Hello Everyone! 

Thanks again for signing up for my newsletter and following along on this journey! Welcome to new sign-ups! After the last newsletter, my dad said that I should show you the current state of the house next. He did not want you all thinking that all we had were the tents, and the house is looking stunning. I had wanted to work up to that, showing you the process along the way, but he has a point. We have a lot to show off! So as a compromise, I am going to show you a sneak peak of one of my favorite parts of the house. Last fall, I spent every spare minute of my time for creating elaborately painted trim for the front doors and windows on the guest side of the house. Each door or window represents a time of year and time of day and features a landscape painting, a native bird, a plant, a mushroom, and usually another creature. Therefore, this month I am going to roll my featured project and nature spotlight into one, and share the first window. My first fancy trim set has springtime flora and fauna and a landscape featuring sunrise. It is hard to photograph, so be sure to watch the video of it for a better view!

I have one announcement, which is that I am going to teach my very first workshop at Sirona Falls very soon, a casual plein air painting workshop with one day at Chicory Farm and one day up at my place, June 22 & 23. “Plein air” painting just means painting from life outside. Beginners Welcome!

I am also going to have two “asks” for this month. I am starting an Instagram page for Sirona, so if you use “the gram” give me a follow. I am also accepting donations in the form of plants for my future gardens here from any of you local gardeners out there who might happen to be digging and dividing things this year.

Details on everything I just mentioned below. That’s all for this month! Thanks so much for reading!

Much love,

Elody

Spring Window in the Snow | 12.7.23

Spotlight Project/Feature Creatures: Spring Morning Window

-The landscapes are always across the top and were designed and painted in collaboration with my bestie Stasya Panova Erickson. Each landscape is a semi-invented conglomeration of nearby landscapes mashed together to create the super long panoramic format dictated by the window dimensions. 

-The bird I chose to paint for spring is a Louisiana Waterthrush. They are one of the early spring migrants and fill the April and May forest with their wonderful song, and we often see and hear them around the waterfalls. Though simple in their coloration, I find them beautiful, and they are full of personality with their undulating tail bobbing motion when they are perched (the original twerkers?!?).

-The mushroom I chose for spring is the famous morel beloved by foragers and chefs alike. Sadly, I have not yet found a morel on my land but I have found many interesting and edible mushrooms such as the chanterelle (which will be on the summer trim!).  

-The waterthrushes are intertwined with Jack-in-the-Pulpit leaves and flowers. These unusual natives are abundant on my land and around the base of the waterfalls, and they flower in May. Though they look almost like a kind of pitcher plant with their vertical flowers, they are not carnivores and are really more like a calla lily. You have to get down to eye level with the plants or lift up the top of the flower to see the striking stripes and the “Jack” hiding inside. In fall, their seeds are a brilliant red cluster. 

-On the windows I have a bottom trim to work with, so they also feature a mammal. For the spring window, I chose the red fox because I think they are one of the most handsome creatures we have and I love to draw and paint them. We have seen one gray fox and one red fox here, we hear coyotes at night sometimes, and we see fox and coyote prints regularly when there is snow on the ground to show them.

In Person Painting Workshop:

Support Me:

I am still a long way off from having all my art organized and ready for selling, but I am working on it! Stay tuned! If you have a birthday or something particular coming up and want to buy some art from me as a gift, let me know and I might be able to give you a partial preview, but otherwise hang tight until I have it all ready. 

-My “ask” this month is that you follow my baby instagram account for Sirona Falls if you use Instagram. You will get extra sneak peaks there as I begin to use it more. 

-Additional ask for Locals: if you are a gardener and doing any digging up and dividing of hearty perennials, I have been the lucky recipient of some excellent plant baby gifts to get my gardens started (Thank you Sarah, Andrea, Sue, and John & Catherine for the amazing plant starts you have given me!). I am particularly interested in natives and edibles (rhubarb anyone?!?) but am also happy to give homes to non-native ornamental perennials that behave themselves and don’t spread widely as harmful invasives. This request is a standing one, I know spring and fall are better times for transplanting. Just reach out to me if you happen to be gardening and might have extra plants. 

-Also, the “want to come help for a day” and/or “want to come camping/glamping?” invitations/requests are standing! 

Sirona Falls