nature Archives - PaolaPrints

Holding Onto Green

August 24, 2022

Impossibly, today is a little cooler following a long dry summer here in Connecticut. It’s nice to not be constantly worrying about the last time I watered my garden residents. And it’s wonderful to look out and see the dark soil, nicely saturated. Mother Nature does such a better job than I. This is the first year that almost all the hostas, day lilies and phlox were chewed away pre -bloom. Mysterious nocturnal marauders assaulted my little garden. I started spraying a Bonide product called “Repels All,” after the fact. It holds some hope for next year and I’ll begin spraying
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Call Me A Mid-Century Modern Woman

October 5, 2019

I still haven’t figured out why I love the mid-century look so much. This year is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus (a German art school active between 1919 and 1933 and associated with the style) so I’ll just go with it. Each year, we wind up doing something related to mid–century. Last year we attended a Bauhaus lecture at the Clark Museum. This year we took a cool house tour! More about the mid-century aesthetic, an overarching movement spanning architecture, interior design, product design, graphics and urban development from roughly 1933-1965. More Mad Men Modern Tour in Norwalk Last
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Welcome to the Tropics of Connecticut

June 26, 2019

Have you noticed? It’s hotter and wetter in warm weather, and less cold in winter. Still, every gardener welcomes rain as an alternative to being eaten by mosquitoes when you’re trying to water thirsty plants. And it’s wonderful to look out at the lush greens, especially as the lilies haven’t quite burst into bloom yet. It’s an almost-water feature! I adore my new water hyacinths that live in a small metal pot embedded in one of the flower beds. And you don’t have to water. What a concept. Water plants are new to me and I find the leaves with
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Beautiful Bones-Garden Maintenance

May 19, 2019

This is the year to tackle some overdo maintenance. Anybody else have a bear of a time last fall in trying to get outdoor wood and metal treated? It was raining at the most inopportune times. Both mahogany decks and metal fencing went begging. This week I was able to start on the metal. Next week, the decks? That’s a two-person job so I will pester my dear husband for his help. Actually I consider myself an assistant on that job. Not my favorite project. Check out the photo below. A THIRSTY deck in need of brightening followed by special
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Flowers Galore

February 26, 2019

Flowers are the number one reason this gardener gardens. Of course, the number one flower for any mom is her daughter. In this photo, Bridget is shown modeling our new scarf Caroline, named after a great lady, Caroline Ferriday. We’ve created a tradition where I finish a couple new scarves and snag Bridget to pose for them in exchange for coffee on me. It’s been no small feat convincing my dear photophobic daughter to help out but it’s been fun! This year’s garden efforts will include enriching existing beds and improving all blooms. We began last fall with a general
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Life in Black and White

January 29, 2019

I will die a colorist. At the same time. In the beginning, an artist has to deny her creative self and start simply. It’s part of any learning process, regardless of vocation. The markers are everywhere. How often have you heard the words “Baby steps; One day at a time; or First things first?” In art school, Drawing 101 begins with charcoal and a still life. Fast forward. One lens used in the new film Roma cost in the neighborhood of $80,000. Film director Alfonso Cuaron did NOT get there overnight. Roma lead actress, Yalitza Aparicio is new to acting
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An Artist’s Escape

January 15, 2019

Today was a difficult day, once again navigating the days preceding my older sister’s passing. As difficult as one can imagine that is, it’s sometimes harder to navigate other family needs related to their responses. It’s all part of life. We have the power to change some of it, but most, not so much. As an artist, I’m forever grateful for access to creativity that helps mitigate external forces beyond my control. I treasure the ability to tap into the energy that exercises beauty and strength for good. I had the pleasure of shooting a fantastic local lily pond a
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Which Way Forward the Artist’s Work?

December 4, 2018

I read an article in the New York Times recently that chronicles a Japanese artist who has over a lifetime, worked painstakingly to create beautiful fabric using indigo dyes and the ancient process of katazome- the traditional craft of stencil-printed indigo-dyed fabric for kimonos. His work is gorgeous and meticulously fashioned. Related Images:
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Cold Weather is Here to Stay in Connecticut.

November 27, 2018

Motoring through Thanksgiving signals the start of holiday preparation in earnest. And a time to spend more time reviewing photography for new new scarf designs. If you’ve been watching the emerging designs, you know I’m addicted to all shades of pink. With the holidays, I made a concerted effort to add the traditional reds and greens. Related Images:
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Are You Feeling It Yet?

November 20, 2018

The holidays are in the air. Do you feel it yet? The skies are grey, the days shorter, the temperatures cooling. It’s always an adjustment, but one we’ll make in any case. We have no choice in the changing of the seasons! Related Images:
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