A treasured gift

This year friends gave me a gorgeous sundial for my little garden. Here are a few pix of the plants around it as the seasons passed. Thanks to all of you who contributed. It brought me much joy.

Ansomia "blue ice" as they begin to bloom. Variegated weigela behind.      

With daffodils, tulips and grape hyacynth

Pale purple irises, ansomia blue ice, yellow yarrow, petunias, pale pink soapwort and hot pink dianthus, and purple salvia.

Russian Sage takes center stage, with pansies, rose of Sharon and balloon flowers.

A quiet moment in September

            

Chrysanthemum "Hillside Sheffield Pink" going nuts in October
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life is Sweet

Illustration Friday # 28: SWEET, RISD CE graduation, and chickadees

Life is Sweet  ©Cheryl Kirk Noll

You can see the passage of time... here the snowbell flowers are budding.

Spring is my favorite time of year. Classes finish up. Students graduate. Flowers bloom and babies hatch.

This year has been particularly productive for my garden. A cute little birdhouse that my dad gave us at least ten years ago has it's first tenants this year.

The flowers have blossomed. Breath in the fragrance!

A black-capped chickadee couple made Songbird Hollow their home. The birdhouse hangs from a styrax obessia (Fragrant snowbell tree) right outside our back window, so we were thrilled to watch the pair nest-building. On Tuesday, I heard the babies peeping for the first time when their parents arrived with food. Within two weeks, they should be flying away.

It's a life-affirming process to watch.

After the 4 day heat wave, the snowbells are gone, but roses are out!

My job as the adviser for the Children's Book Illustration certificate program at RISD-ce is a thrill for me too. I often meet students when they start the program, and I always have them for at least one class, meet with them for the final portfolio critique, and have the honor of handing out their certificates.

 I'm thankful to my brilliant program coordinator, Francoise McAree, to the CE staff, and to the fine teachers in the program who have led these students along the way.

I'm so proud of this year's 11 graduates. I'm as proud as a mama chickadee, and I can't wait to see where they fly, now that they've left the nest.

l-r sitting: Roya Ma, teacher assistant Susan Novich, Sherry Brodeur, Sarah Luz, l-r standing: Laura Foltz, Jeanette Bradley, Instructor Judith Moffatt, Mary Jackson, Emily Laramee, Meg Sodano, Peter Sentkowski, Anne Wert (missing: Karen Sculos)

To see more about the graduating students and the program, go to the programs informal blog,  Drawing Together .

The Joys of Gardening and Teaching

Lily-blooming tulip, Ballerina

This spring, I am once again enjoying my tiny postage stamp garden. I was especially enthralled with a few tulips I grew, and the way they changed over their bloom time.

The first is a lily-blooming tulip, Ballerina.  When it was new, on cool days, it had gorgeous tones of purple that picked up on the grape hyacinth behind it. As it matured, it mellowed into a pumpkin-y orange, and it's pointed petals looked nice with my lacy japanese maple.

Lily-blooming Ballerina tulips against a dwarf japanese maple.

The second is un-named. I don't remember buying or planting it. However, I was thrilled to watch it change, from a pale lemony yellow in the early days to a stunning sunrise array as it matured.

unnamed tulip with ajuga and euphorbia

the same tulip as it matured

Children's Book Illustration 2 students, 2013- Corey, Jeff, Claire, Sarita, Rebecca, Bob and Chie.

     Watching these flowers grow and change reminded me of teaching. I feel the same thrill when I watch my Children's book Illustration students at RISD-ce. Their hard work is beautiful at every stage, and it's so satisfying to see their art grow and mature.

Illustration Friday # 20: RETURN (of spring)

We New Englander's long for the RETURN of spring, even when the winter is mild, as it was this year. So for this week's Illustration Friday prompt word, RETURN, I reveled in the RETURN of spring.

 I've worked in the garden several times this week, enjoying the seasonably cool weather, and marveling at how everything is several weeks ahead of the normal schedule for bloom-time!

For this illustration, I used a friend's daughter as a model, and had spring on my mind.

Here are a few photos of my spring garden from other years. The tulips haven't quite popped yet this year.