LILAC LADY

She wasn't one of the unlucky ones that ended up in the garage. Lilac Lady enjoyed relatively comfortable existence since her creation in 1997. For a while She was displayed in the living room by the main entrance. She was even entered once in the prestigious art competition (Hortt 39.) She was never exposed to the heat and humidity of the summer air; She spent her life in Florida in an air conditioned environment. She exists because of her creator's love for lilac blossoms. And now she is for sale. How tragic! I hope she will forgive me. Who knows, maybe her new predicament will lead to a more fulfilling existence.

"Lilac Lady" Image and words © 2010 Malgorzata Kawashima. All rights reserved.

THE UTILITARIAN ASPECT OF PETREA VOLUBILIS

Petrea Volubilis aka Sndpaper Vine is a very 
 beautiful plant to watch when in bloom.
The leaves of Petrea V. are very rough on
both sides, like a sandpaper! So, naturally,
 I thought they can be used like a sandpaper,
especially when dry ( no trace marks of green).
And that is the utilitarian aspect of Petrea Volubilis!

I tried to sand an old piece of  wood with a dry leaf, and it worked.

Sandpaper Vine: the leaves are very rough, like a sandpaper!

GOOD MORNING

Dzień dobry

TROPICAL WISTERIA MAGIC

Tropical Wisteria a.k.a. Queen's Wreath, Sandpaper Vine, Petrea volubilis, Bluebird Vine in Bloom: Full Magic Power. Pictured here is our Wisteria

grown from a seed and planted under the "art room window". Photo: MK

This beautiful double flower has a double life in double color. It charms with two different shades of blue: the bottom petals are hazy lilac-blue, and the top flower is vibrant blue-purple. The bottom petals dry on the vine and lose their color, but the top delicate, soft violet/pansy-like flowers drop to the ground creating a magic carpet - I doubted that they belonged to the Tropical Wisteria I saw last Tuesday on the grounds of the little botanical garden by the painting studios of the U of M Art Dept. in Coral Gables (where I painted as a postgrad student 17 years ago). Lidia was there with me.