# Amy Stewart > Author and artist > Generated by All in One SEO Pro v5.0.3, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://www.amystewart.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [What's New](https://www.amystewart.com/blog/): Book tour updates and other news from Amy Stewart, author of Girl Waits with Gun. - [Hey, I’m writing a new book!](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/hey-im-writing-a-new-book/): Some personal news, as they say: I’m writing a book called STATE BIRD, to be published by Norton in 2027. I’m going to trace the weird history of how we started electing state birds (it appears that I’ve made a discovery about this that no one else knows, which is thrilling to me), and cover some of - [The Self-Appointed Artists Residency](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-self-appointed-artists-residency/): A little over a year ago, I appointed myself Washington Park's artist-in-residence. I'm not sure the people who run the park ever knew I was their artist in residence, but it didn't matter. A self-appointed artist in residence doesn't require anyone's approval: that's the singular benefit of doing it this way. There's no application process. - [The Tree Collectors: Reviews, Interviews, & More](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/the-tree-collectors-reviews-interviews-more/): I'm about to leave for book tour for my next book, The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession. I hope to see you as I'm traveling around the country! Meanwhile, here's a running list of interviews & reviews you might want to check out, with much more to come. Scientific American's book review: Why People - [Am I Writing Another Kopp Sisters Book?](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/am-i-writing-another-kopp-sisters-book/): After over a year of not writing a book...I'm writing a book. I just made a deal with Random House to publish THE TREE COLLECTORS: Tales of Arboreal Obsession, which I am going to both write and illustrate. About ten years ago, I met a man who introduced himself to me as a tree collector. - [Weekly Art Lessons for Your Sketchbook Practice](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/weekly-art-lessons-on-all-things-sketchbook/): If you're an artist, aspiring artist, a writer who doodles, a keeper of journals or diaries, an urban sketcher or travel sketcher, or anyone who wants to fill a sketchbook--I'm making weekly art tutorials just for you! - [Travel Sketching in New Zealand with Quick & Easy Thumbnails](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/travel-sketching-in-new-zealand-with-quick-easy-thumbnails/): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaflMgqUAfo This class is live on two platforms right now: Skillshare is a membership platform where you subscribe and take as many classes as you like. Here's a link to the class on Skillshare. You can also take the class on Udemy, where you only sign up for the classes you want to take. Check - [Travel Sketching in Amsterdam with Quick & Vibrant Color](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/travel-sketching-in-amsterdam-with-quick-vibrant-color/): This class is available for you to take online anytime. Join the class on Skillshare, which is a membership platform that lets you take all the classes you want for a monthly subscription. Here's a link that will give you a free trial. You can also take this class on Udemy, where you only sign - [Sketching in Sepia](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/sketching-in-sepia/): I love to draw and paint in ink using these portable, very affordable ink wash pens like the Pentel Color Brush Pen--so I made a class about it! You can take this class on Skillshare, which is a Netflix-style membership platform where you subscribe and take all the classes you want to. I have over - [A New Approach to Color-Mixing for Artists](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/how-do-you-mix-colors/): HERE IT IS! I've been promising to do this class on color mixing and the color wheel for a while now, and now it's done. You can take this class on Skillshare, which is a Netflix-style membership site where you can take all the classes you want for a monthly subscription. I have over - [Sketch Amsterdam in Ink and Watercolor](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/free-online-art-demo-august-11/): I taught a live virtual workshop with Etchr Studio on my approach to travel sketching, using bold, black ink and vivid watercolor. I chose Amsterdam as a subject for this class because it's such a gorgeous city for urban sketching, with fabulous historic architecture and wonderful reflections from the canals. It's available for you to - [The Joys of Tiny Thumbnail Sketches](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-joys-of-tiny-thumbnail-sketches/): I used to think thumbnails were so annoying — like, why waste time making a bunch of tiny drawings when you could jump right into one big painting? But now I think they’re ridiculously fun all by themselves. Why spend forever on one big painting when you can divide the page up, make six different - [Create Your Own Book Video](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/create-your-own-book-video/): An online class from New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart