A Look Back At 2014

Geometric Flowers.  Watercolor.
Approximately 11 x  8 inches.

Today is very nearly the last day of 2014.  I'm looking back over my blog posts from the year to see if I can find anything constructive to say, or things that I'd like to try, or even handle differently.

I really like my crayons.  I bought them last December, and I use them a lot.  They were well worth the money.  I'm also still painting trees--frequently from my imagination.  There one included in this post, too!

Oranges and Grapefruit

Oranges and Grapefruits.
Watercolor.  

Yesterday, I got together with a group of fellow artists for critique.  It wasn't the whole group, but Marilyn Bishop, Rama Desai, Nancy Wisely, Sherry Stoffer, Margie Carleton, Diana Marra, Andrea Chemero, Barb Smucker (fearless leader and organizer), Roxanne Brett, and Taylor Bush were able to be there.  Many of them aren't online, but if they are, I've tried to include links.  A lot of them read this blog--big grin.

Before Coffee

Before Coffee.  Watercolor and Crayon.
10x8 inches

I set up a still life, and then it went all abstrac-tish on me.  I'm not sure why, either, which as the painter, I'd sure like to be able to articulate why I'm doing what I'm doing.   

Oh, My Gosh...

I was just messing around on Spoonflower, where you can turn art or designs into fabric, gift wrap, or the like and.....well, look what I turned this painting into:

It was quite fun to do!  True confession--I could not get the design to copy properly from Spoonflower.  So, I recreated the effect using Scribus.  Scribus is open source application for for pc's that is very similar in principal to Indesign. Lifehacker did a comprehensive article on inexpensive to free substitutes for some of the Adobe products--it's quite useful.  (I also use Gimp instead of Photoshop....)

I must have hit the symmetry just right for this!  I'm going to try it with another painting soon....if you haven't tried it, you should!

Now I'm debating about whether to go back to Spoonflower and print gift wrap.....  Of course, fancy gift wrap would be different than my usual mode where I'm frantically wrapping in whatever paper product (think newspaper) two minutes before I walk in the door....

I can sense you're laughing!  Have a good one, and try not to let your December get frantic.

Amy

Turning World

Turning World.  Watercolor and crayon.
Approximately 11 x 9 inches

If you've been reading this blog, you've probably noticed that my work is tipping more and more abstracted You can see examples, here, here, and here. If you check those links, you'll notice that those are some of the earliest abstracts and that they're laid out in squares and rectangles. Lately, I've been going more and more towards circles and curving shapes, which you can see here, here, and here.  Not always, but often.

Paint & Palettes

 

Pink, Orange & Brown.  Watercolor.
Approximately 4x2 inches.

I got a package from Cheap Joe's yesterday, which included seven new tubes of paint from Daniel Smith.  Three were replacements for tubes I've exhausted (manganese blue hue, burnt umber, and hansa yellow medium), and four were new colors (all quinacridones--burnt scarlet, deep gold, pink, and red).    If you're an artist, you may find yourself collecting something........come on, now, confess--what's kicking around in your art supply closet? 

Daniel Smith is far and away my favorite paint brand.  Everyone has their own preferences--people recommend Holbein or Winsor & Newton.  It's a matter of experimentation to find your preference and then crossing your fingers that the paint company doesn't change their formulations or reorganize.  Daniel Smith is reorganizing. Over the last few months their paints became available through other companies (like Cheap Joes), and they are clearing out all their non-core stock.  My fingers are crossed that there paint will stay consistent..  

When I was testing my new colors, I did a bunch of little paintings--I was just mucking about.  Here's one I kind of like--it's very small, and I like the intensity of the colors.  

And, if you're wondering--I'm not sure where I'll fit the new colors onto my palette--I need to rethink how I have my paints organized.  I do have a sample of all my colors, but of these, I only have about 1/2 out on my palette, and of the paints I have out to use, I maybe regularly paint with an even smaller selection of those.

This is all confounded by the fact that I don't want to waste paint, and would rather use up the paint on my palette before I reorganize....Never mind that I'm using two John Pike palettes, and neither one has all the well's filled.  If I was a wee bit selective, I ought to be able to get down to one!

I'll get it sorted.

On the phone.

While Talking To My Mom.  5 x 4.75 inches.
Watercolor & Crayon.

