Artists have been inspired by gardens for eons, right? Well, the amazing artists we see on etsy and flickr are no different. I've been a fan of Heather Smith Jones work for years and I'm continually amazed by both the passion and peacefulness she conveys in her work. Those same qualities are conveyed in her garden. We recently chatted about the connection she has with her garden. {In case you're wondering, my questions to Heather are in italics.}
One plant I find really striking is the okra plant. As a member of the hollyhock family, it has lovely
buttery blooms that produce an interesting shaped vegetable. They grow very fast so we will cut
fresh okra almost nightly for supper in the summer. Inside the pod is a beautiful star pattern that I
have even used for printing in my work.
Do you have a season that most inspires you? Spring. I like looking for new seedlings popping up in the garden, tree blooms, bulbs, even examining the leaf shapes of little weeds. They are fun to draw.
But sometimes I think whatever season we are in is the most inspiring.
Does working with nature influence your artwork? Definitely. For one project in particular in my book "Water Paper Paint, Exploring Creativity with Watercolor and Mixed Media" I used a couple of tulip bulbs that we dug up as source material for the project "Botanical Painting: Drawing from Nature". In my works on paper I often begin with drawing and by looking at something closely that I have gathered from the garden. There is so much information in small things.
Thank you for sharing your garden and your art Heather! Be sure to check out Heather's gallery shop and etsy shop. It's also worth mentioning, the photos are the artist's own. Aren't they works of art in themselves?
Can't you practically feel the connection drawn from the garden soil to her artwork? How about you, dear readers? Do you find creative renewal in the garden? How does it influence the things you make?
Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.
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