on how to write, film, edit, and publish a book video to promote your book. - [My Favorite Writing Exercise Comes from Southpark](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/my-favorite-writing-exercise-comes-from-southpark/): I watch this video at least once a year. Southpark creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone give this fantastic piece of writing advice about how they put their stories together: They write up all of their story beats, and make sure that each idea, each moment, each action, can be connected with the words "but" or - [The DIY MFA: How I Got an Arts Education Without Massive Debt](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/the-diy-mfa/): When I was on book tour recently, someone in the audience asked me what I thought about MFAs. I didn’t have much time to answer, but I told her that I have mixed feelings about a university arts education, and that I like the idea of a DIY MFA. That's what I did. I've spent - [I'm An Aspiring Author. Do I Need a Website?](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/im-an-aspiring-author-do-i-need-a-website/): Every month in my newsletter, I offer readers a chance to win the book of their choice if they ask me a question. I pick a question to answer in the next newsletter, then I send them their book. This month, an aspiring author asked me, "I have 2 novels being shopped by my lit - [Come sketch with me in a French village!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/come-sketch-with-me-in-a-french-village/): An online travel sketching class, using ink and watercolor, with a French village as our inspiration. - [How to Paint a Chicken](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/how-to-paint-a-chicken/): My new =class is called How to Paint a Chicken. Guess what it's about??? For about ten years I raised chickens in my backyard. I can tell you from experience that chickens are wonderful subjects to paint! My style is to paint them against a simple, neutral backdrop, as if they are sitting for a - [Anybody dreaming of Italy?](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/anybody-dreaming-of-italy/): An online class about ink and watercolor techniques for travel sketching, using Italy as our inspiration - [Urban Sketching in New York City!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/urban-sketching-in-new-york-city/): An online class on using the simple rules of one-point perspective to create a dynamic cityscape. - [Travel Sketching in a Cafe](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/travel-sketching-in-a-cafe-food-drink-in-pencil-watercolor/): Artist and author Amy Stewart teaches an online course on travel sketching in a cafe. This online class provides a great opportunity for your next adventure! - [It's Pumpkin Season!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/its-pumpkin-season/): This class is available on Skillshare! Get a free trial and check out all my classes with this link. Pumpkins! Could anything be more fun to paint? One of the best ways to learn to draw and paint is to do a still life. You get to work on shapes, proportion, composition, values (meaning - [Are You Thinking of Writing a Book? I Can Help!](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/are-you-thinking-of-writing-a-book-i-can-help/): You can take this class on Skillshare, which is a membership-based site kind of like Netflix. On Skillshare I've divided this into three courses. Any of these links will get you a free trial to check out everything Skillshare has to offer. Start Your Book Today Shape Your Story Build Great Writing Habits You can - [Gouache Florals!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/gouache-florals/): I'm teaching a new class on painting floral still lifes in gouache or watercolor--and you have two choices about how to take the class. Here on Skillshare, which is a subscription-style platform like Netflix, you can get a free trial and take all the classes you like. Or if you'd rather just take one class - [Build Great Writing Habits](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/build-great-writing-habits/): An online class with New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart, designed to help you build a productive and satisfying writing practice - [Mixed Media Landscapes](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/mixed-media-landscapes/): This class is available either on Skillshare (a membership site similar to Netflix) or Udemy, where you only sign up for the classes you want to take. Preview the class and get a free trial on Skillshare here. Or take the class here on Udemy. More about the class: Whether you’re traveling to beautiful landscapes, - [Drawing Interiors in One and Two Point Perspective](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/drawing-interiors-in-one-and-two-point-perspective/):  Hi folks! You can take this class on Skillshare, which is a membership-style platform like Netflix where you can take all the classes you want for one low monthly fee. This link will give you a free trial to the first part of the course, Travel Sketching Interiors in One-Point Perspective. Here is - [Painting skies in watercolor and gouache!](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/painting-skies-in-watercolor-and-gouache/):  Paint skies with