A trip to a local garden provided a wealth of subjects for our notebooks. We spent the day jotting down our observations, and sketching shapes and colors and painting. I asked each student to choose a subject and begin to paint. They chose subjects such as the irregularity of a branching tree and the tangled vines on a trellis. I chose to demonstrate a close-up view of Shining Oregon Grapes (Berberis Mahonia Aquifalium) with holly-like leaves. The dark blue fruits can be eaten raw but are rather bitter and seedy. It is best made into jelly with lots of sugar.
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