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, the fragrance of my camellias wafting through the courtyard, or the smile on a neighbour's face as they arrive at my door with fresh veges from their garden.

A thousand little details, so easily unnoticed.

I'm richer when I notice them.

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.

I never imagined the camellias would quietly push through the slats with little perfumed flowers on such delicate stems.

I can't help but imagine they are offering up their red-tipped buds and bursting tiny florets for admiration.

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 nudge buds and frills 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 MY AR

FROM MY ART STUDIO

Before leaving, my painting rhythm had felt a little interrupted.

All the assembling and marketing of the Nest Egg prints — so satisfying, but it does pull you away from the work for a time.

Picking up my paintbrushes again, I found myself returning to familiar themes. The watercolour nest image above is a work in progress — evolving slowly, with a good deal of ignoring between splashes!

A new nest has begun at a larger scale - oil this time. Still finding its footing, but I think it will have a presence. Look out for it and smaller works at the Bay of Plenty Garden & Arts Festival this November.

Alongside the delicate nest-egg work, I could not resist making some further splashes with the lovely Wollerton Old Hall rose watercolour.

It’s very much a wet-on-wet exercise at this stage. Letting colour temperature do that quiet push and pull, the dispersal of colour interlacing shapes and texture. A time-honoured exercise that brings these luminous blossoms to 3D life on a flat surface. The paper-maker’s quality and skill affecting the outcome as surely as my input.

It’s slow work.

Layering. Stepping back. Coming back again with fresh eyes - simply a must!

There is something pleasurable in that rhythm — coaxing the illusion of my garden onto beautiful Italian and French papers. The real coup will be in finishing this piece, but I’m not rushing. My rushing days are over - they don’t achieve the quality required.

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!

VIEW ARTWORK