tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74751752434561857472024-03-14T03:19:04.089-07:00Megan Seagren's JournalPainting, photography, gardening, and illustrated short storiesMegan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-38666651826196883152017-05-30T21:03:00.004-07:002017-06-01T08:37:33.645-07:00How to Plan a Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6dzM46r8QFFGDCglvXjr6hryvTR8LzVlKTLoJlJna6-JKd4y6YGnIlBlU8V3Mm5mPpFAW59DzaikYHPZr9EpOthXDFR84i4sxy9sMFs6KrP8BkahaHO-4T9q9lFs0ALIczWcbV2L0zk/s1600/DSCF2758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6dzM46r8QFFGDCglvXjr6hryvTR8LzVlKTLoJlJna6-JKd4y6YGnIlBlU8V3Mm5mPpFAW59DzaikYHPZr9EpOthXDFR84i4sxy9sMFs6KrP8BkahaHO-4T9q9lFs0ALIczWcbV2L0zk/s320/DSCF2758.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Paula commented on my <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2017/05/planting-new-pacific-northwest-shade.html" target="_blank">recent gardening post</a> that she doesn’t know where to begin planning a garden. While I’m no expert, I’ve planted a few and can offer suggestions about things to think about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
Investment</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Creating a garden takes an investment of time and money, but I expect you'll find the reward is well worth it. Gardening can improve your health (gardening gets you outdoors and active), put you in better spirits (digging in dirt is proven to relieve depression), and give you a sense of accomplishment and pride from creating a thing of beauty. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Before you begin buying plants and digging, though, decide about how much time and money you want to put in. If you're new to gardening, you may want to start with a small piece of ground at first and expand on it as you learn and experience some success. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Money.</b> Perennial plants are more expensive to buy, but
provide a needed foundation for your garden. They get bigger from year to year and
over time give you more bang for your buck. Annual plants are good fillers and
provide color, but you must replace them every year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Time.</b> “Easy care” gardens are a bit of a myth. Some gardens
are easier to care for than others, but you will always have to water, weed, trim,
and prune if you want to keep yours looking nice. Bear in mind, too, that although
grass requires care, it typically takes less time than a garden to keep up. You
might want to keep most of your yard in grass. Incidentally, you can save some
work by letting your lawn go completely dormant in the summer. </span></div>
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Sun and shade</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Next consider the garden space itself. How much sun and
shade does it get? How does this change with the seasons? Some plants
need full sun most of the day, some can only live in a shady spot, and others
thrive in part sun, part shade. You’ll need to pick out the right plants for
your location. The garden center plant tag will tell you how much sun or shade
the plant requires.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji97zIG0VVkU0le-7LdbwLsr-nE_eTbM2QDcPulYCB9FFJ8FPj348TNkj2wPADHllJka2iPfp-zNe255SHlCzt_p3Oyy1TUAcqFK8EjSurJAaxjPgbCpVnBQx8_rilnoCPz0XAgqhWv68/s1600/DSCF3432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji97zIG0VVkU0le-7LdbwLsr-nE_eTbM2QDcPulYCB9FFJ8FPj348TNkj2wPADHllJka2iPfp-zNe255SHlCzt_p3Oyy1TUAcqFK8EjSurJAaxjPgbCpVnBQx8_rilnoCPz0XAgqhWv68/s320/DSCF3432.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shaded garden needs shade-loving plants.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeli3sY8pGW6-y4r2mGb8NopjYV7fhAvxW8g5QkRiqx3FPzJc8EAdX4T3kvYoiyWA2oUOF3jGqWIImCKJjenbP8TwVCyZHb4nybHnrwlhyphenhyphensKB4IUIc76EFYgBy-TjtytBzk281bidjTCw/s1600/DSCF3402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeli3sY8pGW6-y4r2mGb8NopjYV7fhAvxW8g5QkRiqx3FPzJc8EAdX4T3kvYoiyWA2oUOF3jGqWIImCKJjenbP8TwVCyZHb4nybHnrwlhyphenhyphensKB4IUIc76EFYgBy-TjtytBzk281bidjTCw/s320/DSCF3402.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roses need full sun.</td></tr>
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Soil type</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">What type of soil do you have? Unless the area was
previously used for a garden, the soil is probably less than perfect. Is it full
of clay, and difficult to dig up, or is it sandy so it dries out too quickly? You
will probably need to amend the soil with the right ingredients to correct
these conditions. For clay soil, use sand, peat, and compost to help keep the
soil from compacting around the plant roots and suffocating them. For sandy soil,
use lots and lots of compost to help retain moisture and provide nutrients. When
you add soil amendments, dig them into at least the top six inches. Your goal
should be to end up with soil that you can easily scoop up in your hand. When
you squeeze it, it should hold a shape that easily falls apart. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Another aspect of soil is acidity and alkalinity. Generally,
soils in rainy climates like we have here in the Pacific Northwest are acidic.
Acid loving plants like rhododendrons, camellias, heathers and heaths, and
azaleas love this soil. Other plants do not. To make the soil more alkaline,
you can add lime. Pick up a PH gauge at your local garden store and use it to
analyze your soil and figure out how much lime you need to add, if any. As your
garden center pro what type of soil your chosen plants need. Also, be sure to
plant acid loving plants apart from your alkaline loving plants so they can all
thrive in the right soil type.</span></div>
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Water</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Most plants need an inch of water a week, either from rain
or watering. Xeriscaping is a good idea, but even in a xeriscape, you need to
water plants for the first two years to get them established. Watering a garden
by hand minimizes the amount of water you use, but is very time-consuming. Other
options are putting in an underground watering system, usually on a timer or
designing your garden space to make it easy to cover with a sprinkler or other
types of above-ground watering gadgets. Some people collect water in rain
barrels or cisterns to use for their landscape watering needs.</span></div>
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Garden design</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It’s a good idea to draw a scale picture of your garden and
plant placement so you can make sure it’s going to work. One garden design
approach that I like calls for papas, mamas, and babies. Papas are
full-size trees like oak, maple, fir, elm, etc. Mamas are smaller trees like
cherry and Japanese maple and extra-large shrubs. Babies are smaller shrubs. The
principal says for every papa have three mamas and for every mama have nine
babies. Then fill in with the smallest shrubs and plants. In a small yard like ours, a cherry tree serves as the papa, and we scale down from there. Generally, you place
the tallest plants in the back of the garden and add progressively shorter
plants moving towards the front.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">An interesting garden design combines plants with different
leaf shapes and foliage colors for contrast. If you plan to use flowering
plants, consider colors and timing of the blooms. Do you want an impressive
flower bed that looks spectacular during one season, or do you want your garden
to be interesting and colorful for three, or even four seasons? Visit your
garden center at different times of the year and see what plants are featured.
Note which ones you like the best and will fit with your overall design. Also,
be sure to include plants that keep their foliage year-round to avoid having a
barren garden in the winter. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbolKEoTeK-FDIQ_ioOcH7h3t8KrcGnF0jLmPtKkEVFwOuVtf-rAPC0LD6Ma-8Rrsb1eT2Hx-jAdSIDWEjQwAQJQlePJeYziiJIu_phwU0fnid4UboknFP5qzJ6DzIJ-Zv0QlgicOQrE/s1600/Lots+of+contrast.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="901" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbolKEoTeK-FDIQ_ioOcH7h3t8KrcGnF0jLmPtKkEVFwOuVtf-rAPC0LD6Ma-8Rrsb1eT2Hx-jAdSIDWEjQwAQJQlePJeYziiJIu_phwU0fnid4UboknFP5qzJ6DzIJ-Zv0QlgicOQrE/s320/Lots+of+contrast.PNG" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This garden has lots of contrasting foliage colors and shapes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlVHYvkTusd3WwNha_rNPKeCYrsoF8_5RdVFL02i4ydbLRIR0b5RLH9d_fiU-MJSUMNfcCnhyphenhyphenTk4Znj6ovurkZqzsVj7K44m143RuaXZ8g_b2dd4HrBwXGzIIBT3amp-Kef18cYaNrn4/s1600/Ongoing+blooms.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1282" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlVHYvkTusd3WwNha_rNPKeCYrsoF8_5RdVFL02i4ydbLRIR0b5RLH9d_fiU-MJSUMNfcCnhyphenhyphenTk4Znj6ovurkZqzsVj7K44m143RuaXZ8g_b2dd4HrBwXGzIIBT3amp-Kef18cYaNrn4/s320/Ongoing+blooms.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roses bloom all summer and fall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ut1dpZ9j7_e_KHMMdh77KoF681GDrDZCfzyyMKaKicQviCRVMB7xt6jIxgi50G1SL_v-kWDKX4W9RZQKzkpGBL28pAH2a0tdKdywzhkXcAeBGPkOB3shaRJxazrdFNE0CPVFZM0aYlc/s1600/Showy+display+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="801" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ut1dpZ9j7_e_KHMMdh77KoF681GDrDZCfzyyMKaKicQviCRVMB7xt6jIxgi50G1SL_v-kWDKX4W9RZQKzkpGBL28pAH2a0tdKdywzhkXcAeBGPkOB3shaRJxazrdFNE0CPVFZM0aYlc/s320/Showy+display+2.PNG" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhododendrons showy blooms last for only a few weeks in the spring.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplu3x7HXFGWdZr_XZsdixp0-1rB82QJQPO_hVOr7AldCFOHqXeuAcfH7wGfT1gfh88sJaNd8Q_EI2UWfZL9jthDUnhc1AD1m24b-Fn0h5WhEPyo7GBK4bg_BssZCWTEzM0J7qpuiW750/s1600/Nice+foliage.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="437" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplu3x7HXFGWdZr_XZsdixp0-1rB82QJQPO_hVOr7AldCFOHqXeuAcfH7wGfT1gfh88sJaNd8Q_EI2UWfZL9jthDUnhc1AD1m24b-Fn0h5WhEPyo7GBK4bg_BssZCWTEzM0J7qpuiW750/s320/Nice+foliage.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even though their bloom time is limited, rhododendrons keep their leaves all year round and keep your garden from looking barren in the winter.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
Plant selection</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In addition to foliage shape and color, pay attention to
plant size. If the tag on a shrub says it will grow 5 feet high and wide in 10
years, realize that it will grow to at least 10 feet in 20 years. This
consideration is particularly important with trees because they’re hard to
move. If you plant a small tree right next to your house, and it grows too
large for its allotted space, you’re probably going to need to cut it down. While
you can prune trees and shrubs to make them smaller, they have a way of quickly
growing back to their natural size. With trees, also consider the root system.
Does the tree have a tap root that grows downwards, or does it have roots that
spread and can eventually crack patios, sidewalks, and even your foundation if
placed too close?</span></div>
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<h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
Flexibility</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Every rule of gardening can be broken successfully if done
with care. You can place acid lovers and alkaline lovers in the same part of
your garden if you treat the soil around each one according to its preference.
You can put tall plants in front of short plant to a dramatic effect. Spikey
flowering plants work very well in front of shorter bushier plants, for
example. </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And just like living room furniture, you can move plants
around. If one gets too big for its location, it may be possible to dig it up
and move it or simply remove it and replace it with something else. If you get
tired of part of your design, go ahead and change it. Rip out old plants and
put in new ones. It’s your garden, after all. Enjoy it!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93lkZ9b-_-gO7IVfUqqpp2YI9y7Ih6Egs0lXqN74OwRMdXqcQDmTdJ838IZqlilyq8_0KsV10PXXziO58ewmb78YV-78y_9Hz-t_43yImAta6GRhvT7C8O14tvzVVciA8JSs_6YVeQsc/s1600/Showy+display.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="339" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93lkZ9b-_-gO7IVfUqqpp2YI9y7Ih6Egs0lXqN74OwRMdXqcQDmTdJ838IZqlilyq8_0KsV10PXXziO58ewmb78YV-78y_9Hz-t_43yImAta6GRhvT7C8O14tvzVVciA8JSs_6YVeQsc/s320/Showy+display.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peonies bloom for a few weeks in spring, but their foliage remains attractive through the summer. In winter, it dies down to the ground. </td></tr>
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Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-87911891910159997172017-05-29T20:00:00.000-07:002017-05-31T07:16:39.762-07:00Planting a New Pacific Northwest Shade Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/05/plants-for-pacific-northwest-shade.html" target="_blank">Plants for Pacific Northwest shade gardens</a> post of several years ago has been so popular that I decided to write about the new shade garden we started in 2011.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSkYVXJWHU4GxRj7ef40omZPgYy386nvvUEtUqZ7cVtDYEeM4Rpti8bOkDP_80XC5ItRoUGojDjuzqxr_RmvYj2gl5l7QFcXtLKoiyepuFLBSHBNwg5l7EHFFa5N44FP9CffK38NrTGE/s1600/DSCF2817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSkYVXJWHU4GxRj7ef40omZPgYy386nvvUEtUqZ7cVtDYEeM4Rpti8bOkDP_80XC5ItRoUGojDjuzqxr_RmvYj2gl5l7QFcXtLKoiyepuFLBSHBNwg5l7EHFFa5N44FP9CffK38NrTGE/s400/DSCF2817.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a view from our kitchen window last year when the Foxglove and blue Campanula were blooming. The tree with the white leaves is a Japanese Maple called Floating Cloud. Creating interest in the front row with colorful foliage is a Chocolate Huechera and a chartreuse Feverfew. </td></tr>
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In 2010, we moved into a 1945 cottage in Seattle. The previous homeowners weren't gardeners, so there wasn't much in the way of plant life in our small city yard. The view out our kitchen window was particularly dismal, and we made it a top priority to change it. One problem was an ugly concrete retaining wall between our yard and the backyard neighbor's. To cover it up, we decided to use plants along the wall that would grow up tall and wide. Because the area is shaded by a large European Bird Cherry, we used shade-tolerant rhododendrons and camellias. Once they got big, they would create a lovely green screen year-round. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOSrq3WU9UohNOUU2r2fXtQDlxPyrJtWwegNHda8xmH5Y8IGb3U50wmCsZjuLUZUqkBcOUnGffUIBxiCXpdqzHrIkphbPHrCRCj3DnwjQGg5TaKUtZyG9ftdjhhURMYCvGCRVwE2iLWM/s1600/_DSC1005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOSrq3WU9UohNOUU2r2fXtQDlxPyrJtWwegNHda8xmH5Y8IGb3U50wmCsZjuLUZUqkBcOUnGffUIBxiCXpdqzHrIkphbPHrCRCj3DnwjQGg5TaKUtZyG9ftdjhhURMYCvGCRVwE2iLWM/s400/_DSC1005.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's what the back corner of the garden looked like in 2013, two years after we started planting things. You can see why we wanted to cover up the concrete wall, not to mention the metal stripping at the bottom of the neighbor's garage, which you can see above the wall. In front of the wall we planted four camellias that will eventually grow 10 feet or taller and three rhododendronsk that will also grow quite tall and bushy. In this photo, you can see the King George Loderi species rhododendron to the right of the tree. Full grown, it will be quite large.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPjhlqSQ1naDs2UgWYeizjkwIiI-33XG5wjq1iqiFbXC_9pbtFEZFeEocEDP6B6Jb-dvaa7xpiLkA7qFbuy8hyphenhyphenYE6cNObKHRcd4TqlqTsrLgxFfhXOKsF6bnfJ6c2GYQsILN6AeH_C6I/s1600/DSCF3429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPjhlqSQ1naDs2UgWYeizjkwIiI-33XG5wjq1iqiFbXC_9pbtFEZFeEocEDP6B6Jb-dvaa7xpiLkA7qFbuy8hyphenhyphenYE6cNObKHRcd4TqlqTsrLgxFfhXOKsF6bnfJ6c2GYQsILN6AeH_C6I/s400/DSCF3429.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's what that part of the garden looks like this afternoon. King George has grown up to almost cover the neighbor's garage window. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLHnZk8hWmxqcV1Z_Nmg3QMBjhiSdsyiqQ8H4XFsnUwhhrpHOi9BJLu_59VWTyuKZ0nH5mdGDFlRzPK_Lnj1K7bfjPkrOQY0i3OdAVCwR7065yvu91DeC0dsB3vGz6EIO4OZWJd35MGk/s1600/_DSC1009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLHnZk8hWmxqcV1Z_Nmg3QMBjhiSdsyiqQ8H4XFsnUwhhrpHOi9BJLu_59VWTyuKZ0nH5mdGDFlRzPK_Lnj1K7bfjPkrOQY0i3OdAVCwR7065yvu91DeC0dsB3vGz6EIO4OZWJd35MGk/s400/_DSC1009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a photo taken after we planted a Bleeding Heart between King George and the tree, Rhododendron Nancy Evans is in the front of the photo, and a tree fern is to her left. We filled in with some Irish moss for groundcover. Blue bells to the left came with the yard. I'm still trying to control them. :|</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj318TpiZR7P7lWg6p4uCqCBcXaHG99aSWM2g2rgNc28JYTNFo1BKWokVH41vY-HGakYWauNGdfnB-U1RkkyrtGlmHKeNBlsWG1-Q29klIALMH-ROVg-2G3At3CjhplcoJL4MhIyi-5lQ/s1600/DSCF3426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj318TpiZR7P7lWg6p4uCqCBcXaHG99aSWM2g2rgNc28JYTNFo1BKWokVH41vY-HGakYWauNGdfnB-U1RkkyrtGlmHKeNBlsWG1-Q29klIALMH-ROVg-2G3At3CjhplcoJL4MhIyi-5lQ/s400/DSCF3426.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rhododendron Anna Kruschke with her magenta blooms covers quite a bit of concrete, and very prettily.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDlqGXvxQSvghwyJrj1eTbrwBArQvZCxLOPDAXYRTp63DWwk-hvui36Eci6ZSkmVxdJk5_iclFfM0W90l8U1Nr9kptSboAbx3zwZFax8h62bZPzoVR7qmu4DPGQy30uHhGpjUEY9y6gg/s1600/_DSC1055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDlqGXvxQSvghwyJrj1eTbrwBArQvZCxLOPDAXYRTp63DWwk-hvui36Eci6ZSkmVxdJk5_iclFfM0W90l8U1Nr9kptSboAbx3zwZFax8h62bZPzoVR7qmu4DPGQy30uHhGpjUEY9y6gg/s400/_DSC1055.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhododendron Honey Butter, my personal favorite. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfy-zT293hejO19w5dCGAL0ySyOPUzACb07bsz9aXdl1_O9B9eEb-NecnN9UVbqg9I1fLpcgG9Umfs_XY-G6GkSvOX10HaF7616XKFUtEOIwMNB20a8Yu2pKGgxoh09j9MtMt3RJDxBA/s1600/_DSC1068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfy-zT293hejO19w5dCGAL0ySyOPUzACb07bsz9aXdl1_O9B9eEb-NecnN9UVbqg9I1fLpcgG9Umfs_XY-G6GkSvOX10HaF7616XKFUtEOIwMNB20a8Yu2pKGgxoh09j9MtMt3RJDxBA/s400/_DSC1068.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've used Rhododendron Nancy Evans in several places. In this photo, she's in full bloom. The earlier photo shows the color of her buds, which have a lot of orange. Rhododendron Mrs. Furnival is in the upper left corner of the photo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWPntSTMX0x9egV7jSsFt33H90Fq7GZ5o3yAUF3Lc_PHExDQxJv1PExk6tZ9DHkLVy_Zk9CUQQ2icoeWf3EKHMFFIJEBitNK-BSMfA3j4QCCMAHfDbYRpXKZe8Q6pOJZw_Y72dY3_TRM/s1600/DSCF3390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWPntSTMX0x9egV7jSsFt33H90Fq7GZ5o3yAUF3Lc_PHExDQxJv1PExk6tZ9DHkLVy_Zk9CUQQ2icoeWf3EKHMFFIJEBitNK-BSMfA3j4QCCMAHfDbYRpXKZe8Q6pOJZw_Y72dY3_TRM/s400/DSCF3390.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind the glider is a Chinese tree rhododendron. It will grow very tall. You may see why we've nicknamed her Audrey III. It looks like she's about to eat the glider. To the left of the tree rhodie is a Vine Maple tree. In front of the glider is a Chocolate Heuchera (aka Coral Bells) that provides foliage contrast. In the bottom left isOxalis ground cover. Ferns fill in between larger plants throughout the garden.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPKhDNxZtqgLbR_A945x2EAxQHC3ygldrKQe1xxNMt5Ip92Rz0u44eBa5YlAQTAjyf3xWBWAJ9aDAc4oViKMZ8SXYv5ezwqbSrL6xaUFp4f8stbndgLfK7jvTHiEnh3OWlv-CnQZ_lhI/s1600/DSCF2710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPKhDNxZtqgLbR_A945x2EAxQHC3ygldrKQe1xxNMt5Ip92Rz0u44eBa5YlAQTAjyf3xWBWAJ9aDAc4oViKMZ8SXYv5ezwqbSrL6xaUFp4f8stbndgLfK7jvTHiEnh3OWlv-CnQZ_lhI/s400/DSCF2710.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King George Loderi buds. The flowers in full bloom are huge.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIx1XjXokGjOaLQrbaphdaMyEeHIdNua-VPrE2rwK3gbHltp_YcvRHi0inHcCQQVO0Bvy7IhH72FXeuKjGdlN4GpwZpoKIhRezFB4wWfUwCwBoqPILEDc-nu-AcdwRwfBKJdJhglZxI0/s1600/DSCF2757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIx1XjXokGjOaLQrbaphdaMyEeHIdNua-VPrE2rwK3gbHltp_YcvRHi0inHcCQQVO0Bvy7IhH72FXeuKjGdlN4GpwZpoKIhRezFB4wWfUwCwBoqPILEDc-nu-AcdwRwfBKJdJhglZxI0/s400/DSCF2757.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhododendron Mrs. Furnival</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtm5VzsJzFW6-fGmBLbniPDC7zIehkGq14Ut2e6MlJ8jQuOewff1ZnhcsvHEPGGNwXhj2FrhYA9Abu5QKfXZjz_jI8-Q7co05Ou9ILTcGljosKFZW26SD5Gz_oBrPOAVTkOrgTI6bkRf8/s1600/_DSC1033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtm5VzsJzFW6-fGmBLbniPDC7zIehkGq14Ut2e6MlJ8jQuOewff1ZnhcsvHEPGGNwXhj2FrhYA9Abu5QKfXZjz_jI8-Q7co05Ou9ILTcGljosKFZW26SD5Gz_oBrPOAVTkOrgTI6bkRf8/s400/_DSC1033.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We tucked Evergreen huckleberries here and there, and get to enjoy fresh berries in our pancakes in the summer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GRV6fIITwQ9wTY70Ayf7_cUA9YVYYJcRr-GgLSHo3K_9azaIdCY-0M7wwDuTOLnYGhbTxqaRO4t2EG4b4_-1R1CH1iicPTVsYEgHxaiLK0F4KoHtrHwyr4d7XRZQiMbdSRrnWQb0z-o/s1600/DSCF3394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GRV6fIITwQ9wTY70Ayf7_cUA9YVYYJcRr-GgLSHo3K_9azaIdCY-0M7wwDuTOLnYGhbTxqaRO4t2EG4b4_-1R1CH1iicPTVsYEgHxaiLK0F4KoHtrHwyr4d7XRZQiMbdSRrnWQb0z-o/s320/DSCF3394.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We put in lots of Hostas of different colors and sizes to cover ground and create interest. Here's a blue-leafed one along with an Oregon Grape.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXUHbaNroh80BQo9eXDESpRcI548o-TtLp6XGek-8Ih2JBxeUb7zdnoNwoyqwJn_nOUtBmec0wzuu2pqqxUSx9OzKNiDRNE2F5Rz4y2d0sXlJp-exvbpymE1nD1S0XVkB0YgQTulsTno/s1600/DSCF3397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXUHbaNroh80BQo9eXDESpRcI548o-TtLp6XGek-8Ih2JBxeUb7zdnoNwoyqwJn_nOUtBmec0wzuu2pqqxUSx9OzKNiDRNE2F5Rz4y2d0sXlJp-exvbpymE1nD1S0XVkB0YgQTulsTno/s320/DSCF3397.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">False Solomon's Seal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DHCY5qxrenH1WPsUnDhH7tYIwDCOn79_JaiAVZZ1O195MAIJqp6UnbBmi8kYfdaQw2fevoWDpvuYc71T9VsasCiLkmTI9u_IpBfKIowRPF61XSpkcZw3SK0kJG4WjlGtd2I_JgRLWVc/s1600/_DSC1073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DHCY5qxrenH1WPsUnDhH7tYIwDCOn79_JaiAVZZ1O195MAIJqp6UnbBmi8kYfdaQw2fevoWDpvuYc71T9VsasCiLkmTI9u_IpBfKIowRPF61XSpkcZw3SK0kJG4WjlGtd2I_JgRLWVc/s400/_DSC1073.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are several types of self-seeding plants throughout the landscape. They come up randomly and fill in garden space with foliage and color. If I don't like where a plant has come up, I simply pull it out. In this photo are Forget-me-nots and Columbine in blue and white. We also have a lot of Foxglove with their dramatic tall flower spikes.</td></tr>
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You might also like:<br />
<a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2017/05/how-to-plan-garden.html" target="_blank">How to Plan a Garden</a><br />
<a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/05/plants-for-pacific-northwest-shade.html" target="_blank">Plants for Pacific Northwest Shade Gardens</a></div>
Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-81947569188372702432014-10-20T20:44:00.001-07:002014-10-21T07:40:49.735-07:00A Native Shade Garden in Sydney -- Year Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeXR_sYprraklZ6SX_RgBqgGiXX3ZHCQzcRtGSm8pEpusL5C7P99bmB88lQtRZLoZIzUMnekHndjgFGWN1xP4ASZhNnLhpSj0re1kyLoD5ojAD8KglhEqKiQvQ5SVrN1mq31MCq6iZ8s/s1600/DSC_2956_edited.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeXR_sYprraklZ6SX_RgBqgGiXX3ZHCQzcRtGSm8pEpusL5C7P99bmB88lQtRZLoZIzUMnekHndjgFGWN1xP4ASZhNnLhpSj0re1kyLoD5ojAD8KglhEqKiQvQ5SVrN1mq31MCq6iZ8s/s1600/DSC_2956_edited.JPG" height="131" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Native shade garden in Sydney, Australia -- Year Two</td></tr>
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In April 2013 I visited my daughter, Liz, in Sydney, Australia, and wrote a <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2013/04/planting-native-australian-shade-garden.html" target="_blank">post about a native shade garden</a> she was planting. Liz has continued working on the garden, and here's her update on progress:</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Phase I is now complete!</h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
I'll start with the failures:</h4>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not everything has
worked in this garden, and bush turkeys were a big issue initially. Because
they forage in the soil, they are particularly drawn to areas that have been
recently disturbed, and if the plants are too small (less than about 30 cm),
the turkeys will pull them out by their stem or just snap them in half. The
native gingers fell victim, and the burrawang cycad (Macrozamia communis) was
defoliated. Two unfortunate losses, as both would have offered something
different to the garden from the simple flowering plants. We also lost a flax
lily and a native indigo to the turkeys, but I had them in multiple so they
still have a presence in the garden. The Kangaroo fern died slowly from some
incurable unhappiness, and the strap water fern looks like going in the same
direction but it hangs in there for now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Successes</h4>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Chinese wisteria has been 95% successfully removed and I
will finish the job this summer. I used a 50/50 mix of tree poison and kerosene
applied liberally to a freshly cut stump. The kangaroo vine is now in its place
and taking off like a rocket. I hope I didn't make a mistake there! All the
plants other than ferns were tubestock when I planted them, and some are just
now getting to a regular nursery size. Others have already reached their full
height and spread, including the native indigo, which is now taller than me and
bursting with flowers in the spring (it was stunning!). All of the original
non-invasive ferns (I think they are common ground ferns) have taken well to
being transplanted and spread around the garden.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Additions</h4>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have added a number of new plants (see the list below).
