Kathy Johnson
  • Home
  • Collage
    • Remnants
    • Landscapes
    • Two Tuesdays
  • Mixed Media
    • Terrain
    • Sierra Drift
    • Landscapes
  • About
    • In the Studio
    • Press
  • Connect
  • Blog
  • Shop
    • Collage Paper Packs
    • Eco Print Collage Collection
    • Notecards
  • Classes

The whites take center stage

5/21/2023

1 Comment

 
Have you been enjoying all the May flowers?
 
I sure have. Even though I see the changes of color in my garden every year I still get surprised by how each color seems to have its own time to stand out. Early spring always starts with a flood of sunny yellow from the daffodils and forsythia. Summer moves into the hot and bright oranges.

I’ve been outside doing a little weeding and prepping so I can plant my veggies this week. As I walked around, I saw pops of white everywhere. White flowers are certainly taking center stage in my garden right now.
Picture

​I saw my first hummingbird of the year along with a butterfly and a bunch of bees enjoying the blossoms on this white azalea. I look forward to this shrub blooming each year. The flowers have a special glow, especially towards the end of the day.

Picture
Picture


​ 
​
5 reasons to have white flowers in your garden

  • The color white is known for its sense of peace and hope. Having white flowers in the garden can offer a feeling of tranquility. 
  • White flowers reflect light which makes them great for brightening up shady areas of the garden. Their brightness makes them stand out and are especially lovely in the evening. 
  • Even though white flowers don't have bright pigments, they still attract pollinators such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
  • Just like painting a room white to give an illusion of space, white flowers can be used to make smaller gardens appear more airy and expansive. 
  • White flowers create a neutral backdrop, working well with other colors you may want in your garden.
Picture
Balansae - from the hyacinth family
Picture
Picture
Candytuft
Mrs. Bateman Clematis
Picture
                  Blueberry blossoms
Picture
Tiarella
"The white flowers of spring
are the dreams of winter."

 - Khalil Gibran
1 Comment

Monday Concertina Sketchbook Collage - April

4/26/2023

0 Comments

 
Even before I had finished my collages for March I started a collection of papers in the colors I wanted to use for April. With spring in the air, the greens were calling out to me.

Picture



​

Can you see some of the repurposed papers I used in this pile? The chartreuse paper with the white fan like design near the bottom left was a surprise find. It's the inside of a Taylor's brand lemon and ginger tea box. So bright and cheerful. I also used small strips of their teabag wrappers that have a little gold trim. You can see that paper more clearly in the very last collage in this post.

The really bright yellowy green strip at the top left is cardstock packaging a friend gave me. Also mixed into the pile are pieces from a tissue box, an envelope liner and an Allegro's brand tea box and tea wrapper.
Here's the 4 week progression.
Picture
Picture
Picture

​Below is the finished four panel concertina. It's been so much fun working with all the different varieties of green this month. Each week I looked from my green and yellow paper covered table to the outside. There I saw more green and yellow as the garden is starting to come back to life. There is definitely a magical feel in the air this time of year.
​
Picture

Here are a few collages made from the scraps I have left at the end of April.
Picture
Picture

​You can read more about see these monthly concertina sketchbooks and how they got started here.
0 Comments

Daffodil Joys in Spring

4/18/2023

0 Comments

 
If it's spring in your part of the world I bet like me,
​you're enjoying all the new growth and beauty the season has to offer.

I don't know what flower signals the arrival of spring more than the daffodil.
They bring such joy to my garden each year with their bright, cheerful blooms.
Picture

​
I'm enjoying them even more than usual this year.
If I'm inside I find myself stopping at the windows and pausing for a moment to admire their beauty.

When I go for walks in the neighborhood I enjoy seeing so many differen
t varieties.
I knew there were many but Google just told me that there are over 26,000 varieties of daffodils!

Picture
For the past 6 years I've taken this same photo of my backyard from an upstairs window. It's one of those spring scenes of yellow that catches my eye every morning before I go downstairs. You can see that over the years it varies as to what is in bloom with what. For the 3rd year in a row I managed to capture the moment when the dogwood tree has just started blooming, the daffodils are breathing their last breath and the forsythia is still going strong.
Picture
April showers bring May flowers.
Picture

"In the world of safe hues, like black, red, and white,

yellow shouts: Look at me. I'm happy!"


- Joy Sewing

​

0 Comments

Curious Explorations

4/14/2023

0 Comments

 
​I have always loved to research and experiment, especially when it comes to art processes and gardening. If I'm really curious about a technique I've seen I'll research to find out more. Then while I'm in the process of experimenting that’s where my mind stays. I'm not thinking about the possible steps beyond.

Occasionally, someone will ask “What are you going to do with that?” and my answer is, “I don't know yet”. That's when a little voice used to try and tell me I was wasting precious time if I didn't have a purpose for what I was doing.

That little voice has been gone for a long time now. Having fun and maybe learning a little something along the way is reason enough. I also know that things I collect or make may sit around for months or even years before I find their use. That's how this little peachy pillow pincushion came to be. 
​
Picture

​I had already been dying paper for a while when I got curious about dying fabric. After I took a class, I purchased some shirts at the thrift store and kept experimenting. I ended up with a nice pile of dyed fabric. The peachy color comes from a dye made of madder root.  

Picture

That fabric sat around for probably 4 years before the idea of making a pin cushion came to mind. I finally got tired of losing my stitching needles at night and worrying about the possibility of sitting on a needle that had fallen on the couch. Problem solved.
​
Picture

I didn't follow a pattern but I did get my inspiration from Pinterest.
If you're curious take a look at this board I put together full of adorable pincushions.
0 Comments

It snowed!

3/1/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture

​Guess what? It snowed!

I know, that's not usually big news in Connecticut this time of year. But it's been unseasonably warm, and we've only seen a couple dustings of the white stuff so far. It has not felt much like winter. Just last week this is what I saw while out taking a walk in the neighborhood. 
Picture

Yesterday morning it looked like this. Not as much snow as predicted but enough to get the snow blower and shovel out. I haven't needed my boots so far this year and it took me at least twenty minutes to remember where I had stored them from last year.
​
Picture

​​Even though I'm not the biggest fan of the winter months if it's got to be cold and gray it might just as well snow and pretty things up a bit. 
​

Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Hi, I'm Kathy a collage, eco-print artist, and rust enthusiast who loves to teach and guide you along on your creative journey. 

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    April 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

KathyJohnsonArt  Privacy Policy  Cookie Policy
Subscribe to my StudioNews
© COPYRIGHT 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Collage
    • Remnants
    • Landscapes
    • Two Tuesdays
  • Mixed Media
    • Terrain
    • Sierra Drift
    • Landscapes
  • About
    • In the Studio
    • Press
  • Connect
  • Blog
  • Shop
    • Collage Paper Packs
    • Eco Print Collage Collection
    • Notecards
  • Classes