Category Archives: artists

green wall at SF MOMA

Posted on September 14, 2026 by Denise

San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit “Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal” is closing September 27, 2026. I visited in July and was thrilled to be immersed in a world where an artistic revolution mattered to artists and … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, clippings, garden travel, journal | 7 Comments

microabundance/Granada Coffee Shop

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Denise

In spring 2025, Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson was published, a nonfiction work examining why we can’t seem to get things built for the common good anymore and the bureaucratic difficulties facing small businesses. Using examples like California’s … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, commerce, garden visit | 4 Comments

my museum rats

Posted on January 15, 2026 by Denise

In a completely unexpected twist, both my granddaughters have parents who work in museums. In terms of time spent, both kids are bonafide museum rats. In Oregon we volunteer at a small museum, and in Los Angeles we’re constantly exploring … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, journal | 6 Comments

clippings 2/21/22

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Denise

Seen on T-shirts and protest signs around the world, now multimedia artist Patrick Martinez has worked Greek poet Dinos Christianopoulos’ words to electrifying effect in neon (which comes from the Greek word for “new”). A sign of and for the … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, clippings | 3 Comments

Laurel Stutsman Design

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Denise

I found this photo in a 2015 folder on my old photobucket account. The photo was tagged “wildlife-road-malibu2” with no accompanying description. I don’t normally keep unidentified garden photos, but something about it obviously grabbed me in 2015, and it … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, design, driveby gardens, garden visit, inspire me | 5 Comments

Coachella Valley Desert X Exhibition Extended to 5/16/21

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Denise

Fantasizing about road trips is starting to move closer and closer to actually planning road trips. Here’s a possibility, a visit to the Desert X exhibition to coincide with California desert wildflower bloom. From Desert X’s website: “For Nicholas Galanin, … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, garden travel, MB Maher | 2 Comments

Fearless Gardening by Loree Bohl; a review/giveaway

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Denise

I’ve been following Pacific Northwest gardens and nurseries for decades and often fantasize about having a garden in a modified-mediterranean, 40 inches-of-rain-a-year zone 8. There’s lots of plants I’d be able to grow for the first time, but there’d have … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, books, climate, design, inspire me, pots and containers | Tagged Fearless Gardening | 12 Comments

Pow! Wow! mural by Gail Werner

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Denise

This is my favorite mural in my hometown of Long Beach, Calif. To me, it’s a bird perched on an agave bloom (obviously!), painted in a very graphic style reminiscent of a woodcut. I often suspect many people of being … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, artists, design | 5 Comments

visit to Sculptura Botanica part 2

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Denise

what: in-situ installation showcasing botanical-themed ceramic work of Dustin Gimbel where: Sherman Library & Gardens when: May 15 through September 15, 2020 lunch and lecture: June 26, 2020, 11:30 a.m. and tour of the exhibit by Dustin Gimbel other venues: … Continue reading →

Posted in artists, garden ornament, garden travel, garden visit, inspire me | 5 Comments

visit to Sculptura Botanica part 1

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Denise

Posted in artists, design, garden visit | 5 Comments