Some of them are transplants from this garden or a friend's, others were
nursery purchases and a few are propagation successes from a local parkland.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And bees! I applied for a native stingless beehive from the
council two years ago and finally made it to the top of the waiting list. They
aren't for honey, just a bit of ecosystem repair and a talking point. They now
live in a sunny corner of the shade garden and the colony will be split every
spring (when possible).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVViZ3VcztCPz2m3WFI9HcjBLCMUoXm2IPgfUj5yh34MWE8VRXN0YY-NjP7zNXr-gMoJFMDohvKnMlNY2SEV9kUKDCXsafQUdAJl09n2ZbMLxu8sVyLAGez-hMJSIe3Sg5CgJ0KFcnfY/s1600/DSC_2937_edited.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVViZ3VcztCPz2m3WFI9HcjBLCMUoXm2IPgfUj5yh34MWE8VRXN0YY-NjP7zNXr-gMoJFMDohvKnMlNY2SEV9kUKDCXsafQUdAJl09n2ZbMLxu8sVyLAGez-hMJSIe3Sg5CgJ0KFcnfY/s1600/DSC_2937_edited.JPG" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A box full of native stingless bees for the garden</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Phase II is now underway!</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I gave some time (ok, an entire weekend) to the smaller
upper level of garden mess that sits beneath the tall camelia. Once I cleared
the area, I placed some silver lady ferns (Blechnum gibbum) and a prostrate
geebung (Persoonia chamaepitys), as well as some transplanted ferns. Most of
this space is deep shade, so will require true shade-lovers. The planting
continues...<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj957exSGlXPykvaAbpEHC8OU8Dbf9vy1Aclxk4aSFqRQqU-7djNmLMUcbCWlyAO7an5Xe4YLGhMNV-8BoWs47kSx8mqBUd0FRQnjUfMHxSHm7AOeu_kxtoxmGdFPQ4ml5vmZ5eQtltvPg/s1600/DSC_2935_edited_cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj957exSGlXPykvaAbpEHC8OU8Dbf9vy1Aclxk4aSFqRQqU-7djNmLMUcbCWlyAO7an5Xe4YLGhMNV-8BoWs47kSx8mqBUd0FRQnjUfMHxSHm7AOeu_kxtoxmGdFPQ4ml5vmZ5eQtltvPg/s1600/DSC_2935_edited_cropped.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver lady ferns and a prostrate geebun keep the camila company</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Maintenance</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have laid very course gum tree chips over the entire area
which get refreshed yearly. The garden also gets a native fertilizer about
every three months (or whatever the packet suggests), and the ferns get an
additional handful of compost whenever I have it available. Since the first
summer passed, I only water when the plants look limp, which is only on the
hottest days, and weeds are a non-issue. This garden now needs less attention
than any other area of our property, which is an amazing transformation from
its original state.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Wildlife results</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Birds are regular visitors to the garden, the main
attraction being the birdbath - butcher birds, rainbow lorikeets and noisy
miners all come daily, and a rare king parrot has made a visit. Lack of
interest in the plants is probably due to a combination of causes. This is the
first year of blooms for several of the flowering plants, including the
lomandra and native indigo, but the cordylines, tuckeroo, and banksia remain
flower-free. Additionally, none of the plants are large enough to host a
perching bird, but perhaps next year we will see a change as the banksia looks
set to take off with a growth spurt this summer. Turkeys still forage regularly
through the garden, but the plants are all big enough to withstand the
occasional partial exhumation. For all their trouble, the turkeys are still
some of my<br />
favorite garden visitors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lizards and amphibians are either rare or well camouflaged.
One aspect the garden lacks is a decent ground cover, and this would definitely
encourage the smaller vertebrate visitors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The list of new plants</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Lindsea linearis</i></b> - Screw fern, a very distinct-looking
small, upright fern<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Calochlaena dubia</i></b> - Common ground fern<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Blechnum gibbum </i></b>- Silver lady fern/dwarf tree fern<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Cyathea australis</i></b> - Tree fern, grows to 6 m with long, broad
fronds up to 4 m each<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Hakea sericea</i></b> - Silky hakea, foliage provides protection for
small birds and flowers attract birds<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Persoonia chamaepitys </i></b>- Creeping geebung, provides low cover
for lizards, flowers attract birds<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Correa glabra</i></b> - Native fuchsia, attracts honeyeater birds<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Correa baeuerlenii</i></b> - Native fuchsia, attracts honeyeater
birds<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Scaevola aemula</i></b> - Fairy fan flower, a bit of summer color in
an otherwise very green garden<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Hardenbergia violacea </i></b>- Native sarsparilla, provides low
cover for lizards, improves soil and attracts seed eating birds and insects</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Cupaniopsis parvifolia</i></b> - Small-leaved tuckeroo, small dry
rainforest tree to 6 m (in NSW), fruit attracts birds and butterflies</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-67914372565243949762013-11-06T20:03:00.001-08:002022-10-20T19:53:20.988-07:00Garbanzo Bean Pancakes (Gluten Free)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2lthM_rm1k0IQ02loY_oQAUeFzxWLyWhCmClTf8vbNWMY9pgPjPVjIGLVQ9RPXr7er-Y8FGiUSCC87GDgrsGKQs4YIYQFtgKcOtHqu_Y033z-K_C1TReYGxDI2vI9jDmPwlg53WSCKo/s1600/Garbonzo+Pancakes.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2lthM_rm1k0IQ02loY_oQAUeFzxWLyWhCmClTf8vbNWMY9pgPjPVjIGLVQ9RPXr7er-Y8FGiUSCC87GDgrsGKQs4YIYQFtgKcOtHqu_Y033z-K_C1TReYGxDI2vI9jDmPwlg53WSCKo/s400/Garbonzo+Pancakes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hypo-allergenic Garbanzo Bean Pancakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Here's my recipe for hypo-allergenic garbanzo bean pancakes. Due to severe food allergies, I don't eat any grains except for rice and eat no eggs, so traditional pancakes are out. These pancakes are more than just a substitute, though. They taste wonderful and keep my blood sugar stable for hours because they're high in protein.<br />
<br />
I mix up a batch of batter and keep it in the refrigerator, taking out just enough to make a pancake breakfast each morning. I also use these pancakes as "bread" for almond butter or peanut butter sandwiches.<br /><br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>2 cups garbanzo flour (I use sprouted organic flour from To Your Health Sprouted Flour Company and/or pureLivingorganic.com)</li>
<li>1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Potato Starch (makes the pancake lighter)</li>
<li>1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour (adds moisture and flavor)</li>
<li>2 rounded tablespoons of sweet potato flour (optional - for moisture and sweetness). If you don't have sweet potato flour, then add 2 additional heaping tablespoons coconut flour.</li>
<li>1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon</li>
<li>3 to 6 ounces plain, unflavored yogurt or kefir -- or -- 2 tablespoons oil</li>
<li>2 cups water -- enough to make a batter</li>
<li>Baking soda -- or if you omit the yogurt/kefir, use baking powder instead. If you want to make your own baking powder, mix together equal parts of baking soda and cream of tartar. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon per cup of batter just before cooking.</li>
<li>Dried or fresh blueberries</li>
<li>Non-stick griddle greased with coconut or other cooking oil</li>
</ul>
<b>Directions:</b><br />
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients except for the baking soda, and then mix in the water. Stir in the yogurt or oil. If necessary, add a little bit more water to make the mixture "stir-able," but still slightly firm. If possible, store the mixture in the fridge overnight. This allows the garbanzo flour to really soak up the water.<br />
<br />
To make four pancakes put about 1 cup of the mixture into a bowl, add a bit of water as needed to make it the consistency of pancake batter, then stir in a couple handfuls of blueberries and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda -- or baking powder if you didn't use yogurt or kefir.<br />
<br />
Pre-heat the griddle to medium heat and cook the pancakes 2 to 3 minutes per side. <br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1ewnZcrErS-wTQaZWNPqXIG8qKZYGGSPwEZgXRjGCS1YBiPr6evZedO-Vb6sh50KcxKSsIbXFzNEzu0no52PQGcpCYtjAS268zipjVf9TJRCAh6O5PeMJjTQIFKur71Yc9yQvTEa7rc/s1600/Garbanzo+pancake+sandwiches.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1ewnZcrErS-wTQaZWNPqXIG8qKZYGGSPwEZgXRjGCS1YBiPr6evZedO-Vb6sh50KcxKSsIbXFzNEzu0no52PQGcpCYtjAS268zipjVf9TJRCAh6O5PeMJjTQIFKur71Yc9yQvTEa7rc/s400/Garbanzo+pancake+sandwiches.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garbanzo pancake and almond butter sandwich. Mmmmmm good!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-82490353781709817682013-09-22T21:08:00.002-07:002016-01-08T09:32:16.196-08:00Watchbirds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<i>German Shepherds of the Bird World</i><br />
<br />
Our neighbor's two darling kittens have grown up to be lethal bird catchers, so keeping cats out of our yard and away from the feathered morsels at the bird feeders [sigh] is a continuing, occupation. After some experimentation (<a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/11/bad-bad-bad-kitty.html" target="_blank">yelling, arm waving, chasing, paper snapping</a>), I've found that watering the cats with a Super Soaker convinces them to skip our backyard in their search for prey. Recently, though, our next-door neighbor's sweet little kitten has also developed an unhealthy fascination with the bird feeder. Much as I hate doing it, I also treat that kitty to a super soak every time I see her in the backyard. [Update. The kitty, named Quira, has learned to visit me while I'm gardening in the front yard and entirely avoid the back. Who says cats can't be trained?]<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Fortunately, I don't have to spend all day watching out the back window for cats. Bertram, Corvina, and Ned have turned out to be watchbirds and caw persistently when there's a cat in the yard. There is no ignoring the noise, or mistaking it for anything but a demand for cat mitigation measures. At first, the crows cawed at cats hanging out in other yards, too, but gave it up when they learned that their fuss only works in our yard.<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDlfxbyJIQ8SzJj455EdzbeBDldpCpg2_TRAR1zLnvAvwPluMOyENFXSWdjAwak6s_3tKwOjv4qQ4Nd8Lxt9mQVbqNGqQepUQTNHSyIzqflmpFGWvGKIOhNmffNGtUHk9cIYvCi7Xgqw/s1600/Watchbird+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDlfxbyJIQ8SzJj455EdzbeBDldpCpg2_TRAR1zLnvAvwPluMOyENFXSWdjAwak6s_3tKwOjv4qQ4Nd8Lxt9mQVbqNGqQepUQTNHSyIzqflmpFGWvGKIOhNmffNGtUHk9cIYvCi7Xgqw/s400/Watchbird+sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bertram warns the other yardbirds about a predatory cat. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I thought this warning behavior might be unique to "my" crows, but a couple of weeks ago I watched a crow caw angrily at a bus that had hit a seagull. The crow sat on the wire over the bus stop and cawed at that bus and every other bus that came during the 15 minutes I was standing there. Crows also take action towards predatory birds during nesting season. When hawks and eagles try to raid a crow's nest, they flock from the surrounding areas and <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/05/marauding-eagle.html" target="_blank">gang up on the predators</a>, hassling them until they give up and leave.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jul/06/2" target="_blank">Dr. John Marzluff,</a> at the University of Washington, is very interested in how crows share knowledge with one another about "dangerous humans,"--humans who have trapped and banded them for research and then released them. From my personal observations, though, it isn't just humans that crows mob, but anything that represents a danger- a hawk, an eagle, a cat--or even a bus. Crows are to other birds world like German Shepherds are to people: watchers, warners, and sometimes even <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/05/marauding-eagle.html" target="_blank">attackers</a>.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Go Bertram!</div>
</div>
Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-38542290216247346142013-06-10T07:33:00.000-07:002013-08-25T18:05:48.830-07:00Fun and Exhausting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Saturday's reception at Habitude was so much fun. Thanks to those who came. It was my first experience being the focus of an art event rather than being the hostess or one artist among others, and being a typical introvert, I found it both enjoyable and exhausting. Ten paintings were sold, which I found astounding. I'm so glad they've found good homes!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aLfKuky6lqYWCOTH8EDB7_yJA9pwjipgwXhyiaq13WHi1GVf9H91HQdnPPImlx2tZly6jgKSYX2pXXoh2kbUhxXhzpw9VCfZJXe00jK-NJkdu3x2aSUR03r9rH6YfGHwqAikbcX4udc/s1600/Bill+and+Megan+at+Art+Show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aLfKuky6lqYWCOTH8EDB7_yJA9pwjipgwXhyiaq13WHi1GVf9H91HQdnPPImlx2tZly6jgKSYX2pXXoh2kbUhxXhzpw9VCfZJXe00jK-NJkdu3x2aSUR03r9rH6YfGHwqAikbcX4udc/s320/Bill+and+Megan+at+Art+Show.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I am with my superhero, Bill, who hung most of the 29 paintings that were displayed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnceM5AXET-tsFAqT-l5E8KIs7zq3Brzkb7X-VQb6P1f8j2_VI6hItjZPEl_87VF0OUib2zX5qPemTYbHLiLm4RtvGvJTbQiJAQCC59NajT0MGmK3lwCYo3v4k1zUYhRMn26CDxn2zAh0/s1600/_DSC1126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnceM5AXET-tsFAqT-l5E8KIs7zq3Brzkb7X-VQb6P1f8j2_VI6hItjZPEl_87VF0OUib2zX5qPemTYbHLiLm4RtvGvJTbQiJAQCC59NajT0MGmK3lwCYo3v4k1zUYhRMn26CDxn2zAh0/s320/_DSC1126.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my Personified Pears series.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyejJ0MNLrECxwzB0Y4-beS2kBYzkqj86Rzp2RmjYGf96g_DuaMaYqN_1G-NDgqgxrFUP9Bzbt3iIF9AngByp2h3LXCYsXLbcNFRiKPb-GpnfOAq3ufdhDvoAUgjWY-RJeGpNXZ2hHElY/s1600/_DSC1127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyejJ0MNLrECxwzB0Y4-beS2kBYzkqj86Rzp2RmjYGf96g_DuaMaYqN_1G-NDgqgxrFUP9Bzbt3iIF9AngByp2h3LXCYsXLbcNFRiKPb-GpnfOAq3ufdhDvoAUgjWY-RJeGpNXZ2hHElY/s320/_DSC1127.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-85056573757089152502013-05-29T07:09:00.001-07:002013-05-29T07:09:51.387-07:00My work will be featured on the June Ballard Artwalk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was thrilled to receive an invitation from Habitude Salon, Spa, and Gallery to be their featured artist for the June 8 Artwalk in Ballard. Please join me there between 6 and 9 PM for a wine and snacks reception! <br />
<br />
Habitude Salon, Spa, and Gallery<br />
2801 NW Market Street,<br />
Seattle, WA 98107<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ballardartwalk.blogspot.com/p/map.html">http://ballardartwalk.blogspot.com/p/map.html</a><br />
<br />
My original watercolor paintings will remain on display there through July 10.<br />
</div>
Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-66982869149311185742013-04-21T22:14:00.000-07:002014-10-20T20:46:35.234-07:00Planting a Native Australian Shade Garden in Sydney<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSxfwx5C-nI6HVhw_P2-CcDw1D8Vm8AzkWe1HEmnA-C0fNWefF482_XOmsZAgOaKKp3lxC6YSDTkXMkeawKh3OjGWFxP6926JdW7GFUPX7bGxhutAJoSnrTd7cMq-2OUbMYBO1if4ywI/s1600/Birds+Nest+Ferns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSxfwx5C-nI6HVhw_P2-CcDw1D8Vm8AzkWe1HEmnA-C0fNWefF482_XOmsZAgOaKKp3lxC6YSDTkXMkeawKh3OjGWFxP6926JdW7GFUPX7bGxhutAJoSnrTd7cMq-2OUbMYBO1if4ywI/s200/Birds+Nest+Ferns.jpg" height="169" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird's Nest Ferns</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm visiting my daughter, Liz, in Sydney, Australia, where she's rejuvenating the landscaping around her home. Like most gardens in this country, hers is dominated by non-native plants -- in this case English cottage garden plants such as camellias, azaleas, lilies, iris, and daffodils.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">This would be fine, except that imported</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> plants have an unfortunate tendency to "escape" from gardens and displace native species in the wild, causing irreparable harm to the delicate ecosystem here. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">Australia's </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">geographic isolation has allowed its native plants and animals to evolve uniquely, and many species aren't found anywhere else the world. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">Since European settlement, 61 native plant species have become extinct, and a further 1,239 are threatened. Although many factors contribute to this tragic loss of diversity, t</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.1875px;">he introduction of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_species_in_Australia" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Invasive species in Australia">invasive</a>,<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.1875px;"> non-native plants into the ecosystem is a major one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">With this in mind, Liz has accepted the challenge to replace non-natives in her garden with native plants indigenous to the Sydney area. And a challenge it is. The small part I've taken has made me appreciate why people prefer gardening with familiar plants from their own countries (and may explain why Australia has so many non-natives). There is <i>so </i>much to learn! Australian native plants aren't like anything I've dealt with before. Their appearance is unfamiliar. I don't know their growth habits or their sun/shade/water/nutrient/soil requirements. I can't distinguish a weed from a desirable plant, or a native from a non-</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">native</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To meet the challenge, Liz has adopted a phased strategy, planning to take on just one section of the landscaping at a time, clearing it and figuring out which plants will work best in that particular spot. This should make the learning curve a bit less steep. Fortunately, most of the non-native plants in her yard are fairly well behaved and not known to be "escapees," and the problem plants can be controlled by removing their flowers and seed pods until such time as the plants themselves can be removed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During my visit, I've assisted with Phase I: rehabilitating the garden across the driveway from the patio -- the most visible one. The whole garden is shaded all winter, and the front of it's sunny in summer.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phase I: This garden hosts several invasive species, including Fishbone ferns, which are native to another part of Australia, but invasive here, where they choke out other plants. The fence in back is covered with Chinese wisteria that Liz will remove in the future and replace with native Kangaroo vine. Just as we experience in Seattle, the wisteria wants to take over the world, and will climb trees and strangle them if not constantly cut back. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liz clears the ground, digging out roots and tubers. Fishbone ferns seen on the far left of this photo are in a Phase II section of the garden and will be removed later.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzoMej1PiPGfUjyV7S1aG8Ev84mqyIH650Y569gWbi0wFctWXRzpi191IJoPrhV-hH0zqST1t5jNhGJsrEX1GyrKoGr6EAldI1ICAbDZJXoJFZqcy0xXvuRSxAwWbbUGeLSJojovYmDus/s1600/Array+of+Plants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzoMej1PiPGfUjyV7S1aG8Ev84mqyIH650Y569gWbi0wFctWXRzpi191IJoPrhV-hH0zqST1t5jNhGJsrEX1GyrKoGr6EAldI1ICAbDZJXoJFZqcy0xXvuRSxAwWbbUGeLSJojovYmDus/s320/Array+of+Plants.jpg" height="128" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We acquired these natives in an expedition to two native plant nurseries. Liz selected plants with a mixture of growth habits, adult heights, and foliage. Small plants are less expensive and easier to plant than larger ones. See below for her plant list.