A couple of posts ago, I put up some abstract landscapes that were part of a set.  I had painted four, and one just wasn't coming together.  A puzzle.

I tried overlaying with three colors of Caran D'Ache crayon that nearly matched the paints.  A lot of the patterning was already there, I just added emphasis where it had been lost in the watercolor.  And voila.

You'll never guess what I doing while finishing the crayon part of this....  Good guess--I was talking to my mom on the phone.

Starting to Plan for 2015

SOLD:  Pear I, Watercolor and Crayon.
A 5x7 inch greeting card.

I have just over 2 years worth of posts on this blog, and this will be my 82 post. If you're a reader, you've probably noticed that I primarily write about what I've been working on (and why).  I'd really like to start mixing it up a little bit more by devoting a post or two a month to other things.

Some of the things I'd like to talk about? First--other artists! There are people doing some incredible, inspiring work all around the world; I get bored talking about myself (honestly, I don't like to talk about myself, period.); and, it can be fun to learn about other artists' processes and work.

Secondly--stuff around the web--useful tools, things that I'm doing, and things that I've learned. Why? Well, partly because this blog serves as a record for me (admittedly, it's kind of public). But also because I think readers may be interested. Maybe not... Your eyes may be glazing.

I'm going to start with a change I just made to my blog. I added a blog list. I owe a huge thank-you to Laura, over at Laura's Watercolors--she listed me as part of her blog list, which has led to a lot of visitors for me.  Go look--her animal paintings are especially lovely.  You'll also see Jane Blundell, who does some very interesting color studies, and Carol Marine, who is a daily painter. I'll add more over the next few months..

Anyhow, stay tuned.  I'll see what I can get organized.  In the mean time, here's a little work by me that's gone off to a new home.

Abstract Landscapes

On December 6th, I'll be participating in Wyoming's Holiday One Stop Shop at the Wyoming Civic Center.  I'm starting to put together a bunch of small works and hand-painted cards, like the three inter related abstract landscapes. The grays are from the paint that was in the mixing well of my palette.  I started with Burnt Umber, Prussian Blue, and Quinacridone Violet--it looked too cold, so I ended up going back in with a little bit of Quinacridone Burnt Orange.  

My husband is a fan of the burnt orange--he's been studying iron oxides (aka rust!) his whole adult life, and the color lays down just like some of the minerals he studies.

They're all on Kilamanjaro 300 lb cold press watercolor paper from Cheap Joes and all about 5 inches square.  The One Stop Shop Runs From 10-3 on 12/6--hope to see you there.

Channelling Cheerful

Fall Foliage Abstracted, Watercolor,
Approximately 12 x 13 inches.

I wanted to try a cheerful abstract.  (This is harder for me than you might think, thank-you.) And, I wanted it to represent fall or autumn (the happy fall, since I was shooting for cheerful, and not the gloomy one).  In other words, I went into this piece with intent of mood and feel.

And, voila.  I'm not sure I have enough darks, but I like the composition, which holds no matter which way the painting is oriented, and the palette.  The paints are quinacridone gold, violet, and purple plus prussian blue.  All from Daniel Smith.    Paper is Kilimanjaro 300 lb cold press from Cheap Joes.

And, A Big Sigh....

Divining Rod.
Watercolor with crayon.  6 x 4.5 inches.

Last week just wasn't a good week for painting. The rest of my life got in the way. Partly, I have to be careful, because sitting down to paint means I lose 2-3 hours, and I don't always have 2-3 hours to give. Partly, I was just busy with family, house, and other obligations. But, I miss painting, and the trees continue to be beautiful in the fall--hence, the big sigh.

How I Work (Sometimes)

Sometimes, when I sit down to work, I start with a palette, and explore how the colors combine in various paintings. It's a fun exercise, and it helps keep me painting consistently.

In this case, my palette is quinacridone burnt orange, indian yellow, manganese sky blue, and carbazole violet. You can see them laid out across the top left of the sheet--plus a little bit on how they combine. Then, all around the page you can see my trials. I'm painting on a 300 lb block of Kilamanjaro paper from Cheap Joes.

Autumn Abstract

Autumn Abstract.  13 x 9.5 inches.  Watercolor. 

It seems like different trees have decided to show off this year, and for the first time, the Kentucky Coffee Tree we planted in our front yard is displaying fall colors.   It is a lovely yellow gold, with some bright green mixed in.

