RESCUE PLANT BLESSINGS
A spindly, spazzy leafed plant found has found its forever home on our kitchen windowsill. Our son rescued it from the trash room (of all places!) when he moved out of his apartment building after graduating from university last summer.
Our indoor plants add calm to the day as well as something to care for and provide a vital link to nature. I also enjoy our outdoor garden and yard plants that nature blesses with rain and sun on its own natural schedule!
Our new windowsill plant is thriving in this spot and has bloomed twice; once in the fall with only one bloom and this spring with three gorgeous, red multi-flower blooms! It has bushy, glossy succulent type deep green leaves on gangly stems, but the star of the show is its brilliant clusters of red flowers!
After months of not really knowing what it was, I used the Seek app to identify it as a Flaming Katy, native to Madagascar. This name describes it perfectly as it proudly displays its brilliant blossoms in the kitchen window behind the sink which makes washing dishes more enjoyable!
SKETCHING OUR HOUSEPLANT
Adding this houseplant to my sketchbook was a great way to enjoy the beauty of the plant and honor the rescue! The flowers had so many intricate petals and depth, it was a bit challenging, but I’m so glad I tried it in stages. First, I sketched the basic shapes in pencil, then painted a light layer of yellow watercolor for both the leaves and flowers. I gradually darkened the paint colors, eventually painting about 5 layers to create depth.
I like an impressionist look, so I added a few strokes of sparkle pop pens to add some glow to the plant and emphasize its brilliance. Also, a few lines with a white gel pen gave some definition to the flower petals and leaves as I felt some of the edges got lost in the painting.
INSPIRED(D) ARTICLE
Painting this houseplant was inspired by artist, Anne Butera, the artist and creator behind My Giant Strawberry. In the Spring 2024 issue of Inspired(d), a magazine about positive news, Anne’s art is featured on the cover and inside there is a beautiful article on her story of growth as an artist. I was thrilled to be interviewed for the article as one of Anne’s Skillshare students and an avid reader of her blog and Joy newsletter. Anne continually inspires me with her encouragement of play and experimentation in our creativity based on nature and plants in the garden and inside our homes. Enjoy the article!
Have you sketched your houseplants? I would highly recommend it as it’s a unique way of getting to know our faithful household companions!
Warmly,
Karen
#nature #naturejournaling #houseplants #rescueplant #garden #bloom #sketchbook #sketching #creativity #watercolor
i am chasing butterflies 
I love the story of your rescued plant and your sketchbook page is so fun. Thanks so much for contributing to the article and for all of your encouragement and support.
Happy gardening and happy art-making!
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Thank you, Anne for all of your inspiration and for creating a community of nature and plant lovers! I’m so glad to have this fun memory in my sketchbook!
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What an incredibly lucky lucky plant, Karen! This is such a lovely post, inspired by your discovery and all the wonderful indoor plant posts shared by Anne B. Those generous scarlet red blooms are gorgeous!
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Thank you, Barb, it was a fun post to honor our dear rescue plant that is giving us so much joy with it’s bursting color of blooms!
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