River Garden Studio

South Slough Estuary

This last weekend my family and I traveled to the Oregon Coast for a "maiden voyage" camping trip in our new trailer. The high point of our trip was our 3 mile hike down to the South Slough Estuary which lies between Bandon and Charleston. We have been taking this hike since our children were toddlers, and we still enjoy it just as much, if not more. This little bird, a Pacific Flycatcher was spotted at the Estuary. I have tried to capture his large eye and plump body. The background was on a board that I had first covered with textures and then painted. From the moist and curvy trail downhill that backtracks around creeks and streams, downward to the bushy, overgrown trail where the trees arched over us in almost mythological grace, to the wooden walkway over huge skunk cabbage plants and finally viewing miles and miles of marsh land, this hike is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Here are some photographs taken by my daughter and I. "Trees at Dusk" is one of my tiles in a series that I have been working on that depict scenes from nature.

a glimpse of home

Welcome to a glimpse of my home! Marina at Only Cute Things is having a celebration of decorating. Visit her blog to see favorite home decorations from around the world. These are some of my favorite spots in the main living area of our house. I love to create still lives and the artwork above is a piece I did for this post. Daisies, to me always represent home...

first colors, first leaves

"First colors of Spring" is a close up of a tiny landscape that I did for a post while it was still winter time here. Today, using photo shop, I cut and paste some of the background and placed it inside the landscape. I had originally used tons of texture on this piece, paint and papers and gels. Since I have been getting questions, from these amazing artists, Maralena and Azirca I thought I should share this where this image came from. If you look far back on my blog to March, a post called "Changes in Light" you will see four abstracts with tiny landscapes inside of them! Now they seem a little clumsy to me but boy, was I having fun! While I was working outside yesterday I discovered this muffin tray that I had bought while out antiquing years ago. Ahh Ha! Perfect, I thought to display some of the newest leaves and fruits from my gardens. They are: mountain ash, maple, dogwood, birch, aspen, fire bush, flowering pear and river birch. And of course a picture of a dandylion is needed here, a photo that my daughter shared with me! They are trying to take over our lawn...time to weed and feed.