borders by vivien

I found this very difficult and consequently didn’t really enjoy doing it. It robably shows. The bit I did enjoy was mixing colours on the paper, much more fun than mixing on the palette.

Borders by David

Blighted Tomatoes in the border

Borders…. In my minds eye I see idyllic rural creations with a haze of flowers and intermingled perrenials not unlike that depicted by Jane. Not so mine, at this time of year. The only plants left in my border are a few blight ravaged tomotoes thanks to the wet summer. Still hoping for a little autumn sun to ripen the plum tomatoes, I have left them in their desperate race before the black blight creeps up the leggy stems and destroys the fruit. The view I chose flatters the true picture of general devastation in my border. Given a better summer I would have had quite a good crop of plums. At the back you can see the remains of what looks like a holocaust victim. Its actually a cherry tomato with – yes a solitary ripened fruit. Which reminds me – I forgot to pick it.

I felt I made a couple of breakthroughs with this picture. Firstly having converted to A4 paper I now find it much easier to frame the picture and am quite pleased with the overall look of composition. I also found that because it was so freezing sitting in the back garden, I worked quickly and to my surprise the quick bits looked more effective than the areas where i tried harder. The sad bush tomoatoe looks much better that the overworked plums. After the Reaction debacle, hope is returning.

Borders by Sue Middlesex

This is based on a photo of the Berlin Wall circa 1964

Borders by Sue (Cumbria)

Quinces, plate and kilim

Trying to find a subject I could do indoors at night, I thought of the objects I had in the house with borders and chose an old plate and a bright kilim. I put some ornamental quinces from the garden border on the plate. I used paper which isn’t proper watercolour paper, and couldn’t add shadows washes without it just wiping the colours below off, so that explains the fuzzy patches. The plate is ‘bent’ in the middle thanks to my not getting the foreshortening on the front edge of the plate right, and I think it would benfit from a background instead of looking like it’s launching into space.

I have now made the quinces into membrillo, so no chance to put right any errors, thank goodness!

(Herbaceous) borders by Jane

(Herbaceous) Borders

Autumn borders in my garden. The nasturtiums have run riot on the left and it is an Amelanchier which is dropping the coppery leaves. Too tight as usual, can’t seem to stop myself but I did enjoy sitting outside doing it.