Caught My Eye

Looking through photographs is very relaxing for me. My parents, when I was 11, bought me a camera for Christmas and it started a whole new hobby for me, one that I haven’t dropped since. It’s been a 20 year love affair- sometimes all consuming (I used to spend my lunch periods in a darkroom, maybe saving the last 5 minutes for a quick lunch.) I meet up with friends who also have dogs and on our walks they have learned to keep going while I take photos. I grew up using film but recently, within the past couple of years have switched primarily to digital. What can I say? 18 year old me is horrified at myself but I’ve come to learn that sometimes you just have to go where your art takes you. Good things always come of it in the end. I find with digital that I focus much less on technique (if at all) and experiment so much more.

So, with that said, welcome to my first blogging feature! Caught My Eye is devoted solely to the photographs that I have collected over the years, past & present. xo, Ev.

East Gloucester.

East Gloucester.

Atlantic Beach, Florida. (One Ocean Resort. This was taken the weekend my husband proposed to me.)

Dogtown. (This particular part is in Rockport, MA.)

Lanesville, MA.

Easy Biodegradable Seed Starting Cups

Seed starting is pure pleasure for me- it means that gardening is right around the corner. I absolutely love growing my own food as well as a myriad of interesting plants, which are picked for either their flower or foliage (sometimes both.) Three seasons ago I started gardening and as a result, starting plants from seed. Every season I try a new way to do so, just to experiment: the first year I used a seed starting kit that I ordered through Burpee and loved it- it was an eco-friendly self watering kit. Pretty fantastic and the set up couldn’t have been easier in any way. I will be using this set up again! Last year I used a basic set up that can be found at any hardware store- seed starting potting mix (I didn’t like the mix so this year I’m using a different one) and seed starter pots. I reused the Burpee tray minus the self watering mat. For my tomatoes I used eggshells and seed starter potting mix- I loved that set up and used the egg carton as a tray. Eggshells can go directly into the ground and fertilize the plant to boot. Can’t- and didn’t- go wrong there. The seed starter pots were not a favorite of mine and produced more waste than I wanted. I’m sure there are biodegradable ones but I didn’t come across any. This year, as you can see in the photo above, I am using newspaper as my seed starter pots as they are biodegradable and can be put right into the ground. I decided my mission this year was to use only what can be found at a grocery or hardware store- i.e., easily found and cheap items. For a tray I am using a foil roasting pan- I will reuse these for as long as they will hold up and they are ridiculously cheap. For markers I am using painted clothespins and am trying a new seed starting mix. (Note: I purposefully have chosen to not discuss which seed starting mixes I have used and am using this year because it isn’t necessary for this post. Every gardener has their own preferences and just because I do not like one does not mean it is an inferior product.)

You will need:

newspaper

scissors

water

mason jar or tin can

seeds

seed starting mix

The first step is really simple- cut up the newspaper. I did this by opening it up and cutting along the creases. From there I cut in half (width wise, not length wise.) Then I rolled up the mason jar in the newspaper as shown above, making sure to leave the mouth of the jar exposed.

Fold the ends into the mouth of the mason jar 3 times (as shown above.) At this point I would dip the folded bottom (with mason jar still inside) into the water to soak the paper, place the newly made newspaper cup onto a hard surface (I did this directly onto the green shelving of my greenhouse frame and it worked fine) and turn the mason jar back and forth a few times (while pushing down) to help shape the bottom of your newspaper cup.

This is what your cup should look like at this point.

Next up, fold the ends down. I dipped my fingers into the water to help shape the edges. From here I placed the soil into the cups and placed in the tray. I made as many newspaper cups as it took to fill the tray and then placed in the seeds. Once I marked them with my clothespins, I watered them and placed the greenhouse covering (a zipable, UV protected vinyl sheath- it works great!) and am now waiting to see the little guys grow.

As you can see, I’m growing cucumbers, baby pam pumpkins (for pumpkin pies) and cherry tomatoes. I’ll be starting up new trays as I get some more seeds but the rest of my plants need to be direct sowed. What are you growing in your garden this year? xo, Ev.

Eye Catching Sketchbook Covers

One of the first things I like to work on in my sketchbooks is the cover. I’ve always felt that  the hardest pages to work on are the inside cover and the first page (as well as the last) and so with that in mind, I tackle the cover to clear my mind for the next 2 pages. The cover has always seemed to me as important as the first sentence in a book. It serves two functions: to grab your attention and to set the tone. Materials used over the years have been handmade stencils, acrylic paint, spray paint, paint markers, photographs, pens, sharpies, tape and cut out shapes, stickers, paper bags, duct tape, package tape ink transfers, bubble wrap (really, that stuff is fantastic and so versatile!)

My last two pictorial inserts are from the inside of the second to last sketchbook- all wrapped up in duct tape, inside covers and out.

Sketchbooks are vitally important to my art and not because they inspire paintings (they rarely have anything to do with each other) or anything else creative that I do but because they serve the purpose of giving me a place to dream, a place to think and explore. I share them with very select people and enjoy swapping them with other artists and working in their books and seeing what has been created in mine. They have a language of their own and as such have always been my greatest strength. My biggest artistic dream is to put together a collection of my favorite pages from the sketchbooks I have finished over the years. A lot of my sketchbooks get ripped up and taken apart, taking favorite pages to be saved in future ones and/or to be reworked. Once I put together this ultimate sketchbook, I will put it out into the world to be sold. Do you like to decorate your sketchbooks? I’d love to see what you do with yours. Use the hashtag #knowloveknowcolor on Instagram to share yours! xo, Ev.

Beach Romps!

One of the things I miss about living in Gloucester is being able to walk on the beaches any time I’d like, with my longest drive being 20 minutes (and my shortest walk being 5 minutes.) The other being my friends, I decided to go visit and meet up with a couple of which who happen to have awesome dogs and go take my pup for a walk on the beach. There is something inherently magical about the coastline and this is especially true, for me, in the winter time. Enjoy the photos and post yours (with dogs or without!) to instagram, using the hashtag #knowloveknowcolor for a chance to be reposted on my feed! xo, Ev.