I can see it from my front window when I'm painting at the kitchen table, and when I started the painting, I was shooting for semi-realistic.  I had neither a good composition (too centered), nor good colors (I started with indian yellow, hansa yellow medium, and ultramarine blue).

This is how it evolved into an abstract, with carbazole violet added as the last layer for darkness and shapes.

I think it's a combination of beautiful and ominous, or like autumn.

Blue and Orange

Gold Trees Orange Shadows.  Watercolor.  6.5 x 11 inches.

For the better part of the last week, I've been limiting my palette to blues and oranges.  I don't know why.  I do like blue, but this time of year (fall) I tend to think more in warm colors, and my recent paintings have tended to turn up disproportionately blue.  It may be my suspicsion that it's going to be a miserable winter.  It's noon on Oct. 4, and it's only just over 40 degrees F.  Jeez.

More Abstracts

Blocks.  Watercolor.
Approximately 11x18 inches.

Last post, I wrote about scaling up abstracts. This morning, I was trying to scale up to a larger landscape, and it evolved into an abstract.  Huh.  I got to a certain point, and sort of attacked it in frustration, and then when I came back around tried to make a go of it.  The shapes that stretch down?  They all originated from my attack.

I started with hansa yellow medium, ultramarine blue, napthamide maroon, and cadmium orange hue from daniel smith.  On the second go around, I thought areas of the painting needed to be more connected by shape, and I couldn't go lighter in the top quarter unless I started to pull in crayon.  I tried going back with indigo to block out larger shapes, and think that works reasonably well.  (I think it would work better with different colors.  Sometimes I put a palette together, and then wonder what I was thinking.)

There are a couple of take away lessons for me.....one's not to give up on a painting too early....I see this when kids draw and paint, where they make two marks and think they've made a mistake.  They want a new piece of paper immediately rather than soldiering on.  The second is to balance shapes with color.

Scaling Abstracts

Wind II.  Watercolor.  13x13 inches.

When I paint abstracts, I usually work fairly small--around 5x5 inches.  And, for some reason, the shape is typically square.

It's hard to scale up to larger paintings, and I'm not sure why.  I made an attempt here, with an idea for a painting on a small scale.  (Wind I Study, below) and then trying the painting again using the same colors and much larger (Wind II, left).  I started with a horizontal abstract with the dark blue and light blue with the gold gray above, and it was so boring, I ended up going back in te next day and adding the swoop into the "sky" space.

Limited Palette Abstratcs: Lemon Yellow, Phthalo Blue RS, and Quinacridone Rose

Red Dot.  Watercolor.  4.5 inches square.

Last week, I painted anenomes with a new(ish) palette. You can see that here. The paint colors I used, included permanent lemon yellow from mameri blu; and, from Daniel Smith, phthalo blue red scale, and quinacridone rose. Embarassing confession--I didn't have the names of the paints quite right last week. Oy.

Last Flower. Anomene

Anemones.  Watercolor and Crayon.
Approximately 12x12 inches.

This morning, the ground is wet, the sky is gray, and it is starting to feel like fall. It must have rained hard last night, and a huge branch is down on our maple tree in back. This tree looks great from our back porch, huge and lush. But, if you walk around to the back of the yard, its like the Wizard of Oz, and the back view exposes how many branches have come down in the last few years. I'm going to be very sad to lose this tree.

Cemetery On Ridge

Cemetery On Ridge.  Seen in southern Indiana.  4x4.5 inches.

Last weekend, I took a bike trip through southern Indiana with the Babes--a local cycling group. They're lovely women.  They are strong women. If you ever have a chance to ride with them, do. I brought some new paints with me (Qor by Golden), which were interesting, but I was having trouble hitting the values I wanted while painting plein air.  The paintings I tried were, meh.

I saw lots of scenes I wanted to stop and paint, and if you read this blog, you know I paint a lot from memory and feel.  I tried to remember. Here's a cemetery on a ridge--spotted while climbing a hill on my bike on a grey Sunday morning.  

Colors are carbazole violet, indigo, indian yellow, and undersea green all by Daniel Smith.  The painting is 4 inches wide by 4.5 inches tall on Fabriano 300 lb rough watercolor paper.  

