Unfolding treasures…
March 2023
Sooo late in writing up my journal page for March but I hope this only goes to show that I’m a normal person with an increasingly limited number of brain cells, trying, but failing, to keep up to speed! Nature certainly hasn’t waited for me and in the garden hellebore that were at their best at the beginning of the month were already starting to set seed by the end of it and crocus, flowering in the wild meadow had made way to emerging clumps of cowslip, primrose, and camassia. Spring has definitely arrived and March was a month of unfolding treasures. Perhaps the most spectacular amongst them has been a clump of deep purple Fritillaria persica - the Black Persian lily.
Slug damage was the reason for bringing a stem inside but it meant I could make these quick sketches and hopefully be able to make a more finished study at some point.
I have to admit that slugs weren’t the only problem - one stem emerged growing sideways and others blind so if Persian lilies are on your bucket list this is what you need to know.
Native to the rocky slopes of Turkey and West Asia they grow best in well drained soil in a sunny border. The bulbs become available to buy in early autumn and should be planted as soon as possible, six inches deep and positioned on their sides so that the hollow crowns don’t accumulate water (not sure I did this). Good drainage is key to their success so advice is to surround them with a blanket of coarse sand (didn’t do this) and finally, to protect the emerging slug-prone foliage with grit (note to self for next year)!
In the studio…
The studio is in it’s customary disarray. One end of the long narrow room is reserved for oil painting which is invariably messy, there’s a ‘clean’ area for my illustration and sketchbook drawing and the central part is usually home to ceramics and work in progress. In just over 2 months time across the weekend of June 10/11th all this will have changed - it will be immaculate!
This is the weekend of the Sudbury Open Studios ‘Trail’ where local Sudbury artists open their studios to visitors over the same two days. It’s great fun to walk from one to the next, meet the artists and see what they’ve been doing so hope to see some of you then. And of course it’s the perfect opportunity to visit the newly re-developed Gainsborough’s House Museum and Mill Tye Gallery.
Exciting news…
After years of being afraid of change it’s become important for me to push the boundaries of my practice and experiment with scale and medium so I’m particularly excited that ‘Vita’, a piece made last year with soft pastels has been selected for the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2023 at the Mall Galleries in London. It’s always a great show and after visiting it for many years I’m very proud to be exhibiting there too.
The exhibition opens on Wednesday 24th May and runs until Saturday 3rd June.
And as always…
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for supporting this small business.
Happy gardening, stay positive and stay safe all :-)
