Still Chilly Week, Daffodil Shivering

I thought, it would get warmer this week after the last week's crisp sunny days.  But it hasn't.  The dark gloomy grey clouds has brought the cold air, even snow flakes!  Though, it stayed dry at least.  And yet plants need the warm weather and the moisture to boost their sprouting.

Daffodils, crocuses and hyacinth in our front garden have had some flower buds, but they hold their buds still tight.  Once the temperature rises, I'm sure they will all bloom at once.

Oh, I will have to tidy up our garden before the plants start to activate.

Daffodil (paper cutting, used origami paper, 10 x 10 cm)

A sunny day in February at the Cosmeston Lake

It's been sunny for a couple of days here.  Our garden is in a mess, needed to tidy up of the old dead plants and stuff.  Looking close to the ground, new green leaves of the wild strawberry, mint and so many weeds are coming through the dead leaves, already!  Anyway, I have started gardening on the sunny Sunday, but it was far more to be done...  It didn't look that I had spent a whole afternoon for the gardening.

It was still sunny today, so I went out to the Cosmeston Lake near by my house for sketching.

The Lakeside looked still winterly.  The thermometer showed 7 ℃, but quite a lot of people were walking in pairs, with small children, with dogs.  An elderly pair were sitting on a bank facing the lake.  You could hear the children laughing, crying, near by the playing area next to a small woodland.  It was sunny anyway; people were enjoying the beginning of the spring.

The entrance of the woodland next to the playing area.  The ground was muddy, which was stamped with dog pows and Wellies; obviously here is a dog-walkers' favourite spot.

Inside the wood land of deciduous trees, consisted mostly of beech and ash, which was airy and bright.  The fallen leaves have almost gone back to the soil.  On the upper side, slightly left, in the middle, slightly left, you can see a dot, which is a bird nest.  I'm not sure whether it's from the last year or a bird pair recently made it.  But I've seen birds like pigeons holding a branch in its beak.  They are preparing for their new family, which means the spring is coming very soon!

Having come out of the woodland, the sun was brighter.  I saw a cherry blossom tree, standing freely in front of the woodland.  Look!  The red buds are awaiting the warm days.

Turkey Oak (1st of 3: Tree&Leaves series, A5)

February is short, but the winter and the spring are squeezed in this month.  I feel the sunlight is becoming brighter and longer, with which I am delighted.  Although the air is still cold, the spring is stretching its arms and legs, and its new feather (my image of the spring has feathery) are growing in the damp air.  Here is Wales, which is why it rains a lot in the winter and the spring comes early!

I've been working on the new print, but it's still on the way.  (I aimed at finishing it by the end of this month!)

These are a set of prints of a tree, Turkey Oak.

Turkey Oak Tree 2012

(Japanese vinyl relief, 1 round with 1 colours, A5)

I found it at the small lake near by my house the last winter.  The print itself is small, but in fact, the tree is quite large, perhaps 10 metre high or taller.  I liked the shape of the naked tree, of which branches were slender, rather like birch.  It was hard to recognise what kind of tree was, and didn't imagine it was a family of oak.

Then, I went to see this tree in the last early summer.  I was quite surprised when having seen its leaves.  They look definitely a family of oak tree, besides the leaves were unusually long.  Having taken some leaves home, I discovered soon in a book the tree was called "Turkey Oak".

Turkey Oak Leaves 2012

(Japanese vinyl relief, 1 rounds with 2 colours, A5)

Turkey Oak is non native tree, which was introduced in the 18 century (from my guide book) and naturalised.  I don't know if it is originated in Turkey, but it doesn't matter.  I like this tree, looking forward to seeing it with long distinctive leaves at the lake in the early summer again.

Turkey Oak 2012

(Japanese vinyl relief , 2 rounds with 2 colours, A5)

January Trees

New year has begun.

January has half gone, and trees and shrubs show signs of the spring.  Although there are still cold days, tiny buds on branches are awaiting the sunny warm days.  Here, in South Wales, the spring comes soon after the wet dark winter. I go outside to find beautiful naked trees in the dry crisp weather before they wake up, which will be transformed into my printing work.

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Time flies quickly!  Christmas is almost here!  I feel Christmas is approaching faster than ever this year.

I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.  After the Christmas break I'll update my blog.  The weather in South Wales has been not brilliant, rather wet, probably no white Christmas.  But I'm looking forward to going outside and finding trees for my new printings after the break in the new year!

Tree Leaf Freak: Calendar 2013

Tree Leaf Freak: Calendar 2013: LEAVES OF BRITISH TREES 2013   Calendar with single colour (sometimes 2 colours like December) each month different colours every...

Calendar 2013

LEAVES OF BRITISH TREES

2013

 Calendar with single colour (sometimes 2 colours like December) each month

different colours every 2 months

Calendar with 2 colours each month

different colour for leaves every 2 months and 2 colours for calendar side alternately

I made calendars for the nus nus Winter Fair, which consists 12 different leaves in each month.  Actually I wanted to make the calendar made of paper, but didn't have enough time to find.  As a compromise, I found acrylic case.  And yet many people liked them.  I would like to thank you!

LEAVES OF BRITISH "TREES"; yes it is precisely not correct.  Ivy is not a tree but a climber , but I liked to put it in the calendar since the evergreen leaves attract our eyes in the dark winter.  The same applies to holly leaves.  I like the vermillion berries, which are usually picked up by birds quickly every year but were luckily still on the branches when I was sketching.

A friend of mine mentioned that she was surprised maidenhair tree (better known as ginkgo) was a British tree.  Origin is actually China, but nowadays you can find them broadly in the UK.  The ginkgo leaves I sketched is found in my town somewhere.

So you might know now the leaves I printed are those of trees which grow widely in the UK today.