I can’t believe spring has sprung here in Texas. With all this great rain (yesterday we got 0.3″!) it’s hard to keep up with weeds, planting, mowing, and making art plus the everyday things. Amazing that Easter is around the corner!
The live oaks have dropped their leaves and are blooming now. Soon the lovely green pollen that covers everything will come. A good reason to wash all the windows, porch, and outdoor furniture each spring though!
Sometimes I execute art quickly with a great idea, but often it takes me awhile to think through and plan. Particularly when I work on calfskin vellum it’s best to make an exact plan because a tiny piece is so expensive.
First is the various parts taped on some grid paper, usually with color…
…then traced the outline for transfering to the vellum with Seral paper…
…next vellum preparation with XXF dental pumice rubbed all over, about 15 minutes for this 5″x7″ piece, then dusted off…
…and lettering the words with black gouache…
…then applying Instacoll before the gold application…
… and laying the 23K gold leaf and shining it up…
…finally the painting with gouache and shell gold!
See the difference between the raised gold leaf (center of the flower) and the painted shell gold (stripe down each leaf)? And see the veins in the vellum?
We’ve had such a nice spring in the Texas Hill Country this year. Lots of rain should bring lots of lovely wildflowers soon but also brings with it tons of weeds. I took a little break this winter and didn’t plant much except turnips, radishes, and beets for the most part. But it’s warming up now and I’ve been trying to get a handle on all the weeds and planting the usual spring veggies: onions, spinach, lettuce, carrots, peas, potatoes, strawberries, asparagus, and various herbs.
Last year I planted the onions in mounds like experts (in Texas) suggest but I had a hard time keeping them watered through the drought. This year I decided to put them in my usual trenches but in a spiral shape for space efficiency and something different.
The Yellow Globe turnips were amazing producers this winter. You can see I have a few left in the ground that are looking a little warm. I’m thinking we can eat them up in the next couple of weeks as well as the few radishes.
The beets on the other hand are so slow growing! Still no bulbing but they appear to be growing faster (and leafier) in the warmer days.
Can you see the lone broccoli behind the sage? Found him amongst the hay (put down as a weed deterrent that breaks down and then can be tilled in to hopefully lighten up the soil someday) so moved him over to the edge and gave him some seaweed. All the rest of the broccoli and kohl rabi were ravaged by cut worms in the fall. 
Beyond the rosemary against the fence is my strawberry experiment. I have 6 more in a couple pots by the house. Here in Texas strawberries are treated as annuals because of the extreme heat. We’ll see which do better, potted or in ground. Hoping for more strawberries than last year’s grand total of three. I don’t care for them myself but it would be nice to make some jam for J. This year’s variety are called Everbearing.
Planning on getting the potatoes in the ground early next week. It’s been so wet that we can’t till yet (clay soil) so I’ve been doing lots of shovel tilling (dry enough for that). Got white Kennebecs again this year. They did the best last year and were quite tasty.
I guess it’s been awhile since I last posted anything. Seems lately when I had something the internet was down. Not today though! 
Colors aren’t quite right in this photo but close enough. The orange envelope was a little deeper orange and the purple was not so blue. This is the last exchange I’ve signed up for for a bit.
Found this under the fig tree Tuesday evening!