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a close-up of several ferns, which should do well in this shade garden.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4krmXgnlc0HHw9Q0_Ht3UGsCWobRkHds9ye8z15q0M_-E0bq5VaTKwsCv0FdHPdbqv5KC58v66y9A39QhTnh4rvGmbmh7HEJvsU7MNmDSJVPbIOSj5Q_2U_SgRkiBik9wtcLmQztLBEY/s1600/The+Planting+Begins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4krmXgnlc0HHw9Q0_Ht3UGsCWobRkHds9ye8z15q0M_-E0bq5VaTKwsCv0FdHPdbqv5KC58v66y9A39QhTnh4rvGmbmh7HEJvsU7MNmDSJVPbIOSj5Q_2U_SgRkiBik9wtcLmQztLBEY/s320/The+Planting+Begins.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The planting begins.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL30PL42k9S3shjiukdzpNiZ7x4mJx9EWDdaaK87shlNTF7MxxPgrEYjYffLHZozwMYRZjc0221QxJrDASBW6d6u5ApMnqmn7xVypJNZ5fpZCrgE01PwJSCfgpFL9nmQ0h_Of2gSBeK-M/s1600/Remove+or+Not.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything's now in the ground, including some stones for a path to the birdbath. As the plants mature, they will overtake the empty spaces and create a full, lush effect.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOCfhLbYTT3eXjgKUx0T5Kjxsgh4EZ870uRPrEfHtgkFgZdYBCOK6QtPj4la61nLV4-xr-YyOy8XHnG43BwVsjBn1_5obQsHQYFfHTQxdgaDC0imHNrEHZmxjMZClTAr2js_JBodTVDA/s1600/Almost+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOCfhLbYTT3eXjgKUx0T5Kjxsgh4EZ870uRPrEfHtgkFgZdYBCOK6QtPj4la61nLV4-xr-YyOy8XHnG43BwVsjBn1_5obQsHQYFfHTQxdgaDC0imHNrEHZmxjMZClTAr2js_JBodTVDA/s320/Almost+Finished.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a different viewpoint. Liz has started to apply a thick layer of mulch to retain moisture and help give the plants a good start.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And here's the next section waiting for rehabilitation.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Liz's list of <span style="line-height: 21px;">shade-loving (or tolerant) Australian native plants and their habitat value:</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Indigofera australis</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b> </b>- native indigo, shrub, 1.5 m tall. </span></span></span></span> Produces small pink flowers which attract native bees and butterfly larvae, seeds attract birds.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Dianella caerulea</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b> </b>– flax lily/paroo lily, perennial herb, 1 m tall. </span></span></span></span>Purple berries attract birds and butterflies.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Alpinia caerulea</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b> </b>- native ginger (and Atherton ginger*), perennial herb, 1.5-3 m tall. </span></span></span></span>White flowers and blue fruit attract birds.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Lomandra fluviatilis</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"> - no common name, NSW ENDEMIC, 50 cm tall, tufted perennial herb. </span></span></span></span>Attracts seed-eating birds and provides shelter for small birds and lizards.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Cissus antarctica</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b> </b>- kangaroo vine/water vine, climbing vine. </span></span></span></span>Provides nesting sites for birds. Purple fruit attracts birds, moths and ringtail possums.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Macrozamia communis</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"> - burrawang cycad, NSW ENDEMIC, 3 m wide, 1-2 m tall.</span></span></span></span> Large seeds attract marsupials, large birds and fruit bats. However, they are extremely toxic to humans and non-native animals/livestock and can cause death.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Cordyline stricta</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"> – slender palm lily/narrow leaved palm lily, shrub, 2-3 m tall. </span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span>Attracts butterfly larvae.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Blechnum patersonii</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b> </b>- strap water fern. </span></span></span></span>Provides shelter to small birds and lizards.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Microsorum diversifolia</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"> - kangaroo fern. </span></span></span></span>Provides shelter to small birds and lizards.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Doodia aspera</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"> - rasp fern. </span></span></span></span>Provides shelter to small birds and lizards.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Asplenum australasicum</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"> - birds nest fern. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Adiantum</b></i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b> spp</b>. – maidenhair fern (already in the garden).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">And then of course the sun-loving </span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i><b>Banksia integrifolia</b></i></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b> </b>– coast banksia, tree, 25 m, to create more shade for the shade-loving plants.</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"> </span></span></span></span> Large flowers attract nectar-feeding birds and seeds attract small mammals.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">*The </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;">Atherton ginger was the</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;"> only plant we brought home that is not indigenous to the Sydney area. This ginger comes from Queensland, but we fell in love with the red underside of the leaves.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;">For an update on Liz's progress, see <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-native-shade-garden-in-sydney-year-two.html" target="_blank">A Native Shade Garden in Sydney -- Year Two</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For more information on Australia's native plants, see: </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_of_Australia" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Flora of Australia Wiki</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://asgap.org.au/gallery.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Australia Native Plants Society</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.anbg.gov.au/index.html#" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Australia National Botanic Gardens and Biodiversity Research</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/flora_and_fauna.html" target="_blank">Flora and Fauna of Australia</a></span></div>
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Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-26797373127565436162013-04-15T17:06:00.000-07:002013-04-15T23:13:59.432-07:00How to Start a Watercolor Meetup Group<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Two years ago this month I started a meetup group on Meetup.com for watercolor painters in Seattle. Since then it's blossomed into a cohesive community with 94 members and a history of 167 meetups. We get together once per week to paint indoors and once per week to paint outdoors, in addition to various individual meetups to attend art shows and exhibits. Close friendships have formed within a supportive atmosphere, and everyone has learned a lot of new things about art.<br />
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The other day Barbara emailed me, asking for suggestions on how to set up her own watercolor meetup group in Everett. After responding with a lengthy missive, I decided to post my reply here as well. Usually when someone asks me a question, others are also interested in the answer.<br />
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Here’s what I told her:<br />
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Set up your site. </b>First you need to set up a meetup site on <a href="http://www.meetup.com/">http://www.meetup.com</a>. The cost is $12 per month, and that price gives you everything you need to start and run your group. There’s no charge for participants to join Meetup. I suggest naming your group "[<i>Your location</i>] [<i>your medium</i>] Meetup Group," so people know what and where it is. For example, I named mine “Seattle Watercolor Meetup Group.”<br />
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You can associate keywords with your site that allow meetup.com members to find it. For example, my site has keywords such as painting, watercolor, art, and plein air. Individuals who have already joined meetup.com and listed one of your keywords as an interest will be notified about your site. In addition, anyone searching the internet for such a group will be able to find it, even if they haven’t already joined meetup.<br />
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To see how my site’s set up, go to <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Seattle-Watercolor-Meetup-Group/">http://www.meetup.com/Seattle-Watercolor-Meetup-Group/</a>.<br />
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Decide whether to charge members for a meetup.</b> You have the option to charge members for attending your meetups. I decided not to do this, even to recoup the cost of the site, because I didn't want to get in cross-ways with the community center where we meet each Friday. They give us space in return for a $2-3 drop-in fee per person because we’re considered non-profit, as I don't charge anything for the meetup. You'll figure out how to handle that issue in a way that works best for you.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/c/e/4/highres_127471972.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/c/e/4/highres_127471972.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a photo of the Friday meetup, held in a wonderful space at the Loyal Heights Community Center in Seattle. This photo was taken a year ago. Now, we need two rows of tables to accommodate all of the attendees.</td></tr>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Choose a focus for the group.</b> I decided to have our meetup group focus on watercolor painting for two reasons: (1) I'm a watercolor painter, and (2) watercolor is non-toxic and appropriate for doing indoors in a public space, such as the community center. During the cold, rainy Seattle winter, it’s pretty difficult to paint outdoors, and I wanted this group to meet at least once per week all year round. For our outdoor meetups, members are free to paint in any medium, although, interestingly, even the oil painters in the group opt for watercolor.<br />
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4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Set goals and the overall tone of the group.</b> From the beginning, I wanted this to be a highly participatory group, rather than have everything rely on me. I scheduled the first meetup at a coffee shop, to discuss what members wanted to get out of the group. In that meetup we decided on a day and time to meet each week, based on the availability of a suitable room at the community center. We also discussed our collective "vision" for the group, determining that it was to develop a supportive and collaborative community of artists.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/7/5/highres_22381653.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/7/5/highres_22381653.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first meetup was held at Tully's Coffee, to discuss what we wanted the group to be like.</td></tr>
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From that first meetup I emphasized that members should expect to get out of the group no more than what they put into it, and that each person is responsible for their own rewarding experience. I believe this set a positive and constructive tone that has been fundamental to the success of our group.<br />
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5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Increase membership.</b> There were four artists at the first meetup. Of the original group, only one has dropped out, and over two years we've steadily added members. Today we have about 94, with 12-16 in attendance on any Friday. Our "paint around Seattle" group gets 4-8 weekly depending on the weather. This second weekly meetup spontaneously started after the first one had been running for a full year.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/3/5/6/highres_112614102.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/3/5/6/highres_112614102.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first "Paint Around Seattle" meetup, held last April in the Woodland Park Rose Garden.</td></tr>
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We get a different mix of people each week, but active members come at least once or twice per month, so there's a lot of continuity, and some deep friendships have formed. Being an artist is a lonely occupation, and our group has brought many professional artists in addition to absolute beginners and everything in between. I believe the key to this success is the participatory nature of our group and emphasis on being supportive and positive. Attendees frequently comment about how warm, welcoming, and fun this group is.<br />
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6.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Encourage participation.</b> I encourage members to propose and host additional meetups and have named four co-organizers. If someone is interested, I coach them on how to set up a meetup (basically, you need a place to meet and need to greet people and make them feel welcome). Additional meetups can be scheduled in a series or be held just once for something like attending an artwalk, show, or exhibit.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/b/9/0/highres_200392112.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/b/9/0/highres_200392112.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The work of member artists are included in shows all around Seattle, which we often attend in informal groups. I wasn't able to attend the opening of Nelda Hanson's show here at the Sunlight Cafe, but I met up with Beth later to view it.</td></tr>
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One member, Eileen, has taken over the Thursday "paint around Seattle" group and figures out the place to paint each week, updates the meetup site, and exchanges cell phone numbers with people who plan to attend, in case anyone gets lost. Another member is hosting a non-publicized meetup at her studio twice per month in the evening for members who work. It isn't publicized for reasons of safety. She invites specific members offline.<br />
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I want to make this group as self-sustaining as possible, to succeed with or without me, but have come to realize that completely replacing myself as group leader requires at least one willing party and a lot of coaching -- and willing parties are rare. My current strategy is to hand off as much responsibility as willing members will take on, hoping that if and when I can no longer lead the group, there will be a few folks around with enough experience to keep the thing going.<br />
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7.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Tips for conducting your meetups.</b> Regarding conducting meetup sessions, it's vital to have a person "on point" for each one. For our group, this person (the host, me, or someone I nominate) makes sure that the still life and tables are set up for indoor meetups, greets each person as they arrive, and introduces newcomers to the others. This person sets the tone for the meetup, which is friendly, non-critical, and supportive. Ideally, this person will also have some ideas in mind to discuss about watercolor painting. This is especially important when the group is getting off the ground to help break the ice, but it's great any time. I used to provide a 30-minute seminar at the beginning of each meetup on watercolor basics. Sometimes I'd demonstrate a particular technique or else bring in a book to discuss. I encourage other members to volunteer for this, and when they do, it's a great addition.<br />
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The purpose of the group is to exchange ideas and develop a supportive art community, and getting to know one-another personally is key to these goals. It's helpful to have some off-topic topics in mind for this purpose. While people are sitting around painting, if the silence becomes deafening, it can be nice to discuss a good movie you've just seen, an exhibit, a book, and so forth. Most often, though, our conversation naturally settles on some aspect of art.<br />
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Initially I brought tea and cookies, but that was too much overhead, so abandoned that idea after a while. It's nice to do, but anything can get tedious if it becomes an obligation week in and week out. I have, however, set up a still life each Friday for almost the entire two years we've been meeting indoors. This, believe me, gets old, but at the same time, it's important to do. For one thing, painting from life is different than painting from photos. In addition, it helps generate discussion as people walk around and look at each others artistic "take" on the same subject. After a lot of prodding some members have started bringing in still life ingredients so I don't have to do it all, and occasionally a member will handle the whole thing, such as in the rare event that I'm not there (like at the moment, when I'm in Australia visiting my daughter).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/3/0/8/highres_118585352.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/3/0/8/highres_118585352.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Nell's Breakfast" still life setup.</td></tr>
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It’s a good idea to bring a camera and take snapshots of people painting as well as their work (if they're OK with that) to upload to the site. I also encourage people to upload their own photos of what they painted. People are shy about doing this, but less so when I tell them it's for the benefit of the rest of the group, which is true because the photos generate comradeship and chat.<br />
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<b>In sum...</b><br />
We all encourage and inspire one other in the Seattle Watercolor Meetup Group. The tone of our group is absolutely positive at all times. We've never had any disagreeableness, except one time when a new member came solely for the purpose of selling her art and dominated the session with her non-stop self-promotion. Members were polite, although quite irritated. Thinking it over afterwards, I decided that should something like that happen again, I would step in let the person know they were out of bounds. The woman didn't get the response she wanted and never came back, fortunately.<br />
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Members have told me over and over again how important this group has become in their life, which makes the effort that I put in feel worthwhile. I hope you’ll decide to create a similar group in your own area. If you do please let me know. Also, feel free to ping me with any questions.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/0/6/a/highres_166024202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/0/6/a/highres_166024202.jpeg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cscott.fineartstudioonline.com/" target="_blank">Christina Scott</a> painted this during a meetup at Greenlake.</td></tr>
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You might also enjoy:<br />
<a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2013/01/art-studio-on-wheels.html" style="background-color: white; color: #88bb21; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Art Studio On Wheels</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> - </span>How I set up my art studio in a small space.<br />
