When I look at the wonder of nature, I am in awe!   Each, and every thing I come across is a treasure to me.  Birds, butterflies, trees (I love trees), flowers, I love them all.  My yard has transitioned from very, very green, and lush to drought tolerant.  Some of it forced, most of it by choice!  I love to look at what others have designed, and implemented into  their landscapes, and  every once in a while, I’ll find someone who has been way too creative for a novice.  It shows that they have put a great deal of thought into how they put together a front yard, or  a design element in the garden.  I see things all the time that remind me to be more open minded and think outside the box!  Funny thing is, I always think I am outside the box, and just about the time Im feeling particularly clever, I’ll see something someone else has thought of, and wonder why I didn’t think of that!

This time I painted leaves!  This is outside the box, right?   It’s  something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and hadn’t tried.  Now, I admit a project like this  needs to be thought through. Most of these kind of projects take a little more time than we realize.  I pressed the leaves over night, painted medium on them to preserve their flexibility, and stenciled, painted, and sprayed with a fixative!  They are a little rough, and as the leaf  project resurfaces again and again, I’m sure that they will look  better each time.  The ideas are endless, with  so many different shaped leaves to work with!  It could be fun to gather unusual leaves, or leaves great for painting, press them, and allow them to wait for just the right moment.  This is coming to you from a person who saves just about everything, just in case!  That’s what I call a “Mixed Media artist,” some would call it hoarder!”    Surely those people aren’t artists?  When I do throw something out, it’s picked up by our local trash company, and hauled away!    Well, that’s when I need it the most.  Always, I needed that, and  wonder why on earth I threw it out?

Todays challenge is to paint, sketch, collage, or anything else you can think of, living from the yard.  Leaves while they aren’t technically living, they were still flexible, and I did  coat them with medium to preserve them!   I chose leaves, but  you may want to use something else!

I continue to encourage all of you to join in as much as you can, post comments, and enjoy my blog.