wildflower waiting

During the week before Harvey was born I got SUPER DUPER grouchy.  I swear everyone was asking me ridiculous questions that I didn't have the answer to (when's that baby going to come out? or my favorite, did you have your baby yet?  said to my face).   It was getting really hard for me to be patient and field these questions all day long.  So I decided that I was going to focus on something other then my still pregnant self.  I was going to draw one wildflower a day until I gave birth.

It turned out to be a really good idea.  And it helped me be just a little less snarky.

I'd been toying with the idea of doing a desert wildflower series, and this was the push I needed to get started.

Let me introduce you to:



Vetch

Desert Stickweed

Desert Paintbrush

 Globe Mallow.

And then I had a baby :)

Not sure when I'll start up again.  I sort of have a different project in mind, and we all know I can only focus on one thing at a time...

p.s. there are only 3 things you should say to a pregnant lady

unfinished business

I have quite a long list of things to get done before January 9th.  Mostly they are quite practical and rational, ya know, nesting-putting-my-house-in-order type of things.   But replacing invasive-species Toadflax in the wildflower series was at the top of the list.  The Toadflax was one of the first wildflowers I drew and Evan tried to tell me that it was actually a weed and not a Rocky Mountain Wildflower, but I am really quite stubborn and wanted to draw it anyway (it's pretty!).  So I did. 

 Fast forward to two summers ago and everytime we would go to the mountains there would be big posters of Toadflax with a big "x" through it, telling people to KILL it if they saw it.  

oh.  

So whenever I sent off a package to Wild Hands, I quietly left that flower out of the mix.  

This is a Wallflower.  And it's a wildflower, NOT a weed.

 I have been wanting to start a new art project, but I knew I had to finish up this business first.

Check!

the BIG news

No, I'm not pregnant (that's what everybody thinks these days whenever I say I have big news.  maybe I need to lay off the chocolate?).  But I am about to drop off a super heavy package at the post office full of my wildflowers.  They are headed to Wild Hands in Jackson, WY, and I couldn't be more excited! 

This past week has been a little crazy, what with trying to find the perfect paper to use (80 lb. recycled linen was the winner) and researching 'flower trivia' to go on the back of each print (because everyone should know that rubbing Larkspur seeds in your hair kills lice).  But we figured it out!  Evan is a pro at problem solving, which was good, because when I am faced with a problem, all I really feel like doing is crying.   I am so happy with how they turned out, and let's be honest, maybe my favorite part of all was finally putting my 'H' tape to good use :)

Greetings from Sweatshop HollyHox

Oh hi there!  It's nice to see you.  I have been hiding out in my studio with my feet positioned directly above the air-conditioning vent (summer has arrived!  and it's hot!  and our lawn looks like a piece of burnt toast!), drawing a Lilac. 

This was a commission I picked up while visiting my family in Utah, and since we're headed back down there this weekend, I needed to be speedy about the whole project.  And so our house has been temporarily turned into a sweatshop.

p.s. I secretly LOVE production work.  I love cutting, taping, sealing...I could go on and on.  *sigh* I find it highly relaxing.

And now this tower of Lilacs is headed to a large family gathering of sorts, which makes me very glad. I  love that I get to play a little part in family memory making (even if I don't even know them!).

Okay, back to my vent (my feet are getting warm).

Lupine Love

All flower photos taken by Evan.  I still can't believe I was lucky enough to marry a mountain man who loves flowers and takes killer pictures.  Lucky lucky me.

Wall Flowers

I started these wildflower drawings shortly after moving here last Spring.  I didn't know anyone, didn't have a job, or a puppy, a husband to hang out with all day, or really anything to do.  It was weird.  And so one windy afternoon, I drew a Lupine.  And I felt much better.

Twelve wildflowers later, and this place feels more like home every day.  I've met so many wonderful people, I have a puppy (!!!), and I've almost fully adjusted to Evan being gone to work all day (He's kind of my favorite person ever, so I like him to be around all of the time.  We are still trying to figure out a way for him to not work at all, but I'm afraid we might get hungry...)  And as I was lying in bed the other morning, still a little fuzzy in the brain, I had the most wonderful thought: these flowers are my metaphor for blooming where I'm planted.  Not that I'm claiming to have fully bloomed here (I still don't even have a cowboy hat!).

And now that this 'series' is finally complete, I am excited to put away my pencils for a while and move onto something else.  I'll let you know when I know what it is :)

Once upon a time,

there was a seed (metaphorically speaking).

It grew up and bloomed and turned into a Scarlet Gilia.

The End.

Glacier Lily

In case any of you out there aren't keeping track, this is wildflower #11.  Which means that I have just one left to complete my 'series' of 12.  I know!  And I decided to let Evan choose the last flower, because let's be honest, it was his affinity for wildflowers that got me hooked.  He has been taking this assignment very seriously...and he has definitely probably narrowed it down to just four wildflowers.  Cute!

Some more jabber:

::  Tonight we are going to see this, and we are just bursting with excitement.

::  I have been helping a friend out with her colicky baby about once a week and I can't stop calling him Gesso.  Or telling him what a "good boy" he is.  Awkward!  Even more awkward when she happens to be in the room with us!

::  Yesterday I had a little meltdown when Gesso ate two holes in my favorite brown cardigan and then proceeded to eat both of my brand new blending pencils that I been searching for all year.  Both of them.  Reduced to little slivers.  Good thing he is cute.