<a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2012/05/outdoor-easel-at-last.html" style="background-color: white; color: #88bb21; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Setting up an Outdoor Easel</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> - I demonstrate how I converted my camera tripod into a watercolor easel.</span><br />
<a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-frame-watercolor-painting.html" style="background-color: white; color: #88bb21; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;"><b>How to Frame a Watercolor Painting</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> - It can be a bit tricky your first time. Here's how I do it.</span><br />
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Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-78416221808020659892013-03-27T18:28:00.001-07:002015-04-06T11:03:27.954-07:00How to Frame a Watercolor Painting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was just framing a painting for my mom and decided to take photos of the process in case some of you are interested in doing this for yourselves. I'm assuming you know absolutely nothing, so please bear with me if you already know the basics. For some ideas about where to get the materials mentioned in this post, see <a href="http://watercolorressources.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Watercolor Resources</a>.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Materials</h2>
Watercolor "paper" is actually made from 100 percent cotton rag. Unlike canvas or linen used for oil paintings, watercolor paper isn't given a water-resistant coating. While some artists spray a protective finish on their work, most do not because it changes the way the painting looks, and not everyone likes the result. So most of the time you'll be framing work that isn't waterproofed.<br />
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To protect the painting you can use glass or acrylic. Acrylic is much harder to break than glass, which is good if you're shipping your framed painting or putting it in a show that requires acrylic. Otherwise glass is fine. Non-reflective glass or acrylic is nice, although more expensive than the regular stuff.<br />
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In addition to glass, you need to protect the painting with a mat and backing (usually foam core), which should be acid free and archival, unless you don't mind your painting turning yellow over time. I always use a double mat because it looks better. You also need some acid-free cloth tape to attach the painting to the mat. The mat keeps the painting from touching the glass, which is very important. If you opt not to use a mat, then you need to put a spacer between the glass and the painting so they don't touch.<br />
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Finally, you need a frame. In general, the larger the painting, the wider the frame molding can be, but it's all a matter of taste. Do, however, consider how the end result will look when you're selecting molding. You don't want to either overwhelm or underwhelm the artwork.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Sizing</h2>
You have three options for acquiring mats and frames. The cheapest way is to buy a pre-cut mat and pre-made frame. Alternatively, you can purchase the equipment to cut your own mats, and even buy parts to assemble your own frames. Eventually you can save money by cutting your own mats, if you do enough of them, although I've found the mat material to be expensive unless bought in bulk. Finally, you can simply order what you need from a framer.<br />
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It you're the painter, you have some options for saving money because you can paint in sizes that fit standard-size mats and frames, which are mass-produced and far less expensive than custom mats and frames. Here are a few examples:<br />
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Watercolor paper: 11" X 15" (1/4 sheet of 22" X 30" paper)<br />
Mat inside dimensions: 10" X 14"<br />
Mat outside dimensions: 16" X 20"<br />
Frame inside dimensions: 16" X 20"<br />
This is my go-to size because the mats and frames are readily available.<br />
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Watercolor paper: 12" X 15"<br />
Mat inside dimensions: 11" X 14"<br />
Mat outside dimensions: 16" X 20"<br />
Frame inside dimensions: 16" X 20"<br />
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Watercolor paper: 6" X 8"<br />
Mat inside dimensions: 5" X 7"<br />
Frame inside dimensions: Various - just make sure the outside dimensions of the mat and and the inside dimensions of the frame are the same.<br />
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You can explore what's available online and in your area to decide what works best for you. <a href="http://westcharltonframe.com/docs/WCF-watercolor-specifications.pdfbl" target="_blank">Here are recommendations from West Charlton Frame Company</a> for the correct size mats and frames to use for different size paintings. I highly recommend using this company for your custom framing needs.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Assembly</h2>
Here's the fun part. While framing the painting for my mom this morning, I took some hurried photos to show you the process.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqV8XfkmN5iPbaw1bKp6cEOYmUSdMAt1YDnuZigADnrph5vXGSRVP6VzTAU0zx5pd_HoYXfruZ4Eo9I0U-tsAghEUr6GEB5Rm078McsuT4YqNVdXKfLG5I-EWdqvLDQK1dvUNcwaNY2uw/s1600/Lone+Heron+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqV8XfkmN5iPbaw1bKp6cEOYmUSdMAt1YDnuZigADnrph5vXGSRVP6VzTAU0zx5pd_HoYXfruZ4Eo9I0U-tsAghEUr6GEB5Rm078McsuT4YqNVdXKfLG5I-EWdqvLDQK1dvUNcwaNY2uw/s320/Lone+Heron+sm.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made this painting of a Great Blue Heron for my mom on Arches 140 lb cold-pressed watercolor paper.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzfizVDUrF6XsS7DdmJxcMarHOWW7Ny0vmGEaeOmpoXdqv2oU1N6bYbuAA7J0UduHPfvFPII99urmKhzBc7DhmMD6i7YXAnLQBB1AxnoSqzC6CSY2t4fi1MXkKUszooa6SjIF14QsUm8/s1600/Flattened+painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzfizVDUrF6XsS7DdmJxcMarHOWW7Ny0vmGEaeOmpoXdqv2oU1N6bYbuAA7J0UduHPfvFPII99urmKhzBc7DhmMD6i7YXAnLQBB1AxnoSqzC6CSY2t4fi1MXkKUszooa6SjIF14QsUm8/s320/Flattened+painting.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To flatten the painting prior to framing it, I lightly misted the back with water, sandwiched it between two boards, and left it overnight under a pile of books.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQNxH4HGWa7vyqHUsIGzyZPLgzUdiEa5T4Tq66UlULFUZV7n3FVyvgfF9SXVL5uyyMXjXEXQmX0KU2qWZ2u9tAm7lv5d69CEWygjHa0nMItaBWojRy9FvenB0FL1id21ELQXRTeMrkhY/s1600/Hanging+with+tape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQNxH4HGWa7vyqHUsIGzyZPLgzUdiEa5T4Tq66UlULFUZV7n3FVyvgfF9SXVL5uyyMXjXEXQmX0KU2qWZ2u9tAm7lv5d69CEWygjHa0nMItaBWojRy9FvenB0FL1id21ELQXRTeMrkhY/s320/Hanging+with+tape.jpg" height="320" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This morning I laid the mat face down and then laid the painting face down on top of it, attempting to center the painting over the opening in the mat, which of course I couldn't see because it was upside down. To check, I held the mat and painting together with my fingers and lifted them up to take a peek. Deciding it looked OK, I attached the painting to the mat using two pieces of acid-free cloth tape at the top of the painting, like hinges. This will allow the painting to hang freely inside of the frame and expand and contract without buckling as the humidity changes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthc76lT9CvX1FHhdw6GPZmzVJY1dKE6vafpYPY2UUJjMKSQSM344axW207iqd3cCJ42mEwb15ZV8wEf_MGs2R7FC4DLwY0HysHIvZcF7CNHkKi_DL9BKruKcR-4sXwJtPLWprNZCrLhs/s1600/Into+the+frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthc76lT9CvX1FHhdw6GPZmzVJY1dKE6vafpYPY2UUJjMKSQSM344axW207iqd3cCJ42mEwb15ZV8wEf_MGs2R7FC4DLwY0HysHIvZcF7CNHkKi_DL9BKruKcR-4sXwJtPLWprNZCrLhs/s320/Into+the+frame.jpg" height="248" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then I set the mat and painting down inside the frame. I finished it off by setting the acid-free foam core on top of that, and securing it all with the metal tabs that come with the frame.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKwNa3Qjt_0QIvGBXzJeAPEV9-_wIHib18HmPMOcTkrFRDL389QrGpO_JhMBI3j8_oB66miNtCLTE2uiIoS9sMP8H9Xpbjh4z9k8wz9YYGoQFUO3JcGMXwAnZXJEOEEc-qrvpggNEoug/s1600/Finis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKwNa3Qjt_0QIvGBXzJeAPEV9-_wIHib18HmPMOcTkrFRDL389QrGpO_JhMBI3j8_oB66miNtCLTE2uiIoS9sMP8H9Xpbjh4z9k8wz9YYGoQFUO3JcGMXwAnZXJEOEEc-qrvpggNEoug/s320/Finis.jpg" height="320" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voila. Here's a crooked photo of the result. The frame fortunately is not crooked.</td></tr>
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Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-29015149332466081042013-03-08T20:37:00.000-08:002013-03-13T09:51:05.390-07:00Backyard Ideas from the 2013 Northwest Flower and Garden Show<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On February 23, Bill and I went over to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show with our cameras to see what kind of ideas we could find for a new backyard sitting area. Some gave us food for thought, while others were more entertaining than practical.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zKdDNOMH6jnYo627HjtA0ooStrsWGyDnk8iZerxSmMRSR9i-U37NC1cZFCc1qilFX8bbXETxnvy-qwQk75zM2SBttMBolRQX76hyphenhyphenZWmZDdRacMxhTuExiXTSn5ZY-guIIt3ui8Vl-Rw/s1600/Meganz+Camera+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zKdDNOMH6jnYo627HjtA0ooStrsWGyDnk8iZerxSmMRSR9i-U37NC1cZFCc1qilFX8bbXETxnvy-qwQk75zM2SBttMBolRQX76hyphenhyphenZWmZDdRacMxhTuExiXTSn5ZY-guIIt3ui8Vl-Rw/s400/Meganz+Camera+034.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A column/fountain. Lovely.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4vBPx_ywhoUKcDSM1ncPl_3lLvGj9G3RGz1Hna3OG7PEUo2CUd1kBYTm4xFcbbOgynsvLkMmbsTi82zI2fnmwXWCyt_5dY83cIuWGPyw5FN7-Ocv2sgq1com5vOxJ0i7L2q8Fu6_Xd4/s1600/Meganz+Camera+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4vBPx_ywhoUKcDSM1ncPl_3lLvGj9G3RGz1Hna3OG7PEUo2CUd1kBYTm4xFcbbOgynsvLkMmbsTi82zI2fnmwXWCyt_5dY83cIuWGPyw5FN7-Ocv2sgq1com5vOxJ0i7L2q8Fu6_Xd4/s400/Meganz+Camera+023.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I adore the idea of an areal retreat in the garden.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqO0_JkHPyh7nRsOCSr-xmqnl05LG79xJ9eC4MqLej-DpWXA39qR25yQTdZZ_YlC-Pnrp5ILtz9TEey87UMfCvyUI-llTNTPfnNm_icMTxNY61p6zSAl4BVv9XHTJVq0wJfq8lgLNkGo/s1600/Meganz+Camera+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqO0_JkHPyh7nRsOCSr-xmqnl05LG79xJ9eC4MqLej-DpWXA39qR25yQTdZZ_YlC-Pnrp5ILtz9TEey87UMfCvyUI-llTNTPfnNm_icMTxNY61p6zSAl4BVv9XHTJVq0wJfq8lgLNkGo/s400/Meganz+Camera+045.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pretty setting, but probably a bit fancier than we want.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIV8yHBe8V29DTmdLOMc0TzJmi7jgd-nKJ-HBDWm7-bBpPG4kj6NuiykBcKIvYlkoZ6Us1a6VDZELuJZvkPwym6gSEZuJ2_FajIMxw9VDwuEveG9dSOGZjqqNDJKnzRkw8XpsS037ReM/s1600/Meganz+Camera+050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIV8yHBe8V29DTmdLOMc0TzJmi7jgd-nKJ-HBDWm7-bBpPG4kj6NuiykBcKIvYlkoZ6Us1a6VDZELuJZvkPwym6gSEZuJ2_FajIMxw9VDwuEveG9dSOGZjqqNDJKnzRkw8XpsS037ReM/s400/Meganz+Camera+050.JPG" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this organic-looking metal fence.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0uoTljKOfsKCZtdbEnl1EKmEaNiVtxmzpTqbrLIlx4l01l1EHkrDqdSL59XqR6UgLIjy5koeEgwlel7WQQwn_jBBZm5wSO2YLCfaKKPPHspj9qdQru5B7_Csj9c9CKhwiPnm_EThR5U/s1600/Meganz+Camera+052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0uoTljKOfsKCZtdbEnl1EKmEaNiVtxmzpTqbrLIlx4l01l1EHkrDqdSL59XqR6UgLIjy5koeEgwlel7WQQwn_jBBZm5wSO2YLCfaKKPPHspj9qdQru5B7_Csj9c9CKhwiPnm_EThR5U/s320/Meganz+Camera+052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a closeup.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_1Nr7tYOZf_A_fmRG45sQGeJnM-LhHTM49oJZGog2PY9k1Ja6cdkdIwzuvXlFqnmmntbQyhC5VRCgaOO9t9gzKSIVLOEZUa07z4TzmnIy7VlmKoRMMvt_Gr_XpWsyaUQfQnxk5D4CHo/s1600/Meganz+Camera+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_1Nr7tYOZf_A_fmRG45sQGeJnM-LhHTM49oJZGog2PY9k1Ja6cdkdIwzuvXlFqnmmntbQyhC5VRCgaOO9t9gzKSIVLOEZUa07z4TzmnIy7VlmKoRMMvt_Gr_XpWsyaUQfQnxk5D4CHo/s400/Meganz+Camera+056.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahhh, with this hammock our garden could become a place to relax, rather than simply a place to feed the crows, chickadees, and squirrels.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0iyMXROWMtf2BIzzc_b7ti6p85F9V4d5ATxvy5XEYB_AnP4_pwe5b8r0Pmro2TG3WyxOn2138gLwK4xs6hetzEzTOl-2qDaExE-qP4646xpuZG9nxG6MBHYTF7TiCvwGOyLa6m0-UI8/s1600/Meganz+Camera+075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0iyMXROWMtf2BIzzc_b7ti6p85F9V4d5ATxvy5XEYB_AnP4_pwe5b8r0Pmro2TG3WyxOn2138gLwK4xs6hetzEzTOl-2qDaExE-qP4646xpuZG9nxG6MBHYTF7TiCvwGOyLa6m0-UI8/s400/Meganz+Camera+075.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This patio is set into a bit of a side-hill, like the one in our backyard. Bill wants to use this as a model for our patio.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHio8hXgISq7xmw5kUFwPIErZ4UP-5C7eoF7IBgxqiz1wkACXm7e9SYbYyrkyoP6l7BAAr4hYL8OFLUpykgVV1RVqwiencVbezIfArnoVdfIkP2GGvvdb-RyfgcOXQsVEfkKOKN7hw1M/s1600/Meganz+Camera+086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHio8hXgISq7xmw5kUFwPIErZ4UP-5C7eoF7IBgxqiz1wkACXm7e9SYbYyrkyoP6l7BAAr4hYL8OFLUpykgVV1RVqwiencVbezIfArnoVdfIkP2GGvvdb-RyfgcOXQsVEfkKOKN7hw1M/s400/Meganz+Camera+086.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We found this Hobbit house in the Washington Park Arboretum display garden, which also showcases the flora from New Zealand. Our climate in Seattle is similar to New Zealand's, so we can grow most of the plants from that region.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLD9wLWbADMjp-FwNQXflW7lt646QbkaPkByL0sIa4n-zrwUpARBd3VWBMorY7zT7amoTudmoVNN9hRjZjindbja-qyxQw1JFmSMOCgtn29WqfAPHYFYb_EhLkE2ieDEt48ZqzF1PDrw/s1600/Meganz+Camera+097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLD9wLWbADMjp-FwNQXflW7lt646QbkaPkByL0sIa4n-zrwUpARBd3VWBMorY7zT7amoTudmoVNN9hRjZjindbja-qyxQw1JFmSMOCgtn29WqfAPHYFYb_EhLkE2ieDEt48ZqzF1PDrw/s400/Meganz+Camera+097.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I never thought of putting a real painting in the garden like this, but I like it.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSlXO_JyKjuJOe-gv-q_0tGZjNc5o6tXS7XCcyAm07KwntC4XhWu44d5EKDioB_HZp2Oty46jiWjBpqRc2y5fnWMJ5nY_rDQpmSZzcSxBHbQjJBuLmJ9LIdHiQNn8LO44FYm5QwI-Yq8/s1600/Meganz+Camera+106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSlXO_JyKjuJOe-gv-q_0tGZjNc5o6tXS7XCcyAm07KwntC4XhWu44d5EKDioB_HZp2Oty46jiWjBpqRc2y5fnWMJ5nY_rDQpmSZzcSxBHbQjJBuLmJ9LIdHiQNn8LO44FYm5QwI-Yq8/s400/Meganz+Camera+106.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roman fountains could lend a more organized look to the backyard.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMu8TQCc-w0eLFz8RNdKkbgEPqooJdsmbxSj8Yh7qbFRVD_nI2000ooxtLePAvZBrvdNCIpFfDWgHGeq01LLUruMY87NMEXQb2oQ6xKJz1Y5M_xYZeG-CVMzdZQBVkER7A8IRwTRHkrI/s1600/Meganz+Camera+109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMu8TQCc-w0eLFz8RNdKkbgEPqooJdsmbxSj8Yh7qbFRVD_nI2000ooxtLePAvZBrvdNCIpFfDWgHGeq01LLUruMY87NMEXQb2oQ6xKJz1Y5M_xYZeG-CVMzdZQBVkER7A8IRwTRHkrI/s400/Meganz+Camera+109.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I fell in love with the striped pillows as well as the mosaic on the garden wall. We have an ugly concrete retaining wall at the back of our yard that would do well with this kind of treatment.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGzbn8dW_456f383HQyls9VQHJd6eGbeS7IDh8Kz90Yp-cAiynsTon6WUSywe8zh4ditDnjYzXdrjZyxu01nKgSk-9Lh1dviGdDv8YUSO6LyWU-rbGARJsnjo5WShNKz2S9apO2z5Ujk/s1600/Meganz+Camera+121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGzbn8dW_456f383HQyls9VQHJd6eGbeS7IDh8Kz90Yp-cAiynsTon6WUSywe8zh4ditDnjYzXdrjZyxu01nKgSk-9Lh1dviGdDv8YUSO6LyWU-rbGARJsnjo5WShNKz2S9apO2z5Ujk/s400/Meganz+Camera+121.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was liking this display garden right up until I saw the TV. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZEPYnhM8ZRFUIQCvq54nqiDx-XZbM3DC0DFz3MNABPBuhVr5sqdS_quAs6ueUZnl6CSckUSRNHKIl77ePVLNIIVvr75J7unOYSnuVzv2KdNxxv7PgOKoYq70trzcZvWQFRrDwWlhaRg/s1600/Meganz+Camera+142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZEPYnhM8ZRFUIQCvq54nqiDx-XZbM3DC0DFz3MNABPBuhVr5sqdS_quAs6ueUZnl6CSckUSRNHKIl77ePVLNIIVvr75J7unOYSnuVzv2KdNxxv7PgOKoYq70trzcZvWQFRrDwWlhaRg/s400/Meganz+Camera+142.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope. Not seeing this in the yard.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2Wlph2jG5duY4z4d0hX0RKYg6PstFWA91iDESZcd2Tb22ioATq3wcZ8lSmwucP2Azmy1VC6hLVzhr3lJVyrDB2_StMLZoLEbVULO46BPJvuY8b6_W4zPzBRMrmHCxocjl7IgOOfQdMs/s1600/Meganz+Camera+150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2Wlph2jG5duY4z4d0hX0RKYg6PstFWA91iDESZcd2Tb22ioATq3wcZ8lSmwucP2Azmy1VC6hLVzhr3lJVyrDB2_StMLZoLEbVULO46BPJvuY8b6_W4zPzBRMrmHCxocjl7IgOOfQdMs/s400/Meganz+Camera+150.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But a popcorn popper could have its uses.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNm3fByw1JqHyIpLdIOJBzumKF4Bptk7W8F5OAgOS6Kdd8mdfWE1YpJgTstk7BgTURyiS6dfcZMbDaFSL2kTapnuVKS2fpaJYpermb0qGPLWpRG1A1Xx1fawNC2ktccnHP4wC2AXHrk5k/s1600/Meganz+Camera+155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNm3fByw1JqHyIpLdIOJBzumKF4Bptk7W8F5OAgOS6Kdd8mdfWE1YpJgTstk7BgTURyiS6dfcZMbDaFSL2kTapnuVKS2fpaJYpermb0qGPLWpRG1A1Xx1fawNC2ktccnHP4wC2AXHrk5k/s400/Meganz+Camera+155.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope. The last time there was a brown bear in the yard, it <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/05/rosie-and-bear.html" target="_blank">scared Rosie and me half to death</a>. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyaT72_fR4VSgGXzM2jFLdvC3YIFH7RjqXwT_SG0lKXGpvnwj8NvaDbgovP4r1vmXSLYOPlVRQzUAYtyrO6KYGTGRABIcVyZT4olMdeTiDVMVHUXTI4WxKWnfxr08OyB-3efZi8CQYBM/s1600/Meganz+Camera+168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyaT72_fR4VSgGXzM2jFLdvC3YIFH7RjqXwT_SG0lKXGpvnwj8NvaDbgovP4r1vmXSLYOPlVRQzUAYtyrO6KYGTGRABIcVyZT4olMdeTiDVMVHUXTI4WxKWnfxr08OyB-3efZi8CQYBM/s400/Meganz+Camera+168.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNK-mFwfjFmd9rAT9upowclODTmYAP-08jzFJqNrBD8Qd90sMw385zMZV9vdr7KqxD33ZeD2NzOaFmN45fELJiigba5bbE6eGJC1c-eJAc28nbAv8TjlswxTvo-bifMESEJqGIPs9mWCQ/s1600/Meganz+Camera+190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNK-mFwfjFmd9rAT9upowclODTmYAP-08jzFJqNrBD8Qd90sMw385zMZV9vdr7KqxD33ZeD2NzOaFmN45fELJiigba5bbE6eGJC1c-eJAc28nbAv8TjlswxTvo-bifMESEJqGIPs9mWCQ/s400/Meganz+Camera+190.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvMx8t6S5n-ra2jDEu9PXLMj8Zrt4yUIbdxqGl7CKsIYOArjea7Ij-ddQrzoiLwXlypJrVAqBoCVTT3ic_imIUn18-XJs16FXUvkjrW0BQ4A4O8KUAfkJNcUVhZfenlc1KphJTsBMF_Y/s1600/Meganz+Camera+204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvMx8t6S5n-ra2jDEu9PXLMj8Zrt4yUIbdxqGl7CKsIYOArjea7Ij-ddQrzoiLwXlypJrVAqBoCVTT3ic_imIUn18-XJs16FXUvkjrW0BQ4A4O8KUAfkJNcUVhZfenlc1KphJTsBMF_Y/s400/Meganz+Camera+204.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need this fountain created from musical instruments and copper piping. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmc8eVC89QsVf3uoocnLZMos1j01vCSz5go47EzSM9_7W2HK2LjAh9JXU12Wq93HfkwSwARt1gMJNRzZGGQuOvZCU7RpBcv1XV7oSV4le2mXOUsAY-hPmw5D2_ZIycrzn8iHD_Lzmvlg/s1600/Meganz+Camera+206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmc8eVC89QsVf3uoocnLZMos1j01vCSz5go47EzSM9_7W2HK2LjAh9JXU12Wq93HfkwSwARt1gMJNRzZGGQuOvZCU7RpBcv1XV7oSV4le2mXOUsAY-hPmw5D2_ZIycrzn8iHD_Lzmvlg/s400/Meganz+Camera+206.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I probably need these for something, too.</td></tr>
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Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-22742351249763146232013-01-22T11:13:00.002-08:002013-03-13T09:58:40.859-07:00Art Studio on Wheels<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bill and I moved to a small urban home a couple of years ago with no extra room for all of my art stuff, I decided to rent studio space. Although I enjoyed being in the studio and working near other artists, I ended up feeling scattered. I like to work at home during the odd moment, and it always seemed that the very thing needed for a painting at home was at the studio, and vice versa.<br />
