Rocky Top Studio

Nasturtium Print - Tropaeolum majus peach melba

I don't usually grow too many annuals, but I make a point to try some new nasturtiums each year.  They grow so beautifully in the cool weather in Maine and they do great in containers, so I love to have some pots of them around.  They win me over more each year. 

I'm beginning to realize that this series of still lifes is really just my way of holding onto my garden..  The flowers are gone so fast (where did summer go?) and this is my only way to have them around as long as I really want to. 

Thanks so much to Vicki at the beautiful blog, Simply Hue for including my shirley poppy print in a post on 5 colorful things today!  

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Echeveria Succulent Print & Some Thanks

We got a few new houseplants this spring, adding to our already large collection.  My personal favorite is this Echeveria succulent, with it's muted shades of purples, blues, and greens.  It has a beautiful, painterly texture to it, it looks like someone colored it with pastels..  I think these are my favorite colors in the whole world.

I've been on a bit of a blog break, but I am going to try to get back into the flow and post some new work.  It's beginning to feel a bit like fall in the air, and it's really my favorite time to shoot the landscape - the tourists are on their way out and the fall color is on it's way in! 

I'd also like to say a thank you to a few lovely ladies who've featured my work recently..

First of all, I want to send out a big thanks for a beautiful feature that Linda from Heartfire at Home did on me recently..  I have been really enjoying her blog which is not only gorgeous but so thoughtfully written.  I know it is definitely going to be one of my favorite blogs to keep up with - it's truly interesting and thought provoking.  If you think about artwork as much as I do, I know you'll be inspired by her thoughts on inspiration and color.  

I also want to send a big thank you to Kate from a really sweet & beautiful design blog called The Purple Artichoke for featuring me as her blog's first featured artist!  I think everything about Kate's selections are exquisite and I can't wait for more.  I am particularly enamored with all of these handmade handbags and all of these owls.  I just love Kate's taste and sensibility.

And this month I am thrilled to be participating again in PaperNStitch, a design showcase featuring a handpicked selection of artists and artisans, many from Etsy.  I always love Brittni's choices for papernstitch, but this month's are particularly wonderful and fun!  This month there are some neat shops like lettergirl who does gorgeous handlettering, Leanne Graeff's funky tea towels and linens, and Brittni's own stunning paintings - as well as some of my favorite fellow Etsy photographers Jetty Kolobaric and D.S. Brennan. 

Swallowtail Butterfly

 

 

I woke up this morning with the phrase "tres mariposas" in my head..  Know how a phrase just gets in there and goes round and round?  It's spanish for "three butterflies" and was mentioned in a book I was reading recently..  Only when I was loading these new butterflies images online did I realize that I was actually uploading images of tres mariposas..  Funny how that happens. 

I've decided to keep the blog here on Typepad, and have given both the blog and my shop a little facelift.  We've been painting the studio and it looks so beautiful and brand new, something in me needs to make my online world fresh and new, too.  So both sites have been worked on, given new looks, and neither is quite finished, but really, is anything, ever?

Mountain Road, Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park

I'm excited to announce that I've totally revamped my personal website and portfolio at allisontrentelman.com and I hope you'll check it out.  It's brand new and I'm open to comments and suggestions if you have any.

I'm considering bringing the blog over there too (it's been copied there so I can test it out) for the sake of simplicity and having everything in one spot.  The keyword for my business (and life) this year can be summed up in that one word - simplicity.  Keep it simple and focus on what you love doing.  It's amazing how, with that goal and without any effort on my part, things are just falling into place.  It's so easy when you just go with the flow. 

Shirley Poppy (Papaver rheos)

I direct sowed these little poppies into my front bed last spring, but only a few came up last year. I promptly forgot about them and this year they've surprised me and are coming up all over the place and looking beautiful behind my lavender! When looking to find the names of the poppies, I realized the little package I bought had 50 thousand (!!!) seeds so I look forward to seeing these little poppies for (many!) years to come.

Alpine Columbine (Aquilegia alpina)

Trout Lily / Dogtooth Violet (Erythronium americanum)

 

Hydrangea Bloom (Hydrangea macrophylla)

Yellow Globeflower (Trollius europaeus)

Pink Dahlia