Cute Find at Farmers' Market

This past weekend I found these very cute produce at local farmers' market. They almost look like toys! I cannot decide whether to cook paint them. Nature is really amazing...

May The Bb Power Be With You!

Ellie

Green Hypericum

Watercolor and colored pencil sketch.

Over the weekend I received a bouquet dotted with very refreshing green hypericum. It's said that hypericum has medicinal effects but just by looking at the green berries it is already soothing...

May The Bb Power Be With You!

Ellie

Drafting A Toyon Leaf

I found a few toyon leaves with beautiful brown spots on them. The ambition was to paint them in watercolor. After a quick draft of the first one I started to debate whether just to draw in graphite because there are so many veins!

May The Bb Power Be With You!
Ellie

Enjoy a Bowl of Blue Dicks Salad

Dichelostemma capitatum

Family: Asparagaceae
Genus: Dichelostemma
Species: D. capitatum

Commonly called blue dicks, this perennial plant grows in Arizona, California, Oregon, Utah, and New Mexico. Its corm used to be consumed by Native Americans. I've never tasted the corm, but I do like the taste of the flower.
From early spring to early summer, the blue-purple color flowers can be collected, rinsed, and used in your salad as a surprise from the Mother Nature! They have a natural salty mineral flavor, and crunchy texture which I found delicious when combined with fresh peas. I used only mayonnaise, olive oil, salt and pepper to make the dressing since I wanted to keep the original flavors of both peas and blue dicks.

Below is a shot of blue dicks and Giant Coreopsis on Anacapa Island back in March.

You should still be able to find blue dicks in June, so use it in your own cooking experiment next time!

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie

New Projects- Tambour Beading and Bush Mallow

Just a shot of the embroidery project I'm working on. The pattern is from professor Robert Haven. I can't wait to make the finished piece into a brooch!

Besides of the embroidery, I'm also working on a vellum painting of bush mallow.

Cyrano La Tomate- Watercolor

This is a tomato (or should I say two tomatoes?) I found at a local organic farmers' market. I named it Cyrano because it has a big nose. However, some people who saw the painting thought it looks more like the heart of an ox or a big animal. For sure it is a tomato with character!

A peek of the painting process:

About this artwork:

Original size: 4.5"x 6"
Paper: Fabriano Hot Press 140 Lb

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie 

Camillia- Watercolor on Vellum

Camillia japonica
Family: Theaceae
Genus: Camillia
Species: C. japonica

In late March, I took a workshop at Filoli Gardens with Denise Walser-Kolar, a Minnesota-based botanical artist specializes in vellum. We got to choose a flower from the garden. I don't know which cultivar it is but it is surely beautiful.

I found vellum very satisfying to paint on and liked in particular the meticulous painting process. It makes me feel that I'm a step closer to the painters back in the Medieval period.

Below is the process of this painting. Pencil drafting stage is skipped though.

About this artwork:
Original size: 4.75"x 7"
Paper: Calfskin vellum by Talas

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie