flowers and news

i realize that i haven’t posted in a while. this would be due to the fact that i have started a new job, as of last week.  i am working part time with a printmaker/book artist.  she is putting out a new limited edition book that i get to help print!!  i am quite excited as i get to learn how to operate a letterpress printer, as well as learning from her 30 years of printing experience.  so that means that i now have three part time jobs, as well as my own artwork to keep up with.  but only for the next month and a half.  i put in my notice at one job and will finish up at the end of march.  just in time for gardening/greenhouse/bee season to start.  and boy am i excited!!!  i will be helping gwen out in the greenhouse at earthworks one day a week.  i offered my help as she is taking over the majority of the greenhouse work, and this is her second year working in there.  i have been helping patrick grow transplants for the past six years.  i was a bit concerned gwen would think i was being overbearing, as she is already my beekeeping apprentice/accomplice but she was happy to have the company and help!  we work well together, getting very excited about most things and spending hours talking about fantastic meals we have had.  so i am excited to get some greenhouse therapy.  it is one of my favorite places to be.  i love the smell of it, i love walking around in my bare feet, i like the warm sun on my face, i love having my hands in the soil (or soilless mix i should say).  overall it is just fantastic, so i will be spending my time working in the greenhouse, keeping bees, working on my own artwork and helping a fantastic artist create hers.  not too shabby.  but now i am babbling and i should explain the above piece of art.  it was a christmas gift for my mom, the flowers from left to right are a magnolia, dogwood, and japanese maple.  these are all plants that make me think of my mom!!  so that is that, i plan on trying to post more regularly.  also as a side note today marks the seven year anniversary of patrick and i quitting smoking, the best decision i ever made, besides from saying yes to going on a date with him that is.

the last of the mead labels

so here are the last of the mead labels i have to show.  well two of these aren’t even mead labels per se, but one was for a tag at the top and the other was to go on the back of the tag. the end of the saga and a lesson learned for me.

front of tag

back of tag

more mead labels

i realized that it had been a while since i had posted.  i still have a few christmas goodies to post, but they need a little photoshop help first.  so i decided to post more mead labels.  if you aren’t familiar with these, the full story is told in the saga of the mead labels.  there were nine altogether.  i will soon have more fun things to post as i have been working on a few new projects.  i have been feeling quite fortunate lately, especially in light of all the tragedy and sadness happening in the world around me.  just as a slight explanation a melomel is a fruit infused mead.  this raspberry label makes me think of a raspberry liquor that i made.  it was delicious!!  i sat sipping it one balmy summer evening with patrick and our friend bobby.  we were sitting on the decking of the pool in our yard (by the way this is a non functioning pool as it has trees growing out of it, hey this is detroit) staring across the entire empty block and toasting each other saying, isn’t it great to live in the tenth largest city in the nation.  also the colors of these come across a bit off on screen, as they were intended for printing and constructed using cmyk colors instead of rgb.

the farm plan

on new years eve i could feel the shadow of reality creeping overhead.  i knew i had 2 days and 4 hours more of having patrick to myself all day, without the hectic stress of work and other obligations.  it looked as though he sensed the shadow as well,and looked a bit melancholy.  when this usually happens i go into distraction mode, in other words i entertain patrick.  i spend a lot of time thinking about food, plants, animals, art and other general silliness.  i also spend a lot of time visioning our future farm.  so i spent an hour regaling patrick on what type of animals, how many and what their names would be, when we finally had our little peice if land.  monday finally came, and with it came p’s first day back after being on vacation for 2 weeks.  i still had one blessed day before i returned.  he seemed quite anxious about the mound of work that would be greeting him upon his return.  so i decided to dedicate a large part of my day to cheering him up when he got home.  i had been thinking about all of our critters for the past 2 days and had mentally constructed a drawing of them.  so i sat down, pen in hand and began to draw.  i didn’t want to work it out in pencil first, i went directly to pen.  i feel like drawing in pen gives my work a sense of spontanaity that i often lack in my life.  the images almost create themselves, no mistakes, no regrets, no perfection, lots of character.  i finished my drawing, scanned it into the computer and spent a bit of time coloring it in photoshop.  i then printed off a nice copy on watercolor paper and framed it for him.  i kept it a secret all day, through a visit to the ymca, and through making dinner and the consumption of one taco.  i wanted to remind him that when his life gets hectic and stressful and all he wants to do is have responsibility and obligation take a hike, all the important things were there in that picture.  he and i and dry toast, apple core, chestnut and puddles and all the other critters are a team. and even if that vision of stacey’s edible managerie never comes to fruition, it’s really the idea and possibility of it that matters.

permaculture workshop

i am helping patrick spread the word.  this is a workshop he is putting on in feb.  if you are interested email him at mpatrickcrouch@yahoo.com.

for those interested this is an event i am putting on.  i think it’s going to be amazing or other wise i wouldn’t do it.

urban ecology detroit presents a workshop with eric toensmeier - lessons learned from  nuestras raices: permaculture for community and economic redevelopment, february 2^nd from 10am to 2pm at the environmental interpretive center located on the campus of the university of michigan dearborn .  the cost is 15-50 dollars sliding scale, reservation are required and lunch will be served.  there are limited numbers of places so please reserve early.

eric toensmeier worked with nuestras raices in holyoke , mass. for 13 years, including five as project director of the tierra de oportunidades urban farm project and nine as a member of the board of directors. eric is also the award-winning author of perennial vegetables and co-author of edible forest gardens

we are honored to have him in town for a hands on presentation on his work to put permaculture principles into action.  nuestras raices is one of the most exciting and community based urban agriculture projects in the country.  his workshop with give in-depth information on how nuestras raices works to use food, agriculture, culture and the environment to create community development and leadership.  we will then work together to brainstorm and develop ideas that we could implement here in Detroit .

this is the first of what we hope will be many exciting events sponsored by urban ecology detroit.

please spread the word.

to register or for questions please email patrick crouch at mpatrickcrouch@yahoo.com

spring and seeds

well we are finally getting back into the swing of real life.  patrick went back to work today and i return tomorrow.  it makes me sad, but i guess it is necessary.  so i will continue posting christmas presents i made!  this is a triptych that i made for patrick’s mom kay.  they were all plants that made both of us think of her.  the image all the way to the left if a fiddlehead and fern frond, the center is a trillium (a woodland spring ephemeral) and the one of the far right is the jack in the pulpit, also a woodland plant.  kay has an amazing shade garden at her house.  she also has some very beautiful sun beds as well.  she is always moving the plants around (as they are perennials this is possible) and it reminds me of how my mom is always moving furniture and the contents of drawers and cabinets around.  i have never come home for a visit to find the furniture in the same position as the last time, or to see the same window treatments hanging.  i am hoping that when patrick and i eventually buy a house or some land kay will come out and visit and help me set up some lovely perennial beds.  i am learned in the growing of vegetables but the growing of flowers and non edibles is a bit out of my expertise.  i also tend to have a very active color palette!  so by the time i am done with flowers my beds look more like a lisa frank drawing than a garden.  i seem to bypass the subtle beauty of texture and height variation and go right for color.  i am like a magnet to sunflowers, nasturtiums and zinnias.  the more colors the better!  it makes me feel like i am walking through oz.  and of flowers i have been thinking lately, as it gets colder and snowier.  i believe that the seed catalogues always arrive at the time we need them so we don’t lose hope that spring will be here at some point.  i have been poring over mine for the past few days.  being an organized person who loves making maps and planning, i will order all of my seeds by feb.  that way i have time to plan out my garden on paper, pull out my calendar and write in all the dates to start my seeds, prick them out, harden them off, transplant them, direct seed those that need it, harvest and then replant!  oh how exciting that is.  every year i get a little more organized.  this year i was organized enough to plant bulb onions, leeks and scallions in august and cover them with quick hoops to be able to harvest them earlier. if you are interested in learning more about quick hoops take a look at patrick’s blog (there is a link on the right hand column).  and at this i must go and peruse the seed catalogues while i watch the snow falling.

post holiday blues

i seem to have a case of the post holiday blues.  it was especially hard to leave maryland this time after good visits with our families, sunshine, walks on the beach and the spotting of several wild ponies.  detroit seems so gray this week.  although getting to see friends here has been a highlight to come home to.  the other good thing is that i can finally post all of the holiday gifts that i made!!!  i was keeping them a secret from family members so i couldn’t post them!!

this one was for patrick’s sister jen and her partner sarah.  jen has two giant, slightly ill behaved kitties.  the concept was patrick’s and execution mine.  we seem to work best that way.  he has the best ideas and is really good with critique on composition.  so in further news i plan to start an etsy shop in the next couple months and i will keep you all updated on the progress of that!  happy new year

the goblin and the grocer

i am in full speed christmas make presents mode.  this was a cut i had originally made for the lovely lady that gave birth to me almost 31 years ago, but decided that it didn’t stand alone quite well enough.  it is from an old folk tale called the goblin and the grocer.  i have been thinking as of late that i want to do a large series that retell old folktales.  so this was a good study, but i think more panels are necessary for the full retelling.  but this little image is about 9″x12″ and is up for sale if anyone falls in love with it, just email me about the price.  in more exciting news my sister had a baby!!!  i am now auntie stacey.  ezra james lewis was born last thursday, weighing in at 6 lbs. 8 oz.  i saw a picture, and he definitely looks like a newborn alright.  all newborns sort of look like human piglets in a hat.  but i can tell he will be a looker, after all he is half malasky.  if i do not post again until after the holidays, have happy holidays!!!!  oh by the way if you are looking for some last minute gifts my friend eve makes the dreamiest leather bags i have ever seen, check her out her etsy shop.

art and work

i wanted to share a link to a publication that contains a piece of my artwork.  the artworks is from a previous post of hands and jars.  the newspapers just came out.  i haven’t seen the physical papers yet, just the electronic version.  my artwork is under the detroit section.  i was surprised at how wordy the paper was, as i expected more image.  anywho check it out if you like

grrr. . . animals

i got some new toys in the mail today that i ordered.  i ordered some felting needles.  if you aren’t familiar felting needles are longish triangular shaped barbed needles that bind woool fibers to one another to allow you to create firm objects.  i have never needle felted before but wanted to learn how as i had seen my friend megan doing it on several occasions.  i also bought some beautiful balls of wool rovings when i was in belgium.  once again if you aren’t familiar wool roving are carded, and often dyed wool that is used for wet felting or spinning.  the needles do not cost very much so i ordered a 3 pack in different sizes.  the needles came with a small sample pack of wool.  so this evening i pulled it out and decided to make patrick a dinosaur.  it was so easy!!  plus the dinosaur is very mini!!  i even gave him a set or scarlet spikes up his back, blue eyes and a nice set of sharp teeth.  it took me under an hour to finish the dinosaur so i started on another creature using the wool rovings i already had.  unfortunately they do not work that well as they are too fine.  so the dog started out as a horse, then a pig and finally a pit bull.  there you have it.