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I finally let go of the studio and moved my stuff back to the house, where it sat in a heap for several months while I tried to figure out what to do. How could I set up a working studio that wouldn't take up valuable space needed for other uses?<br />
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A December sale flyer gave me an inspiration: I'd build two wheeled carts and one small shelf out of Storables steel-post shelving components.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9XRmvYhRPnbLOkXw7FEOkSHy5PLZjb7ZcbtU6RF5pdzXfyvZ3CmS8-zfDhD9zaFYwZUF529WPJ9fd5ncLKLr9YAUf2oEeMEnYncKESPxF3LTj7yeIKtDwQ6BU4KKwphPKfhnrZ1ddGE/s1600/_DSC0512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9XRmvYhRPnbLOkXw7FEOkSHy5PLZjb7ZcbtU6RF5pdzXfyvZ3CmS8-zfDhD9zaFYwZUF529WPJ9fd5ncLKLr9YAUf2oEeMEnYncKESPxF3LTj7yeIKtDwQ6BU4KKwphPKfhnrZ1ddGE/s320/_DSC0512.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">The solution: two 36" X 18" carts on wheels and one small shelf that sits on top of one of the carts, which I custom-made from industrial-post shelving components.</td></tr>
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The two carts hold all of the stuff I need to have at hand when painting. They roll up against the wall in our basement multipurpose room (guest room, office, music room, and now art studio). The top of each cart is covered with a sheet of black melamine to create a work surface. Only 18" deep, the carts don't intrude much into the room, but to create a wider worktop, I simply roll them around so their long sides abut, making a 36" X 36" table. The extra small shelf sitting on top of the left-hand cart is easily removed as needed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xw8ro9gmDje3876IbIkydHVqYQdgtTIWI2Qa0G4o-FLTEEQP4lyf5h_hAOiLnLguEFXZNfXscPMqO8CiaYjkWfUdvbTY3mQ1RPgwOKsu_tKDdf61TF02oaZhEH-rM19-3FMS9JoCRaA/s1600/_DSC0515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xw8ro9gmDje3876IbIkydHVqYQdgtTIWI2Qa0G4o-FLTEEQP4lyf5h_hAOiLnLguEFXZNfXscPMqO8CiaYjkWfUdvbTY3mQ1RPgwOKsu_tKDdf61TF02oaZhEH-rM19-3FMS9JoCRaA/s400/_DSC0515.JPG" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">The cart consists of five 18" X 36" black steel shelves, four 34" posts, four wheeled casters, and an 18" X 36" piece of black melamine. I also bought heavy clear plastic sheets to cover the shelves so nothing falls through them. This cart holds a LOT of stuff! The small shelf is made of four 24" posts and two 10"X 24" shelves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0o7pmzsPldUAVcAofiplKkPMgpTTVJWH6kQzDenKx9b7BRima_999VuH7-Jnh4W6vXRgWf9ngiWKbvheCBOyQH9SnjWqo2z8qB_B3UVckA52ZgY5AoBJAq7nyKDwEri8dmH-b0cK1Lno/s1600/_DSC0513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0o7pmzsPldUAVcAofiplKkPMgpTTVJWH6kQzDenKx9b7BRima_999VuH7-Jnh4W6vXRgWf9ngiWKbvheCBOyQH9SnjWqo2z8qB_B3UVckA52ZgY5AoBJAq7nyKDwEri8dmH-b0cK1Lno/s320/_DSC0513.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">This cart consists of two 18" X 36" helves, four 34" posts, four wheeled casters, and an 18" X 36" piece of black melamine. The lower shelf is good for holding paper and matts. Baskets hang from two connectors on the sides. I designed this cart so I can sit at it if I want. Otherwise, it holds still life setups. My drum-playing stool works perfectly with it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxelA_FchUTfjVIYUE4xQIPh7AkgUbRenVocvyBVBAg9Ff1jlw7hFP5itnMNQd83Mi3ZmL66qCjRzyseQ4aFjbjKtKePrdYynQTEt1euUacs3B56nJJOdaS7Dccjdk4mgTxYw9asRICE/s1600/_DSC0517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxelA_FchUTfjVIYUE4xQIPh7AkgUbRenVocvyBVBAg9Ff1jlw7hFP5itnMNQd83Mi3ZmL66qCjRzyseQ4aFjbjKtKePrdYynQTEt1euUacs3B56nJJOdaS7Dccjdk4mgTxYw9asRICE/s320/_DSC0517.JPG" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">And my portable easel (described in <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2012/05/outdoor-easel-at-last.html" target="_blank">another post</a>) works well with this setup. If we need to open the guest bed or have band practice in the room, I fold it and lean it up against the wall.</td></tr>
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Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-28255458950301109342012-12-31T10:47:00.004-08:002012-12-31T10:47:47.239-08:00Happy New Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLxSF5gIp9XJstFLHYjhTorcRtepOUjOevtLtA8HNk5Ntg9QKtG6-mFO9VEaV_DOBDOIPXtoew2mLQApewr4lOPKkmZn71N9dZjJS8FltfuddvIRIFqsC_AumBJ1d1H5FDNeeX2YWGgk/s1600/Happy+New+Year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLxSF5gIp9XJstFLHYjhTorcRtepOUjOevtLtA8HNk5Ntg9QKtG6-mFO9VEaV_DOBDOIPXtoew2mLQApewr4lOPKkmZn71N9dZjJS8FltfuddvIRIFqsC_AumBJ1d1H5FDNeeX2YWGgk/s400/Happy+New+Year.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-74198665688395489192012-12-20T13:30:00.003-08:002017-05-30T15:52:34.216-07:00How I Manage the Wildlife in Our Yard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgAM5FNvQ-L_Voe83LqgqwHYueNv4POEzYeRPbo9wtuLbZWpcLN7ljRarV5PcnaKjsk8J0DY2rLpDwO4kOTUg-F4_8hiI_dm5NKLcOJHg2ZsRV21npRtIgrAwu7QBMKM_YbD6QOC0Opk/s1600/Bird+feeder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgAM5FNvQ-L_Voe83LqgqwHYueNv4POEzYeRPbo9wtuLbZWpcLN7ljRarV5PcnaKjsk8J0DY2rLpDwO4kOTUg-F4_8hiI_dm5NKLcOJHg2ZsRV21npRtIgrAwu7QBMKM_YbD6QOC0Opk/s200/Bird+feeder.jpg" width="119" /></a></div>
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You may know from previous posts that I feed the small birds in our yard as well as the crow family, Bertram, Corvina, and Ned. What you may not know is that I've learned a lot about wildlife management this way. Here's my story.</div>
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<b>Front Yard Bird Feeders</b></div>
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<li>To attract some feathered friends to our yard, I installed several feeders designed for small birds on a pole in front our house. </li>
<li>As soon as it was up, a squirrel climbed the pole and emptied the feeders.</li>
<li>I added a squirrel baffle to the pole. </li>
<li>The squirrel turned his attention to the backyard feeder (more on this later).</li>
<li>A family of northern flickers began hanging on the feeders and gobbling up the food, eventually breaking the feeders under their weight. </li>
<li>I replaced the feeders, and to distract the northern flickers, installed a suet feeder, which attracted an enormous flock of starlings who drove away all of the small birds and finished off the suet as well as all of the food in the rest of the feeders.</li>
<li>I decided not to refill the suet and discovered that screeching loudly at the starlings drives them away, without perturbing the small birds in the least. </li>
<li>My neighbors, however, now give me frightened looks and run indoors whenever they see me coming out of my house.</li>
<li>Another broken feeder inspired me to install a “Starling-Proof” suet feeder for the northern flickers. The starlings enjoy the suet very much. </li>
<li>I began screeching again. The little birds cock their heads for a moment and then go back to eating. The starlings and my neighbors flee the area.</li>
<li>Some birds manage to get more seed onto the ground than into their beaks, which attracts the black-eyed juncos, who are ground feeders. Ground-feeding birds in turn attract the neighbor’s cat, which hides in our rain garden whilst waiting for a junco to stop by for lunch. </li>
<li>Unlike with starlings, screeching at a cat is completely ineffective (see <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/11/bad-bad-bad-kitty.html" target="_blank">Bad Bad Bad Kitty</a>).</li>
<li>I now keep a Super Soaker, full and handy for watering any cats that come into the yard. This doesn't endear me to cat-owning neighbors any more than does the screeching, or perhaps even less so. (Super Soaker: $15.99 The look on the cat’s face: Priceless)</li>
<li>I put up a seed hoop to catch the seed that the sparrows shovel out of the feeders and keep the seed and the juncos above kitty’s reach. I’ll keep you posted about how the seed hoop works after I install it. Bill predicts that it will make a nice platform for the squirrel to use to reach the feeders. </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXYsKErp8g8fK4dqy1bSZLEy7uhhevtfUbGLJX-sAAIpnve-6FIQbEBIBL86bx6wA0IqQ9cvSw7eSaqW_-3sDU__vlQlCztvROTlrdF99NMqD8LEtQY4E7cHhubJkEoJ4qSKdT39kYcc/s1600/More+Stuff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXYsKErp8g8fK4dqy1bSZLEy7uhhevtfUbGLJX-sAAIpnve-6FIQbEBIBL86bx6wA0IqQ9cvSw7eSaqW_-3sDU__vlQlCztvROTlrdF99NMqD8LEtQY4E7cHhubJkEoJ4qSKdT39kYcc/s320/More+Stuff.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Stuff</td></tr>
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<b>Hummingbird Feeder</b><br />
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<i>Note:</i> This is a separate item, even though it hangs on the main feeder pole, because (1) hummingbirds do not behave like other birds, and (2) squirrels couldn't be less interested in hummingbird food.</div>
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<li>I installed a multi-hole hummingbird feeder based on the package illustration, which shows three hummingbirds peacefully sipping together on it. </li>
<li>Turns out a large Anna’s hummingbird owns the feeder. When another hummingbird approaches, she zooms in hot pursuit of the interloper, buzzing “ratatatata” like a machine gun. </li>
<li>Realizing that only one hummingbird at a time can ever eat at the same feeder, and that approaching a guarded feeder can be life-threatening to the interloper, I have installed several additional feeders on different sides of the house, none in clear line of sight from any other.</li>
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<b>Back Yard Bird Feeder</b></div>
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<li>So that Bill and I can get away for the occasional day or two without my worrying that the little birds will starve to death, I put up a large, squirrel-proof feeder in the backyard that holds 20 lb of sunflower seed. (See it here: <a href="http://www.duncraft.com/All-Weather-Feeder-With-Wire-Cage">http://www.duncraft.com/All-Weather-Feeder-With-Wire-Cage</a>.)</li>
<li>The squirrels can shake food out of the feeder by swinging on it. If they swing persistently enough it flies off the hanger entirely and lands on the ground, dumping most of the seed. </li>
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<b>Crow Feeding Stations</b></div>
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<li>I decided to see whether a curious crow who hangs about the house watching me garden would eat some peanuts that I set out for him. (He would.) </li>
<li>After a few days of getting peanuts from me, he brought over his mate. I named the two crows Bertram and Corvina.</li>
<li>Bertram and Corvina now land on the neighbor’s roof each morning, peer through our dining room window, and caw while I eat breakfast until I get up and put out their peanuts. </li>
<li>And they bring their child, Ned, who occasionally brings his girlfriend along. </li>
<li>The squirrels (plural now, as the original squirrel had babies) also show up at peanut time, so I give them a few, too. They've become good at corralling all of the peanuts, preventing the crows from having any.</li>
<li>To keep the peace, I experimented with a number of crow feeding stations and settled on the roof of the garden shed, in an attempt to foil the squirrels.</li>
<li>The squirrels leaped from the plum tree to the roof of the garden shed and gobbled up all of the peanuts. </li>
<li>To distract the squirrels from the peanuts as well as the backyard bird feeder, I put out a squirrel corn cob feeder that holds two corn cobs. As of right now, less than 24 hours later, the squirrels have eaten all of the corn and are still getting most of the peanuts.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfDA3Ffh5tcPnmvFUG5tc9ls1VgEFTOAoqdHtHGsPn7_LMEpSoU1Lzaf2IssMPkrt1AuFQ07382IckIkh1aoa85wvTLOs_ZRc78gNp_DlTnP6NMT3CtAk_n2-WGZZX20kcEgWd26kB4o/s1600/Seed+Hoop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfDA3Ffh5tcPnmvFUG5tc9ls1VgEFTOAoqdHtHGsPn7_LMEpSoU1Lzaf2IssMPkrt1AuFQ07382IckIkh1aoa85wvTLOs_ZRc78gNp_DlTnP6NMT3CtAk_n2-WGZZX20kcEgWd26kB4o/s320/Seed+Hoop.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No squirrel on the seed hoop (yet), although a starling was sitting on it earlier, trying to pass for a goldfinch.</td></tr>
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Well, that's what I've learned so far. I hope this has given you some good ideas about how to manage the wildlife in your own yard. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDEwev2G7xaXqiINQauU2A9m3EkqZuZ3SnQbR45de_OFpwCtd_0V5joelGBilHANVLMs2oXhmkKzradDOagQQCHVa7RoPO4uJ3DGrz1_hY8sD6iFeVVKWF0v8i9n_94N_v-x2EgI_7-w/s1600/Counting+Crow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDEwev2G7xaXqiINQauU2A9m3EkqZuZ3SnQbR45de_OFpwCtd_0V5joelGBilHANVLMs2oXhmkKzradDOagQQCHVa7RoPO4uJ3DGrz1_hY8sD6iFeVVKWF0v8i9n_94N_v-x2EgI_7-w/s200/Counting+Crow.jpg" width="193" /></a><i></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><i>You might also like:</i></i></span></div>
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<a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/03/meet-bertram.html" target="_blank">Meet Bertram</a></div>
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<a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-is-garden-for-wildlife-month.html" target="_blank">Gardening for Wildlife</a></div>
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Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-11274831308229363152012-08-03T09:57:00.001-07:002012-08-03T10:32:56.656-07:00Trying Too Hard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you're an artist, do you ever paint a scene, and then paint it over again to try and improve it? If so, does it work? I often find, much to my frustration, that the first attempt is better than the second one, and many of my artist friends report the same thing. This seems contrary to common sense because a painting should get better with practice, rather than worse. What's going on here?<br />
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I encountered this phenomenon yesterday, painting at Greenlake in Seattle with my <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Seattle-Watercolor-Meetup-Group" target="_blank">watercolor meetup group</a>. Below is attempt #1, depicting my friend, <a href="http://cscott.fineartstudioonline.com/" target="_blank">Christina</a>, sitting on a dock painting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KNrWgoP3Bt08HLri-PM6wjfiPWs5udy-1pNW0EwzcEof_wdRTGiRmmtZtunffZCcRqFXDAqdkWjiOW5V4KsYtOA-IZYSkVLiojv8zlSkHGbj24eKmjtIHebrawR47FPRgLOUQ3HHC8s/s1600/_DSC0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KNrWgoP3Bt08HLri-PM6wjfiPWs5udy-1pNW0EwzcEof_wdRTGiRmmtZtunffZCcRqFXDAqdkWjiOW5V4KsYtOA-IZYSkVLiojv8zlSkHGbj24eKmjtIHebrawR47FPRgLOUQ3HHC8s/s400/_DSC0180.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First version. I liked it in general, but noticed that the three trees were similar in shape and size.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It came out well enough, but I thought the composition could be improved, so decided to give it another go to see if I couldn't do better with a second try.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcSV7I5cu_ek9En-LeCXgtqEh3-0RiKSNASnYW5Np0yP84W160V7vcHu29xBWM7VBq613qlGIHl5FASqnevSoQMwgksKk7n3gfnh5iv2bqraXsjmBlgb7_gMxab8iSqyalKNsrmTnkYU/s1600/_DSC0183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcSV7I5cu_ek9En-LeCXgtqEh3-0RiKSNASnYW5Np0yP84W160V7vcHu29xBWM7VBq613qlGIHl5FASqnevSoQMwgksKk7n3gfnh5iv2bqraXsjmBlgb7_gMxab8iSqyalKNsrmTnkYU/s400/_DSC0183.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second version. The tree sizes were better, but nothing else. In fact, the painting didn't turn out as well overall as the first version (in my opinion, anyway). </td></tr>
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<br />
Oh dear. That didn't work! What happened?<br />
<br />
Well, for one thing, my paint was starting to dry out in the fresh breeze that had been blowing all afternoon. So I should have added some fresh paint from the tubes to my palette. (For more about painting with gushy paint, see <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/07/overcoming-fear-of-paint.html" target="_blank">Overcoming Fear of Paint</a>.)<br />
<br />
But that's not all. Something happens to creativity when one stops being receptive and starts being analytical instead. Although very useful in certain situations, such as figuring out why my second painting came out poorly, being analytical requires a critical frame of mind. The artist must decide between bad and good, okay and good, good and better, and so forth. In the judging process, creativity flees, or at least hides behind a bush, because it has a very hard time coexisting with criticism. Brush strokes become more tentative, less confident and sure, as the artist wonders, "Oh, is this really the best place to put this stroke? Did I get the color right? Is there enough paint on my brush. Oh my!"<br />
<br />
It seems that the time to be analytical comes after the act of creation, and not during it. For my next do-over, I'm going to try and remember this (without being too analytical about it!) and see if I can maintain a non-critical mindset while painting. Here's the process I'm going to try out:<br />
<br />
1. Draw the scene.<br />
2. Critique the drawing and make adjustments.<br />
3. Paint with a non-critical mindset.<br />
4. Critique the painting, deciding what I like and what I want to improve.<br />
5. Go through steps 1-4 again.<br />
<br />
We'll see how it goes.
</div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-60560164616057868892012-05-30T21:12:00.000-07:002012-08-03T08:31:03.691-07:00Setting up an Outdoor Easel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As you know, the plein air painting season is in full swing. Outdoors I usually sit in a low beach chair with my paper clipped to gaterboard in my lap and my watercolor paint and water on the ground. This is OK, but standing up with the paper in front of my face works better because I can see what I'm doing more easily. However, although I've been looking for good outdoor easel for several years, none of them were ever "just right." Recently though, at her Yakima Canyon workshop, I saw <a href="http://www.catherinegill.com/" target="_blank">Catherine Gill's</a> easel, adapted from a camera tripod. It looked perfect, and so I decided to try setting my own up the same way.<br />
<br />
To show you what I did, I'll start with the finished product and work my way backwards through the process:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQSAYQiVgKg9w5D0xtmkUOioF4aEsPw17ucZ-gAa_i7bDSpDu7vOfM8Gp8ixxU6YauA_b63p5otBWInkwEhDzMF91NKpweki2w_pA13qXNInLSQlB5aDwRgYLsS2jzkQ-TsDvWU1IgKE/s1600/DSCN0844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQSAYQiVgKg9w5D0xtmkUOioF4aEsPw17ucZ-gAa_i7bDSpDu7vOfM8Gp8ixxU6YauA_b63p5otBWInkwEhDzMF91NKpweki2w_pA13qXNInLSQlB5aDwRgYLsS2jzkQ-TsDvWU1IgKE/s320/DSCN0844.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Here's the finished easel. Gaterboard and paper, attached to the tripod head, is completely adjustable for level and angle. I could even lay it down flat if I wanted, as if it were on a table. BTW, if you don't already have a tripod, you can buy the complete setup rather than baking your own. But that wouldn't be as fun doing it yourself, would it?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrITrQDduglM1jybMWzC_CZ8H8YRwZ1iaWDSpJcPJtCBBZqI0Y8nt9bIyLUit3z_m7stdqI-saAMdfuAibNFn2jWyRQigMY3w0WKDkoUSGf7C2VqweAOyVc6SKkfdf-Z77JxAhPxBdVg/s1600/DSCN0849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrITrQDduglM1jybMWzC_CZ8H8YRwZ1iaWDSpJcPJtCBBZqI0Y8nt9bIyLUit3z_m7stdqI-saAMdfuAibNFn2jWyRQigMY3w0WKDkoUSGf7C2VqweAOyVc6SKkfdf-Z77JxAhPxBdVg/s320/DSCN0849.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7eYQbTfuF6oAHHvPEHvpPCLz6QNAbQgIrsRiE0tXh2DZNvd271JjD4i7AjQNix0qRtLVKchUbD9HK4JYxZv9K-KZXxKTpcHQ-gitS_D3hyxdjg0BiacxPHr8b4NAHIlQwVb8JhsQeOE/s1600/DSCN0846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7eYQbTfuF6oAHHvPEHvpPCLz6QNAbQgIrsRiE0tXh2DZNvd271JjD4i7AjQNix0qRtLVKchUbD9HK4JYxZv9K-KZXxKTpcHQ-gitS_D3hyxdjg0BiacxPHr8b4NAHIlQwVb8JhsQeOE/s320/DSCN0846.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">I bought the tray already made. It's plastic, lightweight to carry around, and has channels that the tripod legs fit into.