me! You have two options for taking this class: Skillshare is a Netflix-style platform for classes where you sign up for a monthly subscription and take all the classes you want. On Skillshare, I've divided this class into two parts. The first part is Five-Minute Watercolor Skies, and the second part - [Mixed Media Animal Portraits](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/mixed-media-animal-portraits/): You have two options for taking this class: Take it on Skillshare, which is a Netflix-style membership site where you can take all the classes you want for your monthly membership. I have lots of classes on Skillshare, so this is a great deal! This link gives you a free trial. Or you can take - [Painting the Farmers Market in Ink and Watercolor](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/painting-the-farmers-market-in-ink-and-watercolor/): Join this class on Skillshare, which is an online learning platform where you get a monthly subscription to take as many classes as you like. This link gives you a free trial. On Udemy, you only sign up for the classes you want to take. I've bundled this class with two others: Real Life Still - [Real Life Still Life](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/real-life-still-life/): You have choices about how to take this class! Skillshare is a Netflix-style platform where you can take all the classes you want for a monthly membership. This link gives you a free trial to take the class on Skillshare. On Udemy, you only sign up for the classes you want to take. I've bundled - [Watercolor Cocktail Class](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/ink-your-drink-a-new-class-on-painting-cocktails/): This watercolor cocktail class with Amy Stewart is on printmaking techniques inspired by Andy Warhol's ink transfer method and Paul Klee's oil transfer method. - [My Art Supplies](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/my-art-supplies/): I'm an urban sketcher and I love to travel with a lightweight and highly portable sketching kit. This video shows all the art supplies I take with me for travel sketching. Below are a lot of reviews and links for everything in this kit and much more. Here's a video of me showing how I - [Develop Your Internal Tutor](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/develop-your-internal-tutor/): I just picked up this book at Powell's. In the introduction is the most extraordinary passage--it could apply to any creative pursuit, so I'm sharing it here: "Develop an internal tutor. When you begin drawing, often you'll find you're accompanied by an internal critic, pointing out your mistakes and making you question your drawing. This - [On People and Stories and Drawing](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-people-and-stories-and-drawing/): I've always shied away from getting people into my drawings and paintings. For years almost everything I did looked like this: No people. Entirely depopulated streets and towns, as if all the citizens had been raptured or abducted by aliens. Sometimes I'd drop just one little figure in, for scale. But really, they were still - ["People in Temporary Jobs Making Permanent Decisions About Your Career"](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/people-in-temporary-jobs-making-permanent-decisions-about-your-career/): I read this obituary for guitarist Ellen McIlwaine and I was so struck by what she had to say about her decision to start recording under her own label: "I'm tired of being on labels. It's people with temporary jobs making permanent decisions about your career." This is something I've thought about a lot over - [Book Marketing for Authors: What's Behind Door Number One?](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/book-marketing-for-authors-whats-behind-door-number-one/): I hold a monthly online chat with writers about the craft and business of marketing. (To score an invitation, join my newsletter.) Each month, the group votes on a topic to discuss. Last month, it was marketing. What should authors do to market their books? What works? What doesn't? Usually I have a few talking - [Come to Amsterdam with me!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/come-to-amsterdam-with-me/): Let's go to Amsterdam! (well, virtually, anyway.) I'll be teaching a workshop on this style of sketching--with lots of dramatic black ink and vivid colors--with Etchr on August 29. Amsterdam is a fabulous city for urban sketching, with its distinctive architecture and gorgeous canals. If you're looking forward to traveling with a sketchbook again, - [What Does the New Normal Look Like?](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/what-does-the-new-normal-look-like/): First I want to say this: Not everybody had a chance to rest up and re-think their priorities during the pandemic. Lots of people worked harder than ever. Lots of people scrambled to keep their families safe, dealt with an impossible school situation for their kids, and faced all kinds of losses and hardships. - [Join me for 30 Places/30 Days!](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/join-me-for-30-places-30-days/): I'm joining an amazing group of art teachers for Sktchy's 30 Places/30 Days class. You'll get a chance to paint some wonderful landscapes, villages, and urban scenes from a truly global group of