You can see some of the paintings from last year's trip along the Ohio River in KY and OH, here.

The Painter

Sunset Reflected.
Approximately
4.75 x 10.5 inches.

I started "The Painter," by Peter Heller last week, which is about a violent, brooding, and reclusive artist with anger issues. You can read a review here.  One assessment from the reviewer struck me as very true--it's hard to read about a painter and the art he creates without wanting to see the art. The art sounds fabulously whimsical and interesting.  The protagonist is like someone I'd prefer not to meet. I'm fairly certain that I'm not going to finish the book.  For the most part, it's so.....angry.  But, when Heller talks about art, and the process, it's very interesting.  Here's a quote:

High Horizon Line Landscapes

I am drawn to landscapes with high horizon lines.  I'm not sure I can explain why. One of my favorites is Last Light, Tuscany by Salliann Putman. You can get a feeing for her painting style, here, but I can't find a link to that particular painting online.  (Drat!)

I tried two, using very similar palettes of indigo, phthalo blue gs, phthalo green, and indian yellow.  They are both about 4.5 x 5.5 inches. Even though they have the same palette, they sure have different moods.

Two Pears And An Apple

I had a full sheet set out this morning, and could not decide what to paint.  I pulled two pears and an apple out of the fruit bowl and fridge (the apple), and set them on the opposite end of the paper.  It's a study in yellow, blue, and purple.  The painting is alla prima (no drawing) and I started by establishing the shapes with the yellow (indian yellow) and then adding more definitive shapes and shadows.  It's approximately 14 x 10 inches on Fabriano 300 lb rough paper.

At one time, I was doing a lot of these still lifes, which you can see here and here.  Lately, I haven't painted as many, but I probably need the discipline of the shapes and values.  Watch for a few more.    

A Painting Edit: Peggy's Front Door

 My neighbor, Peggy, has some beautiful contrasts between her flowers and her wood work.  A lot of the wood is painted a warm, cheerful blue, and the flowers are a glorious jumble of colors.

Peggy's front door is flanked by two pots of pink geraniums, which contrast nicely against the door.  I spotted those while out walking the dog.  I, of course, tried painting them without looking at the door, taking a picture or any practical photo reference. This was complicated by the fact that I just opened a new tube of Indigo, and am switching from Holbein to Daniel Smith.  The paints are very different.  The Daniel Smith is more intense and I got a wee bit carried away.  Can you see how dark the leaves are among the geraniums? Can you see how I lost the shape in the geraniums and have some out of control bleeds?  (If you're reading this on my newsletter, you'll have to click through to see the changes.  If you're not subscribed to my newsletter, you definitely should--you can do that by clicking HERE.)

Great Lakes Redux

Last week, we were back at Lake Huron, visiting the Pinery Provincial Park.  A second trip, after our Great Lakes Adventure earlier this year.  (The Pinery is south Grand Bend, Ontario.  It's lovely.)  When I say back, I mean our 10th trip there in August for the last 14 years.  Almost always with my parents.

I'll say again, the Pinery is lovely.  This is the view looking towards Grand Bend from the beach.  The paintings is approximately 7.5x5 inches with carbazole violet, quinacridone gole, cobalt blue, phthalo green, and phthalo blue.  It's on a scrap of 300 lb paper (maybe Kilamanjaro from Cheap Joe's).  Scrap means that there's something on the back!

 

Prairie Coneflower

I thought I was growing Black Eyed Susans in my border, but when I went to look the flower up, discovered that they were more likely some kind of prairie cone flower.  Who knew?  They took a couple of years to establish themselves, and for the first two years were perpetually attacked by deer. They were in full bloom when we returned from vacation, and they're beautiful.  Here's my take (from memory, so kind of abstracted), and a picture of the border.  

Great Lakes Adventure

My family just returned from a two week tour through Michigan and Wisconsin.  We went up through Michigan stopping at Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and Mackinac, and got as far north as Isle Royale.  Isle Royale is a 3 h ferry ride from Copper Harbor, MI on the Keeweenaw Peninsula.  We had flat, flat water on the ride out and then 2-4 foot waves on the ride back.  2-4 feet doesn't sound like much until you're on a ferry--whew baby.

If you haven't clicked through, please do--there are three more paintings.