The legs can be spread farther apart if necessary. You can see the different size holes for brushes and a water cup. The shelf is called a <span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a; line-height: 17px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://www.pleinairpanels.com/prestacart/product.php?id_product=21" target="_blank">Traveler Series Watercolor Tripod Shelf</a> and cost about $46 with shipping. </span>Catherine's tray was made by a friend out of wood.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIF7BKp1gLt0ZDUYVXvcHwJutczRqk55mw7NFvegtM80pPzFn17X2CB0HdUu4vfRy5Mvejx_NT_aB1oJ3pbzGmu520Z-lcGIk1dkjvd0UC6Pc_idCiweRGaf-E84uwxi0gZMA1Bxh5ab4/s1600/DSCN0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIF7BKp1gLt0ZDUYVXvcHwJutczRqk55mw7NFvegtM80pPzFn17X2CB0HdUu4vfRy5Mvejx_NT_aB1oJ3pbzGmu520Z-lcGIk1dkjvd0UC6Pc_idCiweRGaf-E84uwxi0gZMA1Bxh5ab4/s320/DSCN0847.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Here's where the tripod head attaches to the gaterboard. It attaches by using both parts of a tripod head quick-release attachment, a piece of plywood, and some velcro. It isn't necessary to decorate your gaterboard as nicely as mine.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFE7fmZbtgVNQOIxKYF9CdaNgyFYCVP3ankLa2T62YGhAXCOF0W7f27dIGYcenIwEHJsi953-5qiXLkQUR0OT-5zUnon4easach3PyyvhIbQZ89AMgsW_D6QWUnF-i6GX70OOziojkEqQ/s1600/DSCN0853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFE7fmZbtgVNQOIxKYF9CdaNgyFYCVP3ankLa2T62YGhAXCOF0W7f27dIGYcenIwEHJsi953-5qiXLkQUR0OT-5zUnon4easach3PyyvhIbQZ89AMgsW_D6QWUnF-i6GX70OOziojkEqQ/s320/DSCN0853.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Here's the female part of the camera attachment. I'm going to connect the gaterboard to it by using the male part of the camera attachment, as you'll see in the next photo.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7T8Ba3UY7SM6y2u_iKjAevgaPB-EQiKz6mLB4xKfmdoWragm_DGF8OTTygwi1fdq6PuEyVZpECiwMNjdeBoAp3CTWNDaLD9iMf3riKdVrFktWUY3F0Dq_NUlRLMn9TWKm-edSBEMRoKI/s1600/DSCN0852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7T8Ba3UY7SM6y2u_iKjAevgaPB-EQiKz6mLB4xKfmdoWragm_DGF8OTTygwi1fdq6PuEyVZpECiwMNjdeBoAp3CTWNDaLD9iMf3riKdVrFktWUY3F0Dq_NUlRLMn9TWKm-edSBEMRoKI/s320/DSCN0852.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Here's the male part of the camera attachment, called a quick release plate. I ordered one from B&H Photo so I wouldn't ruin the one that attaches to my camera. This plate usually clips onto the bottom of the camera. Instead, Bill screwed it into a square piece of plywood for me, which my neighbor Pete had kindly cut from a scrap left over from building his new kitchen cabinets. I had to get a particular screw from the hardware store that would work with the quick release plate. After looking at the plate, the hardware store guy knew just what I needed. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzk8YwBhRuCUFxZdLH0nSi_BQtpl5DcWeI5qJ__SqBk2AtmCBZuUhFWh1T2M3CoFvE9jlGtrr2cwdnc9kkUpJsZPbFliB4RJ_72n9aWUwgcoL3tgh9fQ0L-pckHZaTn7JmI8hjVsMpZm4/s1600/DSCN0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzk8YwBhRuCUFxZdLH0nSi_BQtpl5DcWeI5qJ__SqBk2AtmCBZuUhFWh1T2M3CoFvE9jlGtrr2cwdnc9kkUpJsZPbFliB4RJ_72n9aWUwgcoL3tgh9fQ0L-pckHZaTn7JmI8hjVsMpZm4/s320/DSCN0851.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the other side of the plywood, I stuck some industrial strength velcro.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_2J-htE3x8svjYoNVJRHS-q8Ghhi0NGfbqnww-XVl4jZwoFNVKrwnI5Nn7WtPcjQRJ9tr8GasdK9QTbiYO-ZnHj8M7cAUUdTX5dgh3umo8BZb9dFxTKZdhl87rlC3QBBF46eHGhauNE/s1600/DSCN0850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_2J-htE3x8svjYoNVJRHS-q8Ghhi0NGfbqnww-XVl4jZwoFNVKrwnI5Nn7WtPcjQRJ9tr8GasdK9QTbiYO-ZnHj8M7cAUUdTX5dgh3umo8BZb9dFxTKZdhl87rlC3QBBF46eHGhauNE/s320/DSCN0850.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the other side of the velcro stuck to the back of the gaterboard. Voila! All set!</td></tr>
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<br />
I've already used this ensemble a few times and just love it!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-69726056055970824532012-05-07T08:35:00.001-07:002012-05-08T08:22:40.054-07:00What's the What and So What?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I recently attended a painting workshop given by <a href="http://catherinegill.com/" target="_blank">Catherine Gill</a>, a wonderful artist and teacher from Seattle. You may be familiar with her recent book, <a href="http://catherinegill.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=92" target="_blank">Powerful Watercolor Landscapes</a>, which is one of the very best books of its kind that I've ever read, and simply loaded with jewels of wisdom based on Cathe's 30 years as painting instructor.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDdVUkSPgn-icBJPNIHIuKMt6vXuHPHebpZAnMW6ZJzXqieJs4cI_c_fjUd7V-HniWj26OO4ZbMC3XfiUEgGro4pzVUS8Zue67V4ED1Tqp5_6rhBhrJGRC9FKrS8lKSEd7WW5BzoaiNc/s1600/Cathe+Gill+demonstrating.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDdVUkSPgn-icBJPNIHIuKMt6vXuHPHebpZAnMW6ZJzXqieJs4cI_c_fjUd7V-HniWj26OO4ZbMC3XfiUEgGro4pzVUS8Zue67V4ED1Tqp5_6rhBhrJGRC9FKrS8lKSEd7WW5BzoaiNc/s320/Cathe+Gill+demonstrating.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cathe Gill demonstrating</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you've read her book, or even heard her talk, you'll know that one of Cathe's signature expressions is "What's the <i>what</i>?" Before this workshop, I'd never taken a class with Cathe, but I'd certainly heard this phrase plenty from my studio mate, <a href="http://www.marabohmanwatercolors.com/" target="_blank">Mara Bohman</a>, who's taken more than one. Mara would look at my work and exclaim, "What's the <i>what</i>? What <i>IS </i>the what??!"<br />
<br />
Simply stated, the "what" in a painting is the thing that draws the viewer's eye first -- the most important thing in the picture. Without a clear "what" the viewer is likely to skim over the painting and move on. As I often didn't have an answer to Mara's question, I decided to really focus on this "what" business during the workshop and learn more about how it can help improve my artwork. It turns out there are various methods artists use to draw the viewer's eye, including:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Value contrast-- The lightest light and the darkest dark placed next to each other, or at least near each other, draw the eye. The less the value contrast in an area, the less the eye is attracted to it.</li>
<li>Shape - A big or complex shape can help define the "what."</li>
<li>Color contrast -- Complementary colors placed near each other attract the eye. Complementary colors are those on opposite sides of the color wheel, for example red and green, blue and orange, purple and yellow.</li>
<li>Edges -- Rough edges. These attract the most attention in a watercolor, so should be placed where you want the most attention. Next are the hard edges, and finally the blurry edges, which should be placed in the parts of the painting that are less important.</li>
<li>Details -- Small marks also draw attention, so details should be reserved for the "what" part of the painting.</li>
</ul>
Cathe says that using just two or three of these elements is plenty to define the painting's what. The artist can reserve the others for the parts of the painting where the viewer's eye can travel after it visits the "what."<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Jk6Oe6cPCdKMPN8bPVm9yA2SJ6cZpktAK_wh7oeo9a4Bkvfn_vr93yn4fCI1H-4yFGdosflPxdzOFCTUqtjQp5YSOsCI1fmg41fxzxTMcSfh0bqeylfRWnLprUhs9yJ9FDrUvw9AL8M/s1600/Cathe+Gill+reference+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Jk6Oe6cPCdKMPN8bPVm9yA2SJ6cZpktAK_wh7oeo9a4Bkvfn_vr93yn4fCI1H-4yFGdosflPxdzOFCTUqtjQp5YSOsCI1fmg41fxzxTMcSfh0bqeylfRWnLprUhs9yJ9FDrUvw9AL8M/s320/Cathe+Gill+reference+photo.jpg" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cathe's reference photo</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVV4YJYnooTOgcfB0n1IUy25aMP0LXnPfFub5lZ6ZYCmvXDukL88EYVU8fOHF0zv1Jo3Oq2wtMZ96H7Gy7Ub7DXt1AbrVWxGbjhm-h_ZomYHXJc-4_EWKkczqdjTXOg_ch96jlR2Nvy8w/s1600/Cathe+Gill+demo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVV4YJYnooTOgcfB0n1IUy25aMP0LXnPfFub5lZ6ZYCmvXDukL88EYVU8fOHF0zv1Jo3Oq2wtMZ96H7Gy7Ub7DXt1AbrVWxGbjhm-h_ZomYHXJc-4_EWKkczqdjTXOg_ch96jlR2Nvy8w/s320/Cathe+Gill+demo.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Cathe's demo painting. Where is her "what"? Can you tell which of the methods listed above she used to attract your eye to it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-84942991811063053092012-04-22T11:47:00.002-07:002012-04-22T13:04:20.370-07:00Golden Times<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last night Bill and I attended a concert at Seattle’s Town Hall in which the musicians played medieval instruments. One such instrument was a <i>ceng</i>. Looking and sounding a bit like a modern harp, the ceng was played with such sensitivity that, as the music floated up from it, I found myself mentally hanging onto each note as if doing this would somehow freeze it in my mind. After a few moments, though, I realized that clinging to one note prevented me from hearing the next, and that to enjoy all of the music, I had to let each tone freely pass through me as it was played.<br />
<br />
In a similar manner, I've found myself wanting to preserve a golden time of my life -- to stop the clock and forestall the end of a wonderful, but transient era -- playing with my children, romping with the dogs on our little farm, hiking with a group of “empty nester” friends, and, lately, painting with fellow artists and enjoying time with my husband Bill, a happy addition to my life's second act.<br />
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After all, just like the notes of the ceng, each golden moment recedes into the past much too quickly. But continually looking back and clinging to a passed experiences would keep me from enjoying the ones to come, so instead I remind myself to savor each moment as it moves through my life -- and then let it go.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixo1l4ZJDke1dN6XBfVg-VZJS-mDqbaskkx7wsMmIXZVrDgjXsmRt2LN3g3UMPs1WJWmJqclYlzYyITHXCuM5KaBCvT5cc2HG_JMTVxeF6dHGFtQQwUGBwPCHPyJDo9sxqs1FepXa7hes/s1600/Best+Friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixo1l4ZJDke1dN6XBfVg-VZJS-mDqbaskkx7wsMmIXZVrDgjXsmRt2LN3g3UMPs1WJWmJqclYlzYyITHXCuM5KaBCvT5cc2HG_JMTVxeF6dHGFtQQwUGBwPCHPyJDo9sxqs1FepXa7hes/s320/Best+Friends.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Best Friends" (c) 2009-2012 by Megan Davis Seagren</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-55119809665186082562012-04-21T08:55:00.002-07:002012-04-22T13:04:48.019-07:00Time to Paint Outdoors!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hurray! It's that time of year again, when painters dust off their plein air gear and head outdoors. I'm gathering information about plein air groups in the Seattle area, and updating the information on the <b>Plein Air</b> tab above. If you know of a groups that's not on my list, please comment on this post and I'll add it. Thanks!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgkdGXjuVeQOwcLCa3xLEl_d9jso0Pq2QOkmZgPrK15zpVIJT9qO5jdu-Gq66mBf6TPOIcyfLgMSQ750yN0n_oubexNGepRbjjfmyarPzqEnWkErAuGOOyKgxJ76pClOqYEX-NiO1uPU/s1600/Old+Stump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgkdGXjuVeQOwcLCa3xLEl_d9jso0Pq2QOkmZgPrK15zpVIJT9qO5jdu-Gq66mBf6TPOIcyfLgMSQ750yN0n_oubexNGepRbjjfmyarPzqEnWkErAuGOOyKgxJ76pClOqYEX-NiO1uPU/s320/Old+Stump.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Old Stump," (c) 2009-2012 by Megan Davis Seagren</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-5164330712353743702012-02-16T09:57:00.000-08:002012-02-16T11:44:37.471-08:00Robin's Sketchbook, Travels Near and Far<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Robin loves to travel near and far, and lucky for us, she makes watercolor sketches of her adventures. Here are some of them. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lu3729xjv_zN0U0eZH7VCo2eoigNri-zYWJKmT0wdSH0VyaP5URmmFiR0NrRBvUen-uP7SvvAWlRlGvFKIraRQDDHssd3qwuz-QeMSNQzsBdH58JrS1ilUq_nDPoW6AJFtCRCQciP6I/s1600/Robin+27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lu3729xjv_zN0U0eZH7VCo2eoigNri-zYWJKmT0wdSH0VyaP5URmmFiR0NrRBvUen-uP7SvvAWlRlGvFKIraRQDDHssd3qwuz-QeMSNQzsBdH58JrS1ilUq_nDPoW6AJFtCRCQciP6I/s400/Robin+27.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diamond Head, Oahu Island, Hawaii</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUuK6qJMMbSHVz3E6bU_XxRMBM1KIb00RYtIuX-5uKvo-qOBblQwUpOD5vkLJnVrAKaYEv6UKWFeL_oyKKCPhmYUSzG8Gzbq8QHL-VX3_F1pboYqo9lBb9skOvuI1FoWnKNx4FQeB4os/s1600/Robin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUuK6qJMMbSHVz3E6bU_XxRMBM1KIb00RYtIuX-5uKvo-qOBblQwUpOD5vkLJnVrAKaYEv6UKWFeL_oyKKCPhmYUSzG8Gzbq8QHL-VX3_F1pboYqo9lBb9skOvuI1FoWnKNx4FQeB4os/s400/Robin1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere in Central America</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhiz6lYyaxonZNtVMEdLU0UFhwmXC3TwlUhzNNstISaCdA_8cEGXVWc14D9YZk-tz4uwwxQ_kFOamkZnDIB2h3Xt6BJg8CBhKVtwzPuosQiwcAL-atrkb8AmY1zCBLyJaGAd2gUlzA6U/s1600/Robin20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhiz6lYyaxonZNtVMEdLU0UFhwmXC3TwlUhzNNstISaCdA_8cEGXVWc14D9YZk-tz4uwwxQ_kFOamkZnDIB2h3Xt6BJg8CBhKVtwzPuosQiwcAL-atrkb8AmY1zCBLyJaGAd2gUlzA6U/s400/Robin20.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Grey Whale swimming along the shore of Whidbey Island, Washington.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5RClten8jkfR-11rcdSo91oHo_1bhSkeo2oS9Iht2oJ8KUx5DpFBPlV-d4wLYQz2kwuH70w5Hn19y5nK66yV9PVRzhdKO56LqkfDAA6znE6lknQ-lFNv8sW2sfhmJt7dY3UF4MEuN8k/s1600/Robin21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5RClten8jkfR-11rcdSo91oHo_1bhSkeo2oS9Iht2oJ8KUx5DpFBPlV-d4wLYQz2kwuH70w5Hn19y5nK66yV9PVRzhdKO56LqkfDAA6znE6lknQ-lFNv8sW2sfhmJt7dY3UF4MEuN8k/s400/Robin21.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around Seattle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_shAwjm5XfjpvWQsuNfoWjPYFZLmDBbM-o3doxmIFLBdXWGDXtoFpRwNv0oEIRi-pSt4Ngv78GxzRtnQpGDiyLkN1I7GbpS7aT1yCJaq3-22_74f3w_lHSJ4bsYLjG2IkIxNS38c99OY/s1600/Robin25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_shAwjm5XfjpvWQsuNfoWjPYFZLmDBbM-o3doxmIFLBdXWGDXtoFpRwNv0oEIRi-pSt4Ngv78GxzRtnQpGDiyLkN1I7GbpS7aT1yCJaq3-22_74f3w_lHSJ4bsYLjG2IkIxNS38c99OY/s400/Robin25.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Chautuaqua, New York</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4bvxRwQV_TEWRHNQieB9DO4cS04tk_R9MmNX4HsT8ZJEB537ug0XbS0hwrhvbTvo6WotqgWaBrRBpU9L4niaXBPDB_OzrYL3GpWrwZMNkv_TMJ4LIGBHLxpDGE61TuMjyWCxkbHO2wA/s1600/Robin26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4bvxRwQV_TEWRHNQieB9DO4cS04tk_R9MmNX4HsT8ZJEB537ug0XbS0hwrhvbTvo6WotqgWaBrRBpU9L4niaXBPDB_OzrYL3GpWrwZMNkv_TMJ4LIGBHLxpDGE61TuMjyWCxkbHO2wA/s400/Robin26.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexico</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ERUOhvw29lwU6mu7W8wMr7abFGLdVKpu_W1f5hCf9_ssgXEt4_T2rEw3TnQHd4qrqWYk661szAFLaCpq6ptVc-TsygS8dA3G3h-AlN27fxx7050fIZuHKSus3HnNA1VCdebtIZXJDfk/s1600/Robin28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ERUOhvw29lwU6mu7W8wMr7abFGLdVKpu_W1f5hCf9_ssgXEt4_T2rEw3TnQHd4qrqWYk661szAFLaCpq6ptVc-TsygS8dA3G3h-AlN27fxx7050fIZuHKSus3HnNA1VCdebtIZXJDfk/s400/Robin28.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexico</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurS7D7vfZhncdpIhTAXWPQLTWP-apw0LzY16q9F1SnHLSmb1WfqflDwWVlBY5kBttGaBm6cEW-dMeAHF92VgByq6uF4x4E-Wx_Jg7lyL2X9B-QdfXvokYdHoUOxf8-4hL7g0zj-0s16k/s1600/Robin29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurS7D7vfZhncdpIhTAXWPQLTWP-apw0LzY16q9F1SnHLSmb1WfqflDwWVlBY5kBttGaBm6cEW-dMeAHF92VgByq6uF4x4E-Wx_Jg7lyL2X9B-QdfXvokYdHoUOxf8-4hL7g0zj-0s16k/s400/Robin29.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Chautuaqua, NY</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIK7Cs0Mo_aBIC6uD6UoR4odPq9j5L5IwK88ZBbC_0L2wwoPtoyFbC3uc0F9scf_MoOxIbZ1pfHjne4Y5y5DkOvpFrTLR3LDnuOV8ZS_hRfx23pYaaP0fkAA_gKDv4PqqLP8iSYZMGmkY/s1600/Robin4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIK7Cs0Mo_aBIC6uD6UoR4odPq9j5L5IwK88ZBbC_0L2wwoPtoyFbC3uc0F9scf_MoOxIbZ1pfHjne4Y5y5DkOvpFrTLR3LDnuOV8ZS_hRfx23pYaaP0fkAA_gKDv4PqqLP8iSYZMGmkY/s400/Robin4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portland, Oregon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowyV6IUL6wrKciV9abZ0ojeCslhRHe1lwkEWZzziPWABEmTKBdhJ6kdbiZtF3YM6-L5DT_83I5tT_d4XjrNcTy-oe-34JOPCSejFGPata-KN72COa6MHAVothYU3HL9w-h0wVWzgB_Lk/s1600/Robin6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowyV6IUL6wrKciV9abZ0ojeCslhRHe1lwkEWZzziPWABEmTKBdhJ6kdbiZtF3YM6-L5DT_83I5tT_d4XjrNcTy-oe-34JOPCSejFGPata-KN72COa6MHAVothYU3HL9w-h0wVWzgB_Lk/s400/Robin6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Occupy Seattle</td></tr>
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You might also enjoy:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2012/02/robins-sketchbook-part-2.html" target="_blank">Robin's Sketchbook, Children</a></li>
<li><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2012/01/robins-sketchbook.html" target="_blank">Robin's Sketchbook, Seattle Icons</a></li>
</ul>
</div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-15453112246319339832012-02-09T17:55:00.000-08:002012-02-16T11:48:13.478-08:00An Excursion to the Flower and Garden Show<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning my friend Liisa and I paid a visit to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Liisa worked on the "Bird Song" display garden, created by the Arboretum at Washington Park and the Seattle Audubon and wanted to go back today as a spectator instead of worker to take photos for her fabulous blog, the <a href="http://www.intercontinentalgardener.com/" target="_blank">Intercontinental Gardener</a>. Liisa's already got some posted, so I won't duplicate things she's already covered.<br />
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[<i>Photography Geek Note:</i> Bill just bought a fixed <a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/35mm-f18.htm" target="_blank">F1.8 35mm DX lens</a>, which I wanted to try out at the garden show because of the low light. The lens worked well, except I didn't always get the right thing in focus. If I had to do it again, I'd manually focus everything. Also, because of the low light, the depth of field had to be so shallow in some shots that the photos just didn't turn out well. I guess that's the price you pay for not using flash.]<br />
