forest animal. 

Not so long after the ferocious looking trunk I walked paste this "flower".

I found a nice area of brush with some great curls and shapes just after I decided that I could not tolerate the cold anymore. It would have been great to spend more time playing around with all the brittle tendrils. Next time.

And now on to a warmer state of mind. 

It is February, I have received nearly all of the seed catalogues that I am going to get, garden dreaming is in full swing and soon seed starting will be too. 

I had another opportunity to hang art in the Barnes and Noble cafe in Cedar Rapids for the month of February. I went for it and hung ten photos taken in my garden last summer. 

Looking at them all together made me feel warmer. I like winter, but it feels good to know that spring and summer are not far away. 

If you can, go in and check them out. If not, all of the photos are included in 2013 posts on this blog. Framed and unframed prints are for sale. Unframed prints are $18 and framed prints are $30.