The Beauty of Winter
Beauty is a feeling. A soft flush of pleasure rising within ourselves.
Its source can be many things, but without an essence of beauty in our day there can be emptiness, a longing perhaps.
Beauty in winter comes to me in the way a watercolour pigment flows into another, or the smile on a neighbour's face as they arrive at my door with garden produce!
Lately, I've been captivated by the poetry of light as it quietly creates artworks around everyday objects in my home.
In this winter edition of Sharing Life's Pleasures, come for a little wander with me through the garden, kitchen, and art studio as we relish winter's delights.
Jenny x
FROM MY GARDEN
Winter Surprises in my Garden
The little Camellia transnokoensis hedge behind the screens has become one of my favourite winter surprises.
Last year I moved the plants from the front of the screens to the back, replacing them with pencil pines for better privacy. These are inching skyward, with plenty of encouragement.
I never imagined the camellias would quietly push through the slats with little perfumed flowers on such delicate stems.
Their fragrance wafts throughout the courtyard in the winter sun — it's delicious! Perfume, of course, being an essential ingredient in any garden.
I love taking a little garden wander between paintings as hints of spring bud before my eyes. It's the details that invite the eye, isn't it?
Reflecting on this almost two-year-old garden, I'm so pleased that the original structure of the space and screens works so well. It offers room to entertain friends and family or simply enjoy quiet contemplation.
On most winter days, the sun sheds warm rays of encouragement to sit outside, or I settle into my big velvet reading chair with my feet in the fresh air and sunshine.
Summer roses do not seem so many months away.
ROM
FROM MY ART STUDIO
The Nest Egg collection continues to gather momentum in the studio as I prepare for November's Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival.
As I wander around my neighbourhood or along the harbour, branches, bark and lichens catch my eye. Back home in the studio, they bring subtle colour, texture and strength to the nests.
My artistic playground has opened up too. Flitting between oils and watercolour, I've been experimenting with hot-pressed, cold-pressed and rough papers.
Earth colours such as burnt sienna, yellow ochre and softly sedimentary mixes remain my go-to, allowing nature's own palette to find its way onto paper.
Lately, birds have flown into the artworks, making a surprise entry.
Little New Zealand robins have such appeal to our eye. Fast and often elusive, their tiny stature requires an alert human to spot them.
As one of the benefactors of their remarkable home-building prowess, I felt compelled to invite this little fellow into the Nest Egg collection.
These are just a taste of what's to come. New originals and prints will be available at the Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival this November, set within one of the festival's beautiful garden venues.
Do get in touch if you have a favourite, or would like to commission a nest to reflect your own family story.
The nest, it seems, is still being feathered.
FROM MY KITCHEN
Kitchen Greens - Winter Vitality
My neighbourhood is awash with goodness. It's always a delight to hear a knock at the door and find one of my neighbours standing there with lettuce, tomatoes or some freshly baked treat.
Our little community is so special, and I love indulging my culinary passions to return the favour!
Winter greens inspired me to try Jamie Oliver's Super-Green Orecchiette— a simple pasta dish packed with flavour that perfectly combines fresh greens with winter comfort.
The recipe calls for orecchiette ('little ears'), but I used spiralli from the pantry instead. It catches the sauce beautifully. I also took Jamie's suggestion of adding a few anchovies to the green sauce — a flavourful hit.
Everything moves quite quickly once you start cooking, so it's worth having the ingredients prepared and ready to go. Twenty minutes later, dinner was on the table.
I finished mine with a generous dollop of cottage cheese and a spoonful of crunchy garlic in chilli oil, which seems to find its way onto almost everything in my kitchen these days! Crispy salmon or sautéed mushrooms would make lovely additions too.
The recipe makes around six generous servings — plenty to share with friends!
FROM MY ART COLLECTIONS
Still life painting invites me to slow down and really notice the quiet beauty of everyday objects.
I've always loved the conversation between colour and light. In Moroccan Vessel, the rich warmth of an aged copper pot is balanced by the cool softness of eucalyptus, allowing each to bring out the beauty of the other.
This large-scale original oil painting is from my Masterpiece Collection and is available for sale. It is keeping me company until it finds it’s way to it’s forever home!