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Anyway, here are a few of the many things that caught my eye:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHouJQ3NsMhW34_Fb3yPgbUh93hx4KtPvawTH604ceUU4a0iAZKVprE-wvWEvu_MhuELLIQ8uQ-16xQ6mCRxNeIHNfOKtu4Sj4WdadLPuB8mXXrZMf0upL58FJqclWH4IYhjuGM_kFbpI/s1600/Garden+Show+129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHouJQ3NsMhW34_Fb3yPgbUh93hx4KtPvawTH604ceUU4a0iAZKVprE-wvWEvu_MhuELLIQ8uQ-16xQ6mCRxNeIHNfOKtu4Sj4WdadLPuB8mXXrZMf0upL58FJqclWH4IYhjuGM_kFbpI/s320/Garden+Show+129.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorful hand-blown glass galore, for garden and in-home use. If you're into glass, this is a great opportunity to see A LOT of it. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgivlq9vGyWhmn6whuwCykKyRmFvrtvAefGOyRUzL2EM28lLIMWtpb978vAdB5o7kV9Hxkx5QMC2_JwPp3Dm71v6Pwy2AykTOo7BxVuhnZrNBJ0S4B4PnUjAHBGCpxRTfEZG1GDXJZdU/s1600/Garden+Show+142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgivlq9vGyWhmn6whuwCykKyRmFvrtvAefGOyRUzL2EM28lLIMWtpb978vAdB5o7kV9Hxkx5QMC2_JwPp3Dm71v6Pwy2AykTOo7BxVuhnZrNBJ0S4B4PnUjAHBGCpxRTfEZG1GDXJZdU/s320/Garden+Show+142.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan Robinson, of <a href="http://www.elandangardens.com/" target="_blank">Elandon Gardens</a>. It's really hard not to be a groupie, so I just am. He is the rock star of bonsai. If you ever get a chance, get yourself down to Port Orchard to see his nursery. It's worth the trip, believe me! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkxR-jAwdfiutFxi_NKYUXGpqxb9HuhrGPi-LDVUHOQuwj71DoWc_nPqn1gL5o2P_01RbTrpe7mVOejBzpr_CViGFsqfmbEbiXPF7n9wEv27ctBkuPy9Xli2YUED6EHifvH9CJFLauko/s1600/Garden+Show+159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkxR-jAwdfiutFxi_NKYUXGpqxb9HuhrGPi-LDVUHOQuwj71DoWc_nPqn1gL5o2P_01RbTrpe7mVOejBzpr_CViGFsqfmbEbiXPF7n9wEv27ctBkuPy9Xli2YUED6EHifvH9CJFLauko/s320/Garden+Show+159.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What we won't do for art! Liisa has gotten permission from Dan Robinson to move his "Gold Medal" award so she can get a clear show of this impressive root that he somehow managed to get into the convention center. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HgtpQAR8SH5bb_tCQYnIxz5gjgsJ9qPB0Rw1kin7_YSSsl37WkZRm60xEHV-WTEsOdIx7HMXV-RhaoJUIGjkY-0PMCagirzTzMmZvCC6coHhzLQJ_iAYF8Pu22XgR9cMbc_-ZTNORkw/s1600/Garden+Show+150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HgtpQAR8SH5bb_tCQYnIxz5gjgsJ9qPB0Rw1kin7_YSSsl37WkZRm60xEHV-WTEsOdIx7HMXV-RhaoJUIGjkY-0PMCagirzTzMmZvCC6coHhzLQJ_iAYF8Pu22XgR9cMbc_-ZTNORkw/s320/Garden+Show+150.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liisa photographing the gigantic tree root. Hopefully she got a better shot than I did.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh49XLgIzV1Goz4m0akjjfCd8L9TMHTKpGF3tW4B-LGbMG-9DofBs6qalsWjq6FGfpJqJ2OocsspeXh6pgMJgrFqPzXA8ToWD7ah3nSMOxwUe2NHGVlJZKz2DolT8kc652Kq3hvoxFxO0/s1600/Garden+Show+170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh49XLgIzV1Goz4m0akjjfCd8L9TMHTKpGF3tW4B-LGbMG-9DofBs6qalsWjq6FGfpJqJ2OocsspeXh6pgMJgrFqPzXA8ToWD7ah3nSMOxwUe2NHGVlJZKz2DolT8kc652Kq3hvoxFxO0/s320/Garden+Show+170.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is part of the Arboretum "Bird Song" display. They created a beautiful, natural bird habitat, mostly out of native plants, and put some bird replicas in it. If you're thinking about making your own wildlife habitat, this display will give you some good ideas. For more on that subject, see <a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-is-garden-for-wildlife-month.html" target="_blank">Gardening for Wildlife</a>.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQX9IAUhFd4ahFHl0MBkt5uE3JmXtvOAZqu61aDanTKFztCpQh7e3TOwhYw4_T7OmdXSZ2LYXtMdU4BZTDqbbldPCRO3pRdkHzcWptpVEkRi7VPQMu2OgDmeBVzgDYeVdjiQrCY84VtkE/s1600/Garden+Show+172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQX9IAUhFd4ahFHl0MBkt5uE3JmXtvOAZqu61aDanTKFztCpQh7e3TOwhYw4_T7OmdXSZ2LYXtMdU4BZTDqbbldPCRO3pRdkHzcWptpVEkRi7VPQMu2OgDmeBVzgDYeVdjiQrCY84VtkE/s320/Garden+Show+172.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another habitat shot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YexFzDLfgOFbSk4DBcZtPyfKAOe_v_z3jHNrYL-hoz2J3SRvF_BF172qt-u6hwzBP_-xfolHnOtMsWNnib5GvjUTb82yY3e6Nfd7HqUN7qJIISdR9hMVU1S65otlbB980R7vUcjFrRg/s1600/Garden+Show+197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YexFzDLfgOFbSk4DBcZtPyfKAOe_v_z3jHNrYL-hoz2J3SRvF_BF172qt-u6hwzBP_-xfolHnOtMsWNnib5GvjUTb82yY3e6Nfd7HqUN7qJIISdR9hMVU1S65otlbB980R7vUcjFrRg/s320/Garden+Show+197.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautifully formed Japanese maple. It's obviously been shaped and pruned over the years.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX9qi4gRM2JOEX5uNJLben5xwMWmw0IHfWLPKQFFKaErT6jbF-CFXbDonMBVh0ffRGRYPo9k5165MzTeXcPMBKVKjC3ldKxwej5EQYIt9l_ckk9FFlTC7paH-1KEtQdffYwxfgBTPSHI/s1600/Garden+Show+235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX9qi4gRM2JOEX5uNJLben5xwMWmw0IHfWLPKQFFKaErT6jbF-CFXbDonMBVh0ffRGRYPo9k5165MzTeXcPMBKVKjC3ldKxwej5EQYIt9l_ckk9FFlTC7paH-1KEtQdffYwxfgBTPSHI/s320/Garden+Show+235.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want a garden shed like this in my backyard!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IvAW6rhqhC7-R0Do9N7yUeQZE0C__7W0iA5GFDR54sUyDrQAVXRyohuBXQvKf2z9NtRtjuxIpqGM4wXCxMWbGFK5eY8JDahp1Sh0oXm8eUswt6U5SMRJSlrshfw1lZkjWzFqSX1hbDc/s1600/Garden+Show+247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IvAW6rhqhC7-R0Do9N7yUeQZE0C__7W0iA5GFDR54sUyDrQAVXRyohuBXQvKf2z9NtRtjuxIpqGM4wXCxMWbGFK5eY8JDahp1Sh0oXm8eUswt6U5SMRJSlrshfw1lZkjWzFqSX1hbDc/s320/Garden+Show+247.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best photo ops were of the flower arrangements. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbMmZnXuQqDSlGO-S06y8kR5tPr6h61Atl9vvC4qk53W7nZTZ4l-szK1sRz4cQb7Ek-L-mxU669LXbd2p67fquFtdib7O6tUceask96e2N5s2UjQb7ZA3-TYUeaSSzZD8Kx6qrckivBA/s1600/Garden+Show+249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbMmZnXuQqDSlGO-S06y8kR5tPr6h61Atl9vvC4qk53W7nZTZ4l-szK1sRz4cQb7Ek-L-mxU669LXbd2p67fquFtdib7O6tUceask96e2N5s2UjQb7ZA3-TYUeaSSzZD8Kx6qrckivBA/s320/Garden+Show+249.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A french horn and a willow variety that has flat branches. Very fun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktdmudJoGmfHDQXs71rHSJHfpCYf7EK20M1OxXBO8laUntmmpt5592w3ouS8rbfWlP9NqsspFdMBXuXJ7st5b4lsovjlll0OFpdQltwynSMERgXPtTOhKIrzjwoMLZWcPbJN0CVoT7bo/s1600/Garden+Show+253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktdmudJoGmfHDQXs71rHSJHfpCYf7EK20M1OxXBO8laUntmmpt5592w3ouS8rbfWlP9NqsspFdMBXuXJ7st5b4lsovjlll0OFpdQltwynSMERgXPtTOhKIrzjwoMLZWcPbJN0CVoT7bo/s320/Garden+Show+253.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know what these little yellow puff ball things are, but I like them a lot.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAgqYe3YtJp-EiuLqa7laPECYnlGGChA0pUylCJN3auZ7JmfJPm3WJnZz23vSO7LVCZxmpPyhz0qX-xyGNcJfAm3GMxJRqnRHqjiZdIvVbeXfbwq0kRmRposEp5ukcSCykAlUgKkmPdQ/s1600/Garden+Show+262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAgqYe3YtJp-EiuLqa7laPECYnlGGChA0pUylCJN3auZ7JmfJPm3WJnZz23vSO7LVCZxmpPyhz0qX-xyGNcJfAm3GMxJRqnRHqjiZdIvVbeXfbwq0kRmRposEp5ukcSCykAlUgKkmPdQ/s320/Garden+Show+262.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0r_uFM8tTfPnv1D8geY4C4nS-2IftPr0ZqPDK2u-R_C-j-QBRUsx_JADoPf17xxEz0eapKKg00ysc9kkWKQBbVNDuemSaNhXJ4DdaZI_gWPt-iyGD6KNIQXKnU4PN0TJMrYPL2KgKS8/s1600/Garden+Show+260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0r_uFM8tTfPnv1D8geY4C4nS-2IftPr0ZqPDK2u-R_C-j-QBRUsx_JADoPf17xxEz0eapKKg00ysc9kkWKQBbVNDuemSaNhXJ4DdaZI_gWPt-iyGD6KNIQXKnU4PN0TJMrYPL2KgKS8/s320/Garden+Show+260.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0KXRlV2dbzzEzwOIMiEEjLpDB9imd18rTpyCTYCmEK4PdF1TucU-P-XyDpFyM4skRSBTx7OyyuFBu7-yhoAG0or1Hr6xBYL19iKsPo6iflyJ9yfMhSPD7maXZOj3khGEBvggvJ-jlEc/s1600/Garden+Show+275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0KXRlV2dbzzEzwOIMiEEjLpDB9imd18rTpyCTYCmEK4PdF1TucU-P-XyDpFyM4skRSBTx7OyyuFBu7-yhoAG0or1Hr6xBYL19iKsPo6iflyJ9yfMhSPD7maXZOj3khGEBvggvJ-jlEc/s320/Garden+Show+275.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was so cute, I included it even though it wasn't all in focus.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DH80RG20PRaKr5UYWeg_p25vmPOrnGL-fxV7UW0eaaI1WlQpdIP3nEnyrHjaVdKlHf6978dX1RJwo-siJdpaDV-0wB4CHz3X1iNLie0aFkTSiD9l52onflJedJFV6qziSF7VhhKnrV0/s1600/Garden+Show+283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DH80RG20PRaKr5UYWeg_p25vmPOrnGL-fxV7UW0eaaI1WlQpdIP3nEnyrHjaVdKlHf6978dX1RJwo-siJdpaDV-0wB4CHz3X1iNLie0aFkTSiD9l52onflJedJFV6qziSF7VhhKnrV0/s320/Garden+Show+283.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And last, but not least, my personal haul. Bill's going to be digging some new holes this weekend.</td></tr>
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You might also enjoy:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-is-garden-for-wildlife-month.html" style="background-color: white; color: #88bb21; font-family: Philosopher; text-decoration: none;"><b>Gardening for Wildlife</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher;"> - Find out how to create a backyard wildlife habitat.</span></li>
<li><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/05/plants-for-pacific-northwest-shade.html" style="background-color: white; color: #88bb21; font-family: Philosopher; text-decoration: none;"><b>Plants for Pacific Northwest Shade Gardens</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher;"> - A list of plants that have thrived in my gardens.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher;"> </span></li>
</ul>
</div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-23270328168027904082012-02-07T10:12:00.000-08:002012-02-16T19:16:37.480-08:00Artists Are Not Like Software Engineers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As mentioned in a previous post, last year I joined an <a href="http://49thstreetstudio.com/" target="_blank">artist studio</a> after having spent more than 20 years in high tech. While I've rubbed elbows with artistic types in the past, I've never been in a work environment with them before, and although this may not come as a surprise to you, what amounts to a revelation to me is this: Artists are not like software engineers.**<br />
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This fact first dawned on me during the studio annual meeting (required by regulation because of the studio's LLC status), which was held right after I joined. I'm used to business meetings being called and <i>driven </i>by a major <i>stakeholder </i>or <i>owner </i>of the project under discussion, or at least someone who has a lot of <i>skin in the game</i>. This person sets a formal agenda and keeps people <i>focused </i>on its <i>points </i>during the meeting. The <i>goal </i>is to reach agreement on how each point is to be addressed, and to assign <i>action items</i> to participants. Following the meeting, the owner follows up to make sure each action item is addressed and <i>closed on</i> and the results circulated to the meeting attendees according to an established <i>timeline</i>. (And of course, the fact that <i>time is of the essence</i> goes without saying.) </div>
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I submit that if you're a business professional, you've probably read the previous paragraph and thought, "And...?" But if you're an artist, you're likely squirming in discomfort entertaining the image of such an environment, and mentally looking for the Exit door. I could be wrong about this, of course, as I'm just in the learning phases about how artists experience such things. But at least based on my observations so far, artists don't tend to be nearly as linear in their thinking and their goals tend to be somewhat open-ended, allowing for unexpected things to occur. Serendipitous Things. Not that either approach to conducting one's particular type of business is better or worse than the other. The two are just very, very different. </div>
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So, back to my first studio meeting. There was a suggested time for us to get together, and when everyone had arrived, about 20 minutes or so after the suggested time (I was probably the only one who noticed), someone suggested that we look at the LLC documents to see what we were supposed to do. The documents were found and dug out of their folder, and it was determined that we needed to elect officers. The current president called for volunteers, and one person volunteered for each spot, while another person wrote down their names and positions on a piece of paper. Because we had a new treasurer, there was some discussion about the bank account and how money was collected and deposited. The departing treasurer indicated that people new to the LLC should go to the bank and sign the signature card. Next, the discussion turned to our studio party and somehow (I was unable to sort out how it happened) the date was picked, and a menu decided upon. </div>
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During the entire meeting, I was certain that nothing was going to emerge from this loosey-goosey approach but chaos, but fortunately had the good sense to keep my mouth firmly shut. After a surprisingly short period of time, the business part of the meeting faded into a purely social time, and that was that. Six months later, I can report that everything was carried off flawlessly, and with no fuss whatever. In fact, the way the studio operates is awesome, but I won't take more time for that here. I think I'm still a bit shocked. </div>
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So here's my attempt at a visual illustration of the two types of meetings. Interestingly, both software engineers and artists like to draw pictures (although software engineers like to call them "diagrams").</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVfaUJ-npLRRBC6YYY66M77XaWFE3EPy8_30ftRbyQGnM87Y7n3v6_JO0vFRdLXW2489d8A-wL_qHeHVLYOSn1AE5fu2SUz1-rlTFIdcc0uLq0W3fkNbbeoo9PoXazW0sl6ROa3-E9aI/s1600/Software+Engineer+Meeting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVfaUJ-npLRRBC6YYY66M77XaWFE3EPy8_30ftRbyQGnM87Y7n3v6_JO0vFRdLXW2489d8A-wL_qHeHVLYOSn1AE5fu2SUz1-rlTFIdcc0uLq0W3fkNbbeoo9PoXazW0sl6ROa3-E9aI/s400/Software+Engineer+Meeting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Business Meeting in High Tech</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajjkkMIx2o8Huy6nPL6z2H3RgVohQpBdC4zUsPW9FfQPmPxborVdFXsYdxx6qAUqibf9eRLhY-ij6N_FcsoUkTeX7abvNQJ83oxsOjradpMfcxVKKqqHh1oXHaolo7IcO235IawacDCg/s1600/Artist+Meeting2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajjkkMIx2o8Huy6nPL6z2H3RgVohQpBdC4zUsPW9FfQPmPxborVdFXsYdxx6qAUqibf9eRLhY-ij6N_FcsoUkTeX7abvNQJ83oxsOjradpMfcxVKKqqHh1oXHaolo7IcO235IawacDCg/s400/Artist+Meeting2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annual Studio Meeting</td></tr>
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<div>
** Disclaimer: Of course, I realize that no person is purely artist or purely software engineer, or purely anything else for that matter. Individuals are always a mixture, and imposing stereotypes ensures that nuances will be missed. Nevertheless, I'm going to do it anyway because, taken as a group, IMHO artists are in fact very different from software engineers.<br />
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You might also enjoy:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/07/overcoming-fear-of-paint.html"><b>Overcoming Fear of Paint</b></a> - Someone once said to expand your abilities and horizons, you should do one thing a day that makes you afraid.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/08/more-fear-of-paint.html">More Fear of Paint</a> </b>- I'm still putting lots of paint on the page while holding my breath.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-38308191993220354662012-02-01T14:03:00.000-08:002012-02-16T11:32:33.327-08:00Robin's Sketchbook, Children<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here are some more pages from Robin's sketchbook, most of them with her notes as captions. This time the theme is "children." Robin is both mother and teacher, so she has lots of time to observe them in school and at play.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcdd9jQYRQKku6uLP51H1krIPgNWZpKEqhnxe7RkmYgB6WMgdBtOcxcMstWIaa-ctdOcp1ydbvYXDWb0Zwrn4kNb1EapFrecdhswCYmhr1ytlOqr5oTYScBYouIKXlD7HVi5bt0jYBTc/s1600/Robin14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcdd9jQYRQKku6uLP51H1krIPgNWZpKEqhnxe7RkmYgB6WMgdBtOcxcMstWIaa-ctdOcp1ydbvYXDWb0Zwrn4kNb1EapFrecdhswCYmhr1ytlOqr5oTYScBYouIKXlD7HVi5bt0jYBTc/s320/Robin14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Another fun week of school!</span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovl_K7HFLB2MOXjOPbsXyyxu1A_xBw9nyhir8ywzlra-5a0qsDkpEcxpTE5vExNyHx6wBBBphENjy1wW1L45NliD9HcnJxiASdqXz5Mybez2j8Memx2f0WxziUKaKhhWkwkuujZ4LKj8/s1600/Robin7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovl_K7HFLB2MOXjOPbsXyyxu1A_xBw9nyhir8ywzlra-5a0qsDkpEcxpTE5vExNyHx6wBBBphENjy1wW1L45NliD9HcnJxiASdqXz5Mybez2j8Memx2f0WxziUKaKhhWkwkuujZ4LKj8/s320/Robin7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Imagine feeling so cool in your bike helmet--that you wear it all day at work as these children did at school! The bikes were used in gym that week...</span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwhBI6M-TBt41cGuUceJpJ-AYDhzT_vPd2BubPqvt1HhIgEBADpNNkpqa04Q9gg3-8P4UIYJtnvzi96SFc9rk8_7qkGBdINpyygj6tEtYXQyQi9zM_IbAysQ0zFi3UfSkRiUEHyMXPqI/s1600/Robin24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwhBI6M-TBt41cGuUceJpJ-AYDhzT_vPd2BubPqvt1HhIgEBADpNNkpqa04Q9gg3-8P4UIYJtnvzi96SFc9rk8_7qkGBdINpyygj6tEtYXQyQi9zM_IbAysQ0zFi3UfSkRiUEHyMXPqI/s320/Robin24.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The school year is almost over!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfCjS6y8P7pSHkpyrEoX8TQW7QPkccugbpMji4YWWnJ1_K3IzUTC5v2AQteZN50SMd_ZXvknw5sfPs77ZkMocGg1aoB43LAaR9EZkkCT3aKqqlMeM4s1ImDHOC64ZgTSFVVSBx5Fgc8g/s1600/Robin15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfCjS6y8P7pSHkpyrEoX8TQW7QPkccugbpMji4YWWnJ1_K3IzUTC5v2AQteZN50SMd_ZXvknw5sfPs77ZkMocGg1aoB43LAaR9EZkkCT3aKqqlMeM4s1ImDHOC64ZgTSFVVSBx5Fgc8g/s320/Robin15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going to a high school soccer game.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfbvqAEhJqoLXit_T1EezQc2NIbzJpH2uoB7m3w63IOlVWOGt8InvP5I5NRpCEfoD5DabynkDByZAMj03wpuaXKXhbSyd48yu9WOQK9zBKpmDW7_NLN5OwHerXhJO04Y4PB8Q7Spprwg/s1600/Robin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfbvqAEhJqoLXit_T1EezQc2NIbzJpH2uoB7m3w63IOlVWOGt8InvP5I5NRpCEfoD5DabynkDByZAMj03wpuaXKXhbSyd48yu9WOQK9zBKpmDW7_NLN5OwHerXhJO04Y4PB8Q7Spprwg/s320/Robin3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">A sunny day!</span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"> </span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cxv_qkkfutMsx2tTrK9Z7DGEsVBjmZ1iGgX1ipyP0xhyphenhyphen3Cwd_gpnQv1v8NKKedeqaARF3QWyVza2tSvD_8_Ib1Wi_IOscBwxjPBliv7dwlt_b7p1gK3tW1gJ6sw42R-MbA7KGuElzew/s1600/Robin11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cxv_qkkfutMsx2tTrK9Z7DGEsVBjmZ1iGgX1ipyP0xhyphenhyphen3Cwd_gpnQv1v8NKKedeqaARF3QWyVza2tSvD_8_Ib1Wi_IOscBwxjPBliv7dwlt_b7p1gK3tW1gJ6sw42R-MbA7KGuElzew/s320/Robin11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stop at the Greenwood Library.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKwBo_1SivSui6rs_wXrhdYbYH-3R-2AZnbrSOK9CPmK3pz3bk3DQAO4PdVt4vg7Dt2H1AHQjKVHqXPKw38lAmvWdcdEfN7wVk2Qv093H_xvb7wUdtmhRLQHEAJGND1YYHZ2OKffnGGs/s1600/Robin8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKwBo_1SivSui6rs_wXrhdYbYH-3R-2AZnbrSOK9CPmK3pz3bk3DQAO4PdVt4vg7Dt2H1AHQjKVHqXPKw38lAmvWdcdEfN7wVk2Qv093H_xvb7wUdtmhRLQHEAJGND1YYHZ2OKffnGGs/s320/Robin8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">The students came to school today with Halloween costumes in their bags. It was lively all day! The candy wrappers will be crinkling tomorrow!</span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0o05KL36GvrWPiZGE44Q80OSIPjJDHtqMbcQJGWbHdHPpGptmPFjQ4PjVAOGORIJdxyFp5jU82RM9DLfYIJBGGVlufRNVSTWPXoqYqCNTuqXiE4rAxY5m41Zqs33xuss_uWMQd9XdHM/s1600/Robin19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0o05KL36GvrWPiZGE44Q80OSIPjJDHtqMbcQJGWbHdHPpGptmPFjQ4PjVAOGORIJdxyFp5jU82RM9DLfYIJBGGVlufRNVSTWPXoqYqCNTuqXiE4rAxY5m41Zqs33xuss_uWMQd9XdHM/s320/Robin19.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">The Methow Valley was sunny and charming. From the roads up to the mountains for day hikes----it was beautiful!</span></span>