::  I mowed the lawn yesterday (after the meltdown) for the first time this Spring and it made me so so very happy.  I have to mow it while Evan is at work or else we fight over who's turn it is.  It's basically our #1 hobby.

Oh, hello there!

Meet little miss Columbine.  She's a real sweetie.

Larkspur

Meet my newest friend, Miss Larkspur.

Would you guys like to have a print of your very own?   

To enter, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post by Thursday night, March 10.  One entry per person.  However (this is where it gets fun), if you care to mention the giveaway to someone else, whether it's on your blog, over the fence to your neighbor, or with a post-it note on your forehead, you may come back and leave another comment, saying that you did so.  I will draw a winner on Friday, so be sure to pop back over and see if you've won.

 **edit: to be clear, you may comment once for yourself and once for any other mention.  That's two comments total. (Brandt, I'm talking to you!)**

I'm not terribly good at promoting my art, I'm actually quite shy about it.  So I'm hoping that this new twist on the giveaway will help spread some Wildflower love a little further into the world.

Pipsissewa

"It-breaks-into-small-pieces" is what the Cree name pipsisikweu means, because the Pipsissewa's leathery evergreen leaves contain a substance that was supposed to dissolve kidney stones. (It does not, in fact.)

Another small fact:  Pipsissewa is also sometimes referred to as "Ground Holly".  I know!  I love it.  Dear Parents, thank you for naming me after a plant.

 And it's much easier to pronounce.  So that's what I'm gonna call it.

Fairy Slippers

Earlier this past summer, while out on a mountain adventure, we struck gold. Well, not real gold. But wildflower gold (which is just as valuable).

It all started when Evan was hiking up ahead of me and started shouting. I immediately thought 'Bear!', and started to panic. We were in the Beartooth Mountains, after all.

After rushing to his side (how brave am I?), I learned that there was no bear. He was excited about something totally different.

'twas a single Fairy Slipper. We couldn't believe our luck! We savored this little flower and after approximately 700 pictures, decided it was time to move on.

And then we discovered whole clumps of Fairy Slippers! A whole closet-full!

And then I discovered this little guy at our house the other day. How sneaky!

Happy Fall ya'll

Meet Miss Autumn. She also goes by Twice Hairy Groundsel.

This flower was drawn from a picture Mr. Evan took this summer while hiking in the Beartooths. And I knew that I wanted to draw it even before I knew what it was called. And so I started. And the picture had little hairs all over the stem/leaves, which I opted to leave off. Because....too hard. And then when I found out the name, and that it had hairy in the title, well, I was kind of shocked. And embarrassed.

So please don't tell anyone. It can be our little secret.

And a bonus? I'm going to give a print of Miss Hairy away to one of you! Because I like you guys. And I want to spread a little fall cheer.

To enter, just leave a comment, specifying your favorite Halloween candy (mine would have to be mini Reese's cups) by Monday, October 18. I will randomly select a winner, and let you know the following day. Happy Fall!

******Comments closed-winner will be announced later today!******

Shooting Star

Miss Shooting Star is finally finished!

The photo she came from was taken on a rainy day by Evan. And she had some rain drops scattered about her petals. And I thought they were too delicious not to include. That's probably a 'no-no' in the botanical drawing world, but I just couldn't help myself.

How about a picture of the Shooting Star with the puppy?

Much better.

Indoor gardening

I have been doing some more indoor gardening. Which has been a really good thing to do because it has been far too rainy to do any outdoor gardening. I love love love doing these botanical pictures. I have a plan to do as many as nine and then hang them in a grouping on the way to our atrium. Or indoor greenhouse. That's attached to the music room. Down the hall from the library. But that's a ways away I'm told. So for now, I will work on the drawing.

The inspiration for this one comes from a picture Evan took a couple of years ago. We were out on a bicycle ride in the mountains and we came across a field of these periwinkle-ish beauties. We hadn't seen them before and haven't seen them since. We've been doing some research, and I am positive it's a Camas. Evan is not so sure about my conclusion (and he is far more knowledgeable about wildflowers than I), but he thinks that it is in the lily family, so I must be close.

And if it keeps on raining every day, I am sure I will have pictures to post of the completed flower (Camas?) soon.

Introducing...

...Holly the Botanical Artist!

I have always admired old botanical prints and always felt that someday I would settle down and create some of my own. After making Evan's desert garden, I was pretty much hooked. And I wanted to do more.

So after moving to Montana and feeling a little bit lonely (Evan, please quit your job and hang out with me everyday again...we can live on love!) and having no big responsibilities, I started drawing. First a Lupine,

then a magenta Paintbrush,

and I rounded it off with some Toadflax. It is also sometimes called Butter and Eggs, which makes me smile.

And because I'm trying to do more things that scare me, I decided to try and sell some prints. So I started a little online shop and I hope people will like them. And if they don't, I know what everyone in my family is getting for Christmas this year.

And because I like you guys (seriously! I love that you guys visit this space and leave nice little comments, both written and verbal...it's pretty sweet!), I'm going to be giving one of these prints away to one of you.

Simply add a comment to this post by Thursday, May 6, and be sure to specify which print you would like.

For those of you without a google account, you can comment as 'anonymous', but be sure to leave your contact info (name, email, & social security number...joking).

Okay? Okay.

His present

For Christmas, Evan got his own personal desert garden. From the top: Prickly Pear, Claret Cup, and Fish Hook Cactus Flowers. I was able to keep it a secret for six months and worked on it little by little in my beloved (and much missed) farmhouse studio.