Sunflower Trio

Last week, I hosted our critque group, aka artist's group, which includes some absolutely phenomanal artists.  One of them brought me some sunflowers, which I just got to painting.  I think I'll go back in on the flower petals with some crayon.  The painting is approximately 18x24 inches on 300 1lb Fabriano Rough Paper.  Palette is Indigo, lemon yellow, quinacridone burnt orange, permanent yellow deep, undersea green, a little ultramarine blue, and a little pyrene orange.  

A Series of Small Abstracts

When I finished my sycamore tree painting, I had a lot of interesting grays in the mixing well of my palette.  I don't like to waste the paint, so I used the original colors from the sycamore painting and a strip of paper from a cropped painting to create five small abstracts.  They tend toward landscape.  

From top to bottom:

Color Block:  3.5 x 4 in.
Abstract:  4.25 x 4 in.
Corn Field:  5 x 4 in.
Gray Field:  4 x 2 in.
Mountain:  4 x 3.5

I've done this before--see here.  I think for me, working small makes it easier to go more abstract.

Sycamore In Front of Storm Cloud

My community has the most lovely collection of street trees.  There are sycamores, oaks, maples, tulip poplars, and more.  (And, ash.  The ash are sad, since many of them look stressed, or dying because of the emerald ash borer.)  Many of the trees are mature, which means in the summer, it's like a huge green tunnel with dapples.

Clematis

When we moved into our house, we had a small concrete patio flanked on one side by a garage wall (white aluminum siding) and on the other side by an interesting structure. I'm still not sure what it was--brick base, wood framing, and the bonus of termites.

Back to the Kitchen Table

For some reason, I've been wanting to paint lemons and blue.  I have no idea about the why.  Maybe because yellow is a cheery color and early June can't help but be a cheery time with all the graduations and celebrations?

Logically, I went back to my kitchen table with a lemon and a pear!  (See previous posts about painting still lifes at my kitchen table, here, here, and here.)  The blue glass in the back is where my boys keep their change.  They're saving for...maybe an xbox?  The glass dates back to when my husband and I first met--we bought several colorful glasses at Pier One Imports.

The palette is phthalo blue red scale, hansa yellow medium, quin violet, and a little bit of permanent yellow deep thrown in at the end because non of the 1st three colors will make a decent orange.  The paper is 300 lb Fabriano rough, and the painting is about 8x10 inches.

Plein Air Painting at Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum

Yesterday, I traveled with a group of artists to Spring Grove Cemetary & Arboretum.  If you live in the Cincinnati metropolitan area and haven't been, it is worth a trip.  The cemetery dates to the mid-19th century, and they have fabulous grounds with numerous state champion trees.  

It's open to the public, so we wandered in and painted, sketched, drew, and meditated in an area of the cemetery that had ponds, bridges, and beautiful cypress trees with cypress knees.  

I cleaned out my bag before I went, so I was portable--one of the first posts I wrote for this blog was about plein air painting, where I got stuck at the parking lot because my bag was so overfilled.

Siberian Iris Abstracted

When we first moved to Cincinnati in 2007, my mom gave us some lilies, viburnum, and siberian iris.  I like all donated flowers, but am especially fond of the iris.  They are low maintenance, and I think they are elegant when they bloom.  (They are blooming right now!)

Here's my abstracted version.  Approximately 12x20 inches on Arches 300 lb cold press paper--wet into wet.

An Abstract From a Farm Seen From I-71, SW of Columbus, OH

Over spring break, my family and I drove out to Hocking Hills, a state park located south east of Columbus, OH.  We'll usually camp, but fearing cold temperatures, we rented a cabin.  It turned out to be a good choice, since it started to rain about an hour after we arrived and didn't stop until we were well into the drive home.

I took a lot of pictures from the passenger seat of the car--storm clouds, fallow fields, and distant farm houses.  Between Cincinnati and Columbus(ish), driving I-71, the landscape is flat with big sky.  Closer to Hocking Hills, the landscape borders the northern edge of Appalachia, and it switches to rolling hills and aspiring mountains.  

Evendale Fine Arts Exhibit This Weekend

 A couple of paintings framed and ready to head to the Evandale Cultural Arts Center tomorrow for their Fine Arts Exhibit.  The show opens on Friday, May 2 and the opening reception is from 6-9 pm.  The Center is located at 10500 Reading Road (at the intersection of Reading & Glendale-Milford in Evendale, OH).

