Growing Inspiration: Dahlias

Dahlias! Oh, dahlias. They’re one of those swoon-inducing flowers you’re sure to see when scrolling around on Instagram or Pinterest. Other than sunflowers, they have the biggest flowers I know.

Celebrating Autumn

It feels strange to think it’s November. These days tumble past faster and faster. Weeks pass. Months pass. Seasons pass.

And now it’s November.

Two months left of the year.

In the Garden Lately

I’ve been spending as much time as possible in my garden.

The dogs love being outside, too. During the week Jude goes with Matthias to his shop and Charlie stays home with me until I need to leave for my job at the library.

garden, joy, inspiration, sketchbooks, paintings, artAnne ButeraJune 14, 2019garden, gardening, the purpose of a garden, artist gardener, inspiration, garden inspiration, garden flowers, harvest, harvesting herbs, preserving herbs, preserving the harvest, perserving chives in vinegar, infusing chives in vinegar, sketchbooks, colored pencil, strathmore 400 series softcover journal, Prismacolor, garden projects, garden as sanctuary, gardeners' relationships with their gardens, Anne Butera, watercolor, watercolors, botanical art, botanical watercolor, columbine, yellow columbine, watercolor illustrations, watercolor columbine illustration, roses, head over heels rose, in my garden, garden studio, portable studio, mixing colors, greyhounds, retired racing greyhounds, window boxes, windowbox planters, cats, rescue cats, black and white cats, herbs, raised beds, cinder block raised beds, fuchsias, lemon balm, lemon balm for tea, drying lemon balm for tea, using herbs from the garden Comments

The Joy of Whirly Birds! (Maple Seeds)

All week long I’ve been painting whirly birds.* That’s what I used to call maple seeds when I was young.

At this time of year when the seeds come helicoptering to the ground it’s hard not to feel a surge of childlike joy. I walk around with my eyes to the ground trying to find the most interesting ones.

Keep Going

This week I painted bleeding hearts with the paint I mixed last week.

It’s lovely to be working with flowers from the garden again. But it’s also been a bit frustrating trying to get back into a groove of art-making and gardening and all the other stuff that life demands.

2019 Tea Towel Calendars and Coordinating Fabric

I want to thank everyone who voted for my Tea Towel Calendar design. Although this year’s tea towel didn’t place as high as in the past, my Blue Roses is one of the Community Favorites on Spoonflower.

fabric, artAnne ButeraSeptember 14, 2018fabric, surface pattern design, Spoonflower, fabric design, tea towel calendars, tea towels, watercolor illustrations, kitchen decor, cloth napkins, independent fabric designers, gift ideas, sewing, calendarsComment

notes from the studio

Shared the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.