this is not an art blog

this is a craft blog.  it's about making stuff that is, to some extent, useful.  or, at least, not quite as haughty as art.  still, i finally got back to my art practice after what seemed like a terribly long 4 week self imposed sabbatical (after what seemed like an even longer case of artist's block.)  so to celebrate, here's a shot of a new maquette:

it is cropped in a bit because 1. this is not an art blog and 2. i'm not ready to show any finished images, seeing as it is a maquette.  when i do finish something, look for it at my website (johnruszel.com).

i guess the radishes aren't quite ready yet.

i'm a terrible gardener and i've killed a lot of plants in my time.  i usually work pretty hard at the beginning of a season, fixing up my little garden patches, ripping up weeds and dead things, mixing in some new soil and what have you.  and then time passes.  and i miss a few days of watering.  and since i already missed a few, what harm could a few more do?  and soon enough i have whole patches of zombie plants that want only one thing: revenge.  revenge for my negligence.  and that's when i start actively ignoring the back yard.

but things are going a bit better this season!  first: nature has been helping with the watering, second: i have much lower expectations and third: i planted radishes which, i hear, can be grown by even the worst, most uninvolved gardeners.  i also planted garlic (which seems to be doing alright, though i'm not counting my cloves before they a pulled up in the spring) and carrots and chard (which went in a few weeks after the other things and have yet to do much at all.)

someday, i'd love to be a proficient grower of food.  for now, it is baby steps.  i'll let you know how it goes.