Green Knitting from New Zealand

 

Smoke Screen

This knitted work is called Smoke Screen and was made in response to the burning

of the worlds forests to increase profits from agriculture and building.

These knitted parrots are caught in the smoke and flames and although we hear

about the loss of the trees we do not hear about the wild life caught up in

a fire storm.  I have read about the charred bodies of the kiwi left behind after the

burning of the bush on D'Urville Island when it was cleared for farming.

 

 

 

 

 

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective blog

 

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2017

 

 



A Visit to the Winter Gardens in Auckland New Zealand

A Visit to the Auckland Winter Gardens

 

Just two weeks ago we paid a visit to the Winter Gardens in the Domain in

Auckland, and what a picture it was.  These photos are of some of the amazing

displays inside the Victorian style glass houses.  The Winter Gardens were

designed in the style of Gertrude Jeckyll and Edwin Lutyens and opened

in 1913.  One of the glass houses is heated and contains tropical plants

these photos were taken in the other one.

 

 

Delphiniums and snap dragons

 

 

Schizanthus

 

 

 

Mimulus

 

 

Delphiniums

 

The two glass houses are connected by a courtyard with a water lily pond

which contains some gold fish, and off to the side is a fernery which is

also well worth a wander through.

 

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blog

 

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2016

 

 

 

 

 

A Spring Garden in New Zealand

 

 

My Spring Garden

 

Here is a new watercolour and collage work to celebrate Spring, our garden

is full of blackbirds this year and I have spotted two nests.  Although they

are not native to New Zealand we love having them around - they clear out

so many slugs from our seedlings.  We have also had a bumper year with tui

feeding on nectar from our Kowhai trees.

 

 

Here is a photo of my first rose, it grew from a cutting from the Coromandel.

I believe that it is one of the first varieties to be grown in New Zealand and was

probably brought here by settlers in the nineteeth century.  It flowers early

and prolifically and has a lovely perfume.

 

 

All images copyright France Jill Studd 2016

 

 

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blogspot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Have a look at this website for more of my work: http://www.tivolinz.com/exhibits.html

Garden Exhibition at Tivoli

Here are some photos of my exhibition 'Get Back to the Garden' at Tivoli in Oneroa,

Waiheke Island.  It is a celebration for all gardeners who enjoy the presence of birds,

bees, butterflies and all the other creatures who use our gardens for resting and feeding

places. It also supports a ban of neonicotinoids worldwide.

This work is called Tui, but it also shows a Welcome Swallow.

This work is called 'Red Flax' and to the left are some knitted bumble bees

Left is a work called 'Vervain' and then 'Alliums' and 'White Iris'

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blogspot

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2016



A Preview of a New Exhibition

Sunflowers for an Exhibition

 

Here is a painting from a new exhibition which I be opening in a few weeks.

The Exhibition is called 'Get Back to the Garden' from Joni Mitchell's Woodstock

song.  I hope to show the importance of small urban gardens in providing food for

bees, butterflies and birds now that so many of their natural feeding grounds have been

lost to food production and building development. This is called 'Sunflowers'.

 

 

 

I grew these small lemon coloured ones this year they were some of the most

showy and successful.

 

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective

 

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2016



Mid Winter Black Swans in New Zealand

A Brood of Black Swans in Mid-Winter

 

I took these photographs of a family of black swans on a small lake near where we live.

It is now mid Winter and four cygnets have hatched and survived.  I believe that

they have been helped in this by the locals who are feeding them, as soon as they

saw me they came gliding over.

 

 

One of the parents was keeping a careful watch.

 

 

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blog

 

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2016

 

More Wild Flowers from New Zealand

 

Eglantine

Here is another painting made from a collection of wild flowers which I gathered on a

recent walk along the Wharemauku stream, I have called it Eglantine after the

wild rose which grows in the hedge behind our local airport.  I have also been surprised

at the number of weevils which seem to living on the spinach in our vegetable patch,

they are remarkable little creatures, so I have put some of those in as well.

 

 

 

The Guinea Fowl feather comes from Staglands a wildlife reserve which we visited

for our youngest Granddaughter's first birthday.  It was a real treat and the

girls just loved the animals, my favourites were the little brown pigs which

followed us around.

 

 

Here they are!

 

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blogspot

 

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2016 Pigs courtesy of Staglands