Spring’s Unfolding
Quietly unfurling from winter’s breath, spring renews my energy almost by osmosis. Buds fatten, art shop chatter rings with hope; the ambience at the local plant nursery lifts a notch, the grocery store is even more colourful; and neighbour’s smiles widen in full agreement about the beauty of spring.
For me, it’s been a plethora of completions and beginnings.
It’s been one year since I properly settled into my lovely neighbourhood - creating a new tiny courtyard garden and a cozy art studio just three steps down from my kitchen.
With commission paintings under way and plenty of new recipes to enjoy, this spring feels like utopia!
The arrival of my beautifully curated new artist website - www.jennycoker.com - has inspired me to reactivate my blog and e-newsletter. I’m in a wonderful place in my life. With an eye on entering my 80’s in a couple of years I want to slow down and smell and the roses and share the pleasures to be found in my art studio, garden and kitchen.
I offer this first edition with a hug of gratitude for the inspiration this community of friends and fellow art lovers brings to my life. Want to receive each edition direct to your inbox? Simply subscribe for free via the form in my website footer.
Jenny x
FROM MY ART COLLECTIONS
HELLO HELEBORES!
A search for artistic inspiration often leads me straight to the garden. And who doesn’t love hellebores as they appear to greet late winter and spring?
‘Hellebore Collection’ is a new artwork from my Spring Collection , currently held in Manyung Gallery in Melbourne.
In this refined watercolour, I group several varieties in a quest to capture their quiet strength and subtle elegance. The stunningly strong, Anna’s Red, was a delight to bring to life in my studio, kept company with several hellebore cousins. Her long burgundy stems and rich blooms pulled me in, demanding to be painted.
Botanical art is close to my heart, yet I resist rigid adherence to the tradition. I allow inspiration and interpretation to be free form.
I invite collectors to enjoy both botanical detail and imaginative beauty in this new series inspired by spring.
‘Hellebore Collection’ by Jenny Coker.
FROM MY GARDEN
My new courtyard garden is entering it’s second spring and is still finding it’s feet…or rather… roots.
At this stage of my life, it’s a treasure having a small, well- formed and easily managed garden, which allows maximum studio time to luxuriate the creative brain.
Spring is so generous and my favourite blues are all bouncing into life. Purple irises replanted from my previous garden gathered momentum first.
A new blue iris followed the purple blues and are a terrific show at mid season, replenishing stalks from different parts of the rhizome.
Last night’s storm dashed two stems to the ground. My win! Their vase life is usually short but the storm hadn’t damaged the flowers so inside they came with me. Such beauty.
FROM MY ART STUDIO
I renovated my art studio last spring and it’s such a treat to paint in. Light-filled with good storage, visitors to my Tauranga studio can enter directly from the garden.
Get in touch if you’d like to pop in for a visit!
When out and about I’ve gathered wind blown branches, wildflowers, and fennel from roadsides.
They not only make beautiful dried floral arrangements in my home, but on closer inspection, the subdued colours are providing inspiration for a slightly different theme in my paintings.
I couldn’t resist adding some fennel and carrotia into this local Tauranga harbour landscape. It’s a reminder of natural beauty surrounding us if we take a moment to observe.
This piece is part of a new series of works for a commercial premise here in Tauranga, celebrating the natural beauty of our city by the sea in the Bay of Plenty.
FROM MY KITCHEN
Our family gene-pool includes strong culinary persuasions.
Both my mother and her mother were good cooks. I recall my little grandmother standing for hours at the kitchen bench making the most beautiful pastries and sponges.
Those were the days when I would spend Saturday morning helping mum to fill at least five cake tins full of cakes, biscuits and fruitcake for the week’s morning and afternoon teas and Dad’s lunches.
That was then and now is a different era - one of thoughtful food choices and minimal sugar or artificial substances. As pure and natural as can be. Well.. with the exception of an occasional batch of melting moments or shortbread! My granddaughter, Sasha now carries the torch as shortbread maker for our family.
My go-to’s are often platters… easy to make, to serve and boasting a variety of flavours to enjoy inside or in the garden.
Lightly toasted, garlic-rubbed focaccia or ciabatta with sliced fresh pears, tossed with lemon zest, a chunk of blue or feta cheese & honey drizzled.
Sliced baguette topped with finely chopped and drained tomatoes/roasted capsicum mixed well with oregano, freshly chopped garlic, salt, pepper, chilli
Soft boiled eggs on a bed of freshly made hummus with a generous sprinkle of smoked paprika and olives.
Venison mince balls & dipping sauce.
