My goal in high school was to be an artist. I took as many advanced placement classes as were available and prepared a portfolio to enter college. But the allure of working outdoors and a steady paycheck drew me to horticulture as a better use of my abilities.

Gardening is a very creative activity that deals with color, texture, design and all of the senses. But I also like to paint and carve and photograph plants.

“African Violent” Acrylic on canvas I made in the 1980’s.

Tiger Grass. Spray paint on canvas.

Outline of various plants.

More plants, sky, clouds.

I had fun creating a bright flower garden for our son’s room. 1998.

“Aluminum Lake”. Acrylic on wood panel. I bought this 1/4″ thick plywood because it was riddled with worm holes. I included them in this landscape scene of a nearly dry pond, waiting for rain in Punta Gorda.

Ceiling tile for a local Mexican restaurant. Stencils and spraypaint.

Pine is easy to carve by hand but tedious.

Wood block. I wanted to capture the simple leaf pattern of the Queen Sago leaf. I’ll roll on ink and make 6′ long prints.

The end.

My son likes all things Japanese. So I converted his closet doors into a Sumi painting. I covered the doors with flat panels, then covered them with “rice” paper. Trunk first, then branches.

Watered down ink suggests color.

Nothing original here. I just copied an ancient sumi painting.

My wife wanted a big clock for this open space. I used whole cloves and furniture tacks for the center.