Right now this Summer, I'm taking a field biology course entitled Flora of Southern Illinois, that is very intense, as I am neither a biologist or a botanist, and am attempting to overcome decades of 'plant blindness' in just a couple of months! It's a wild plant ID course—and while the practicum quizzes are an uphill climb for me, each week I've been making a little 6x6" 'maker's square' painting of my favorite plant from the week. Southern Illinois is a magnificent wilderness, and our class has visited some awe-inspiring sites, even more awe-inspiring once you awaken to the natural communities that have co-evolved in those areas through deep time.

You can buy these tiny square canvases from Walmart at $3 for a bundle of 3, they are terrific when you want to play and experiment with a theme. Two years ago I made a chakra series using these little squares! 

I have one more to paint after our final class this coming Friday, and then the series will be complete. It is my love letter to the plants we have 'botanized,' also influenced by the watercolor illustrations in The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden, a favorite book that I return to again and again! Media is acrylic, gesso (lots of it!), and Sakura fineliner pen :)