Wednesday 26 September 2012

Dahling Dahlias!

It's that time of year again when Dahlias are adding a huge splash of colour to gardens around here.

 


"Dahlia ...

is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. A member of the Asteraceae or Compositae, dicotyledonous plants, related species include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum and zinnia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. Flower forms are variable, with one head per stem; these can be as small as 2 in (5.1 cm) in diameter or up to 1 ft (30 cm) ("dinner plate")." 
 
The Dahlia is Mexico's national flower.
 



"In Europe and America, prior to the discovery of insulin in 1923, diabetics- as well as consumptives - were often given a substance called Atlantic starch or diabetic sugar, derived from inulin, a naturally occurring form of fruit sugar, extracted from dahlia tubers. Inulin is still used in clinical tests for kidney functionality." (Wikipedia)




I have a new camera, my first DSLR (Nikon), and have have been spending a lot of time out taking pictures and enjoying it. Not many words today, but there were a lot of pictures ... I did edit a lot out.





Single rows of petals, multiples or spiky they come in a full spectrum of colours.





"Today the dahlia is still considered one of the native ingredients in Oaxacan cuisine; several cultivars are still raised especially for their large, sweet potato-like tubers. Dacopa, an intense mocha-tasting extract from the roasted tubers, is used to flavor beverages throughout Central America." (Wikipedia)



 






These dahlias looked great from the back and the front.
 



 



 
Opening or fully in bloom they are showy blooms.





These deep red spiky ones were a particular favorite, so I lingered and .....



 



 
















A tear for the end of summer ...

We have just past the Autumnal Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere; the word equinox derived from Latin words equal and night. So it is officially fall now, the temperatures are dropping and the sun is settling earlier.

Goodbye summer, it was nice knowing you.

My painting "Sweet Serenade" is now up at the Federation Gallery on Granville Island as part of the exhibit "Autumn Salon", on from September 25 to October 7, 2012. The Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery is located at 1241 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, in Vancouver or you can view  the exhibition online by following this link: http://artists.ca/show/autumn_salon_2012 (it is alphabetical, I am at the top of page 6).

Could have, should have, would have but didn't get any paintings finished this week. I took a lot of pictures and I started more than one painting, but alas nothing got finished.

Today I opened my paint box to discover that almost a whole container of masking fluid had emptied inside and covered paints, brushes, erasers; amazing how far a couple of ounces of sticky liquid can spread. I didn't get any painting done but I did clean up most of the mess.

Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate your visit. Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next time ...