It took me three tries to cut the mat for the crocus, which must mean my brain is having trouble with May--typically, matting is kind of fun.  It's not fun when something comes out wrong.   That's also my dog looking anxious.  It was time to pick up her boys, and we were not leaving--she hovers to make sure she gets to come.

I'll be babysitting the show on Sunday afternoon from 2-4 pm--come on by and say hello or join me at the reception.

Japanese Maple

 

The Japanese Maple in the yard across the street just leafed out, and I painted it really quickly this morning, and came back around  this afternoon and put in some darks for the trunk and branches this afternoon.  It's a lovely tree.

(If you're wondering what really quickly is--about 30 minutes this morning, and 10 minutes this afternoon.  It's a fast painting.)

The painting is about 8x10 inches.  I painted it on Killimanjaro 300 lb cold press paper from Cheap Joes (the back side--I have a truly awful painting on the front side), and used:  Indian Yellow, Napthamide Maroon, Quinacridone Red (underlayer for the tree), and ultramarine blue.  All from Daniel Smith, which I notice has a detailed color analysis here.

I'm happy to have leaves on the trees again!

April is the cruelest month.....

I just looked that up.  I would have guessed Shakespeare, but it is the opening line of "The Waste Land," by T.S. Elliott.

Mixed Media Month--an adventure for a watercolor artist

In March, I attended  a series of 4 workshops at the Centennial Barn on mixed media--they were taught by Barb Smucker, Roxanne Brett, and Marilyn Bishop.

Mixed media is a lot of fun and somewhat about process--there don't seem to be many hard and fast rules, although approach the end, design, composition, color, etc. still come into play.

The hard part for me is the glue--I'm always getting glue where it's not supposed to be!

In reverse order.....

Sunset Over Cincinnati: A 2nd Study

As spring inches its way into Ohio, the light becomes extra beautiful at sunrise and sunset-- lately, there have been some gorgeous views.  This is the view driving down Winton Road in Finneytown one evening on the way to pick up pizza.  (I confess, I've developed a fondness for La Rosa's pizza.)  It's abstracted, of course!

Walker Lane: A Landscape Study

My in-laws live in rural Missouri.  Their home is located outside of a small town not too far from the Mississipi River about 1.5 h south of St. Louis.  We typically go out for Thanksgiving, but every once in a while we make it out at other times of year.  They got to name their gravel lane when 911 became available (Walker Lane, thank you), and the property is flanked by fields. The first time I visited, long ago, was the first time I'd  ever heard cows low at night, which is a scary sound for a suburban girl.  The lane is lined with old orchards, old and young trees, and lately, marching towards the family property--town.  

When Animals Mean A Little More....

A friend recently asked me to do a painting, which she planned to give to her mom as a gift.  There were several themes that she wanted included, all of which had strong symbolic meaning within her family. A dragonfly, lady bug, grasshopper, and black lab--along with playing cards.

The 2014 ARTZ Benefit

Last year, I donated a painting to Creative Solutions as part of a benefit for ARTZ, which you can read about here.  Maggie Barnes, the organizer has some inspired ideas for how to get artists to make art. This year, she provided a creativity kit, which contained a chocolate (bonus) and words. I was supposed to choose three words as prompts for a painting.

I let my 11yo son pick the prompts, and he chose strengthen, participate, and enrich.  I was trying to channel those words, but I'm not sure a lonely church is quite consistent.  I still like the painting, though-- it's moody and looks great in the frame.  (I'm feeling especially modest this evening.)

The painting is 5.5x8 inches, watercolor except for the church, which is overlaid with Caran D'ache crayon.  It is matted and framed to 12x16 inches.  The ARTZ benefit is March 1--that's coming fast.  If you've had a family member affected by Alzheimer's, think about joining us.

Field Oak.

This painting reminds me of Oklahoma.  (And, of course, it contains a tree.)  It can be really tough for the trees in Oklahoma--drought, ice, heat, and high winds.  We planted several trees on our property there--three burr oaks, for example, grown from acorns from trees on my father-in-law's property in Missouri.  We've also planted a burr oak here in Ohio.  Our Ohio tree has added several feet of growth over the last few years.  The oaks in Oklahoma?  They gained about six inches over years.  If you were feeling generous, you could have called them scrawny shrubs.