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<li><b style="background-color: white; color: #88bb21; font-family: Philosopher; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2012/01/robins-sketchbook.html" style="background-color: white; color: #88bb21; font-family: Philosopher; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Robin's Sketchbook</a>, Seattle Icons</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher; line-height: 18px;"> - Photos of a watercolor sketchbook.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Philosopher;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/12/sketching-on-location.html" target="_blank"><b>Sketching on Location</b></a> - Some of my own sketches.</span></span></li>
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</div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-45221981635047725762012-01-28T20:57:00.000-08:002012-01-29T13:21:12.492-08:00Artists of the First Nations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While my daughter and her boyfriend were visiting from Australia this week, we spent a few days in Vancouver, BC. One afternoon we went to the <a href="http://www.moa.ubc.ca/" target="_blank">Museum of Anthropology</a> at the University of British Columbia. Containing more than 38,000 objects, the museum is more than a bit overwhelming, so I decided to focus on the First Nations collection, totaling just 6700 objects (!). First Nations are the indigenous peoples of North America who have lived here for about 10,000 years. In the Pacific Northwest much of their tradition and culture has managed to survive* in spite of the concerted and ongoing efforts of European settlers, arriving in the 18th century, to eradicate it. Over the last decade or so, First Nations culture has finally attained a degree of respect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmlNwMr-GCzLQoYCiBp2xMZi_YL6vLF6EieosPe_lEL9-rQCSK4VYr2S4-Kag6FuKjaER9sR4NLnE35gwOh_9Z280vt7u-GxN-EDH4zKVx-qKjPSrXt8fyVWwql4SPdcQBc-dpE6h1cA/s1600/Liz'+Visit+478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmlNwMr-GCzLQoYCiBp2xMZi_YL6vLF6EieosPe_lEL9-rQCSK4VYr2S4-Kag6FuKjaER9sR4NLnE35gwOh_9Z280vt7u-GxN-EDH4zKVx-qKjPSrXt8fyVWwql4SPdcQBc-dpE6h1cA/s200/Liz'+Visit+478.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Upon entering the museum we found ourselves in a lofty vestibule full of First Nation objects ranging from totem poles to canoes to wooden cooking boxes, all carved from Pacific Coast Cedar. After several minutes of walking around in rapt appreciation, I realized my mouth was wide open. I closed it, but it soon opened again for yet another, "Wow!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhezvy3Wp6U2sEEA9yYtUOo4DJ6IWHvaNgoAD5zyIwMyjD_1KKvdKkYPNClhSySZv3gLn1x5Bl6m5XVYO4Hq4h41O7e3lWDSzLZwIlJc1i1ohQgw8GHDfP5MRkxsu_oOIOwp2nXo9SEDcI/s1600/Liz'+Visit+449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhezvy3Wp6U2sEEA9yYtUOo4DJ6IWHvaNgoAD5zyIwMyjD_1KKvdKkYPNClhSySZv3gLn1x5Bl6m5XVYO4Hq4h41O7e3lWDSzLZwIlJc1i1ohQgw8GHDfP5MRkxsu_oOIOwp2nXo9SEDcI/s320/Liz'+Visit+449.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liz inspecting interior house posts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjKa17B-2DxtziAXfC_ePcHmmOUmDXYhLijWP2fm4l_LxFmqaljMoz7a3x5gjEPKFAIKAO1RavABfnmhUPM_OtzqWHchW-Cfc91uX9RhuFes6n11kWmB_4_qTXHaGV0m-yfdNfjuaPuY/s1600/Liz'+Visit+451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjKa17B-2DxtziAXfC_ePcHmmOUmDXYhLijWP2fm4l_LxFmqaljMoz7a3x5gjEPKFAIKAO1RavABfnmhUPM_OtzqWHchW-Cfc91uX9RhuFes6n11kWmB_4_qTXHaGV0m-yfdNfjuaPuY/s320/Liz'+Visit+451.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left - woven rug, back right - wall decoration, front right - funeral box for a chief.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqVSXFJs1bKPG7CZjhisTi8AXV8szsOAosT7Sak0582zX9GBL7mBIHTmhIu9X2SM66TBes5vKY2paBRVJ7QGWPfYaAFKL6knsG3wkyrHIehwuVfqJx9L0ofZxtU6h7uQMWLV-1bDsJ3k/s1600/Liz'+Visit+471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqVSXFJs1bKPG7CZjhisTi8AXV8szsOAosT7Sak0582zX9GBL7mBIHTmhIu9X2SM66TBes5vKY2paBRVJ7QGWPfYaAFKL6knsG3wkyrHIehwuVfqJx9L0ofZxtU6h7uQMWLV-1bDsJ3k/s320/Liz'+Visit+471.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carved poles were always painted, but most of them have long since lost their paint. This is a happy exception.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62Uv1xY-fDfXUeDOgQkGqqMaXYT9-cGHsZf0D0NiRHV39KvbWU2r_lEg4vuSw7ZfIQ_8KCrtTHbGtNTAS1lO0mq8NNSvB0EDLhaT3soRY4grZ3xw7fI4GElfMEN5VJ-0Qmvjuf7XC6NU/s1600/Liz'+Visit+472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62Uv1xY-fDfXUeDOgQkGqqMaXYT9-cGHsZf0D0NiRHV39KvbWU2r_lEg4vuSw7ZfIQ_8KCrtTHbGtNTAS1lO0mq8NNSvB0EDLhaT3soRY4grZ3xw7fI4GElfMEN5VJ-0Qmvjuf7XC6NU/s320/Liz'+Visit+472.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancestor figure.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOIEJx23ihBsDxS-cGbXTWNMYpt8f_WYEjk9UjbpHr3rziY7a9I7zH0u4yHI7jITLvIMej8Th1o-Pn0G0tEhKzvr3wqe8-EDEjK7HL2zFQt3DlwZLtMwvn_7A9Q9noKLAtmPL7o0b5Ys/s1600/Liz'+Visit+479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOIEJx23ihBsDxS-cGbXTWNMYpt8f_WYEjk9UjbpHr3rziY7a9I7zH0u4yHI7jITLvIMej8Th1o-Pn0G0tEhKzvr3wqe8-EDEjK7HL2zFQt3DlwZLtMwvn_7A9Q9noKLAtmPL7o0b5Ys/s320/Liz'+Visit+479.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haisla canoe</td></tr>
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Traditionally, First Nations people lived along the coast and next to waterways, as the inland forests were (and mostly still are) too dense for easy travel on foot. Their art and craft included no pottery, but rather relied on the wood and bark of the abundant cedar tree for nearly everything, even cooking pots and clothing. For weaving, they also used marsh grasses, in addition to bark.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMs_VyaizTKxMASVheT9GguluS5J6E_l2ia7ZctKc-gKmwU4-XYa1HGrLmGm-SvTKDB8w5-EiHXbixA65gJlypGG9mdwemBXgcnbx4dclvb8FezNCtj6Co_FTYHd7GTd0Rzb54D5ua6A/s1600/Liz'+Visit+474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMs_VyaizTKxMASVheT9GguluS5J6E_l2ia7ZctKc-gKmwU4-XYa1HGrLmGm-SvTKDB8w5-EiHXbixA65gJlypGG9mdwemBXgcnbx4dclvb8FezNCtj6Co_FTYHd7GTd0Rzb54D5ua6A/s320/Liz'+Visit+474.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totem poles</td></tr>
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Looking at this collection I was struck by the integration of art into the everyday things used by these people. Each item in the collection was beautifully formed, carved, and/or painted.<br />
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I finally tore myself away from the larger carvings and entered a series of smaller rooms filled with glass-enclosed shelves laden with myriad smaller, but equally artful, objects.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5TwIQu9lRO1_IQsfUeVOFPsG6VE0aW_m35Ho8BgFFBlTTMqcHcOpSErfyWoGbhiPYJiBrhbkO4rHIA7M7o7Uj1rK-Ke_wKXf2VFkATDqlxt7StYYoS7Px1in43QHTztL97Q5tuiGLRc/s1600/Liz'+Visit+493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5TwIQu9lRO1_IQsfUeVOFPsG6VE0aW_m35Ho8BgFFBlTTMqcHcOpSErfyWoGbhiPYJiBrhbkO4rHIA7M7o7Uj1rK-Ke_wKXf2VFkATDqlxt7StYYoS7Px1in43QHTztL97Q5tuiGLRc/s320/Liz'+Visit+493.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cedar bark basket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1KWwVO5rUhA1DfOjhb5_rAq6R0INUTKwbpKxZDdd8YYPTy0nNLERvtWonf1Cvp6hTsVk8tn03QOCHWBmzNe7oZGW14jGu9lZTOQycUwVK4bVcRYkwUSWvDie5zJk-NMl1lym0Uf8Q10/s1600/Liz'+Visit+502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1KWwVO5rUhA1DfOjhb5_rAq6R0INUTKwbpKxZDdd8YYPTy0nNLERvtWonf1Cvp6hTsVk8tn03QOCHWBmzNe7oZGW14jGu9lZTOQycUwVK4bVcRYkwUSWvDie5zJk-NMl1lym0Uf8Q10/s320/Liz'+Visit+502.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know what this carving might have been used for. Perhaps it was simply decorative.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMqPBhoM9jErMxwPLFKN8FFRMmtrNkHIQKtdACwRtxrZxRmMwETVS8jFtWc0FnAmn4RHJ0XnHedl6OGztArgahAIDQzoGkAfhtivKUNFK0VYhHeYC8ViHF-XYBIcY1LAX7dTqXwvIXro/s1600/Liz'+Visit+516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMqPBhoM9jErMxwPLFKN8FFRMmtrNkHIQKtdACwRtxrZxRmMwETVS8jFtWc0FnAmn4RHJ0XnHedl6OGztArgahAIDQzoGkAfhtivKUNFK0VYhHeYC8ViHF-XYBIcY1LAX7dTqXwvIXro/s320/Liz'+Visit+516.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was worn about the neck, probably for ceremonial purposes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxEkWDKV1moEJTkIgauUe1X2YdFrgMph43bs-R8eSk51CV5iko4zgtD7Op3TC9IWJMTJX_GNTVBRfD6x57cTQRYw-AF5MDQFF88QiJxlY9Qjs7vAKUyU-RDtBjDcJW9taN9fKz1ZP7hY/s1600/Liz'+Visit+521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxEkWDKV1moEJTkIgauUe1X2YdFrgMph43bs-R8eSk51CV5iko4zgtD7Op3TC9IWJMTJX_GNTVBRfD6x57cTQRYw-AF5MDQFF88QiJxlY9Qjs7vAKUyU-RDtBjDcJW9taN9fKz1ZP7hY/s320/Liz'+Visit+521.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wouldn't this be a fabulous masquerade mask?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDEpubkf5QReysT6vSerV8pbMzXIkdKJvJJNVAoO9aaAwNyH2rqP_HBOvI-Klapn28UL0Yy8ZMKoPiXHdcBze9CHcYjT2KCMTxNbkSYAOOtO1GoEaJNah3u8xpRYVEH25Des7u0g1TzA/s1600/Liz'+Visit+522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDEpubkf5QReysT6vSerV8pbMzXIkdKJvJJNVAoO9aaAwNyH2rqP_HBOvI-Klapn28UL0Yy8ZMKoPiXHdcBze9CHcYjT2KCMTxNbkSYAOOtO1GoEaJNah3u8xpRYVEH25Des7u0g1TzA/s320/Liz'+Visit+522.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can only try to imagine what these represented. Any ideas?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_cwVw5xluJEzdwNKaSFdONkNX8cSHuMqeLZTDoZ0_7w4KqWcwqvyJcFq6ogKSOlsQgjpjkqZIRpkEtUiPR0Ohd8Pl4nPmPEk0oNhHJb0C2rQ6oTFOcOEf3A-8TSufL2T88VtTCVTBik/s1600/Liz'+Visit+526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_cwVw5xluJEzdwNKaSFdONkNX8cSHuMqeLZTDoZ0_7w4KqWcwqvyJcFq6ogKSOlsQgjpjkqZIRpkEtUiPR0Ohd8Pl4nPmPEk0oNhHJb0C2rQ6oTFOcOEf3A-8TSufL2T88VtTCVTBik/s320/Liz'+Visit+526.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautifully carved ladles for trade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEOLxpInJdY5htGV9MK1uDiSl9QcTjR9jtk66dsfm5Ctb9oeeHSeNkOVNbqoOorYt5QIRnXvrIsiKoDSiTf_s3Q2iCYB5E8T6mN8NB_aTkBPLI_YIzps9q1_EmUZ8_IrflLD4pnY-MLs/s1600/Liz'+Visit+529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEOLxpInJdY5htGV9MK1uDiSl9QcTjR9jtk66dsfm5Ctb9oeeHSeNkOVNbqoOorYt5QIRnXvrIsiKoDSiTf_s3Q2iCYB5E8T6mN8NB_aTkBPLI_YIzps9q1_EmUZ8_IrflLD4pnY-MLs/s320/Liz'+Visit+529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haida hat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
* The art of carving totem poles has been passed down and continues to this day. For examples, see <a href="http://www.nativewoodart.com/totem.html" target="_blank">John Joseph</a>, <a href="http://www.nativeonline.com/norman.htm" target="_blank">Norman Tate</a>, <a href="http://www.haroldalfred.com/Totem%20Poles.html" target="_blank">Harold Alfred</a>, and <a href="http://www.robertdavidson.ca/" target="_blank">Robert Davidson</a>. <br />
<br />
You might also enjoy:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://blog.meganseagren.com/2011/05/winslow-homer-color-of-light-behind.html" style="background-color: white; color: #88bb21; font-family: Philosopher; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><b>Winslow Homer, The Color of Light, Behind the Scenes</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher; line-height: 18px;"> - Links to an online exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago </span> </li>
<li><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2012/01/robins-sketchbook.html" style="background-color: white; color: #88bb21; font-family: Philosopher; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Robin's Sketchbook</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher; line-height: 18px;"> - Photos of a watercolor sketchbook.</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7475175243456185747.post-75483220793997144062012-01-20T17:05:00.000-08:002012-02-16T10:17:31.887-08:00Robin's Sketchbook, Seattle Icons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There's a lot of interest among artists in sketch-booking these days. It's fun making sketches and people love looking at them, too. Robin Robins, a member of our <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Seattle-Watercolor-Meetup-Group/" target="_blank">watercolor meetup group</a>, showed us her sketchbook the other day, and I enjoyed looking at it so much that I asked if I could share it with you, which she has generously agreed to allow.<br />
<br />
I have a total of 30 photos of her sketches, which is far too many for a single post, so I'll divide them up and dribble out in smaller batches. For this post, I decided to share her Seattle icon sketches. Thanks, Robin!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxpfc4TGuyikw390unzQZUsZOpUn3ZYkPg52iUFG-LhzpyMpNzG4KXZ6mYZQKKxmvmfMhj3h0Y1yqIcJqKf-Bf6GNEqKSbOb_dEBEXvG-hbCfq35-VkO69NL9IxifEIaaVpvnJf0ReQ0/s1600/Robin5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxpfc4TGuyikw390unzQZUsZOpUn3ZYkPg52iUFG-LhzpyMpNzG4KXZ6mYZQKKxmvmfMhj3h0Y1yqIcJqKf-Bf6GNEqKSbOb_dEBEXvG-hbCfq35-VkO69NL9IxifEIaaVpvnJf0ReQ0/s320/Robin5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seattle Symphony playing in Benaroya Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDjs9mjaOUR4X3BJz-vue5LKADNuD51l-5r3SIwOoo7wpINzTrEn72S-OiSc1A7AbMr3zj7braq6yfi3OI6gLq20nYfD-3Zqk12Jag2bBCuHdclcqmV7WZpevpmSeVHRWrwMAf367yyU/s1600/Robin9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDjs9mjaOUR4X3BJz-vue5LKADNuD51l-5r3SIwOoo7wpINzTrEn72S-OiSc1A7AbMr3zj7braq6yfi3OI6gLq20nYfD-3Zqk12Jag2bBCuHdclcqmV7WZpevpmSeVHRWrwMAf367yyU/s320/Robin9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seattle Art Museum and the giant Hammering Man sculpture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF6Snx3sUEDf_vIcYdYUcERzWICEiFkAOI21l6g-_zNKV4VBvjc2zlkXnEwIDdXz7Oz5tszcdTAlw61Nn3rX9W9BTIjN_6esea0JfNh1YWwo7bePP2CmjcvxPvuGZaYEzjnkFTDwcgi4/s1600/Robin10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF6Snx3sUEDf_vIcYdYUcERzWICEiFkAOI21l6g-_zNKV4VBvjc2zlkXnEwIDdXz7Oz5tszcdTAlw61Nn3rX9W9BTIjN_6esea0JfNh1YWwo7bePP2CmjcvxPvuGZaYEzjnkFTDwcgi4/s320/Robin10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seattle Opera House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_8BwPtS7N9utKms6Hwc32RaFCKteVFjblcFKcJxYc1yaCBdyl9CQQu2iym8rpL26l6QZzYEbJdgbNPss65IrxOKG5F9mVb75kgnh1Cvh9QsZTbVEtuhQGPP5YQaQ4tX8b4cCI2zdstE/s1600/Robin12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_8BwPtS7N9utKms6Hwc32RaFCKteVFjblcFKcJxYc1yaCBdyl9CQQu2iym8rpL26l6QZzYEbJdgbNPss65IrxOKG5F9mVb75kgnh1Cvh9QsZTbVEtuhQGPP5YQaQ4tX8b4cCI2zdstE/s320/Robin12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No eclectic collection of Seattle-abilia is complete without Pike Place Market </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wXZ2xxQjFWCYtMlvMbHDogrndC28oDLlsZLG4EMtGCnzQd1ZwyD7sus5dpt8GfP_0jVSFbSs8FRlg5OHIDe0A96SAiZ4LSM5lQs58HN_tMnt5eF2tOYsjb9oJub7MK0oLeo8LFb72O4/s1600/Robin13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wXZ2xxQjFWCYtMlvMbHDogrndC28oDLlsZLG4EMtGCnzQd1ZwyD7sus5dpt8GfP_0jVSFbSs8FRlg5OHIDe0A96SAiZ4LSM5lQs58HN_tMnt5eF2tOYsjb9oJub7MK0oLeo8LFb72O4/s320/Robin13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Street Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_eZ2HYut-4JsUymuhjCetwJznSnhHy15KUzvhJ1KSbxCQBU3v4JxBW9NOl8F0tbRk-tH7WnutPYLophr3uy_wrMgZALaJBjwZ9IQuMuIK9FjSK9sVLMrduEx3OJwEPrtGHGsP87djiqE/s1600/Robin17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_eZ2HYut-4JsUymuhjCetwJznSnhHy15KUzvhJ1KSbxCQBU3v4JxBW9NOl8F0tbRk-tH7WnutPYLophr3uy_wrMgZALaJBjwZ9IQuMuIK9FjSK9sVLMrduEx3OJwEPrtGHGsP87djiqE/s320/Robin17.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ivar's Salmon House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRgfvYeGBQAulG6I1q0qXb-RTLDun7A0egL_DxBMc2QJpKTigIJkYtL25hLYNnGqQayKzp4kT-_GQMiJJYttUowRs_p6dfyxaHXA4nu34ydlOxCnag-o3YE3lMxETSPI0tPnm4yajPxY/s1600/Robin18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRgfvYeGBQAulG6I1q0qXb-RTLDun7A0egL_DxBMc2QJpKTigIJkYtL25hLYNnGqQayKzp4kT-_GQMiJJYttUowRs_p6dfyxaHXA4nu34ydlOxCnag-o3YE3lMxETSPI0tPnm4yajPxY/s320/Robin18.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walkway around Greenlake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDqH0kBPk7JBvBg1jZnfnB9imOS9sjmoW652qM1D8p9kFSXyFZFBUyhkzfrLnE4i_hJj3gcztFowOszgLVHjDlT2t4dqoWuNWi33fUJc6-h-jqnYvHLJCBvxNW1gEC-x-t3N6LouBc1E/s1600/Robin16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDqH0kBPk7JBvBg1jZnfnB9imOS9sjmoW652qM1D8p9kFSXyFZFBUyhkzfrLnE4i_hJj3gcztFowOszgLVHjDlT2t4dqoWuNWi33fUJc6-h-jqnYvHLJCBvxNW1gEC-x-t3N6LouBc1E/s320/Robin16.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming and boating in Greenlake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You might also enjoy:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher;"><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/07/painting-in-manner-of-thomas-schaller.html" style="color: #88bb21; text-decoration: none;"><b>Painting in the Manner of Thomas Schaller</b></a> - I create a painting by following Thomas' painting process. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher;"><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/07/overcoming-fear-of-paint.html" style="color: #88bb21; text-decoration: none;"><b>Overcoming Fear of Paint</b></a> - Someone once said to expand your abilities and horizons, you should do one thing a day that makes you afraid. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Philosopher;"><b><a href="http://meganseagren.blogspot.com/2011/08/more-fear-of-paint.html" style="color: #88bb21; text-decoration: none;">More Fear of Paint</a> </b>- I'm still putting lots of paint on the page while holding my breath.</span>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>Megan Seagrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862258798935862133noreply@blogger.com0