instructors...including me! The class starts July 1, 2021, and I’m thrilled to be one of the teachers! Sign up with my special - [How do you find the time to do all the things you do?](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/how-do-you-find-the-time-to-do-all-the-things-you-do/): Pictured above: What I'd like to be doing right now. I get asked this question a lot, and I think it's worth exploring, because we all struggle to manage the demands on our time. First, here's what "all the things" has consisted of over the years. I did have a day job while I wrote - [Mixed Media Still Life](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/mixed-media-still-life/): You have a couple of choices about how to take this class! Skillshare is a Netflix-style platform where you can take all the classes you want for a monthly membership. This link gives you a free trial to take the class on Skillshare. On Udemy, you only sign up for the classes you want to - [Use Zoom to Automatically Transcribe Interviews](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/use-zoom-to-automatically-transcribe-interviews/): I do interviews for a living. Maybe you do, too: maybe you're a reporter or a writer or a blogger or someone who has to ask people questions and write down their answers. We all dream of some automated transcription service that would allow us to focus on the conversation and put our notes aside. - [How Do I Settle on a Style for My Art?](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/how-do-i-settle-on-a-style-for-my-art/): It's a question that every kind of artist grapples with: I do these watercolor landscapes, but I also do abstract collage and sometimes I get really into architectural ink sketches. I can't seem to focus on just one. I write short stories, but I've also written three mystery novels and now I'm thinking about writing - [Join Me for a Flowery Valentine's Day Zoom Event!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/join-me-for-a-flowery-valentines-day-zoom-event/): On Tuesday, February 9 at 5 Pacific/8 Eastern, I'm going to host a Zoom chat with the delightful and charming Teresa Sabankaya. Teresa is the florist I interviewed for Flower Confidential. Here we are together in those days, back when we were young and cheerful and our hair more closely matched the color we - [Donate to the International Rose Test Garden, Win Some Paintings and a Book](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/donate-to-the-international-rose-test-garden-win-some-paintings-and-a-book/): I live just down the street from the International Rose Test Garden in Portland and I visit it so often that I think of it as my backyard. It's a very nice backyard. I'm usually there with my sketchbook, so when the time came for a fundraiser to do some important work at - [Some Thoughts About the Bee Gees, The Little Prince, and What Exactly Is the Point of It All](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/some-thoughts-about-the-bee-gees-the-little-prince-and-what-exactly-is-the-point-of-it-all/): I loved the Bee Gees documentary on HBO, so much so that I would consider it worthwhile to pay for a month of HBOMax just to watch it. I am not ashamed to admit that I love their music, which takes me back to happy moments in my childhood. I also loved learning about their - [Meet Aspiring Ceramicist Seth Rogen.](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/meet-aspiring-ceramicist-seth-rogen/): Seth Rogen is probably the only ceramicist to have 8 million Instagram followers. He got into ceramics the way many of us get into art--by following his interests, his enthusiasm, his curiosity. If you scroll down his Instagram feed, you'll see that he's a longtime collector of ashtrays--don't laugh! They're really interesting ashtrays!--and then he - [Are You Getting Ready to Declutter?](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/are-you-getting-ready-to-declutter/): It's the time of year when everybody's thinking about getting organized or decluttering. Maybe you thought, at the beginning of the shutdown, that this would be your big shutdown project, but then time just drifted down a lazy river and it never happened. I know. A lot of things never happened last year. But here - [Having you been putting off going paperless?](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/having-you-been-putting-off-going-paperless/): If you've been putting off going paperless, now's the time! Here's a class on scanning and storing documents in the cloud for running a very small business or managing a household. - [Laid-Back Lettering](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/laid-back-lettering/): If you want to add more artistic, colorful, dramatic lettering to your sketchbooks, journals, and artwork, but you don't want to put in the hours it takes to really perfect a hand-lettering style, I made this class just for you! I love all the beautiful brush pen and modern calligraphy styles I see all over - [Sketching Street Scenes with Ink and Watercolor](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/sketching-street-scenes-with-ink-and-watercolor/): You can take this class on Skillshare, which is a Netflix-style membership site. On Skillshare I have divided this into three short classes. These links will get you a free trial to explore everything Skillshare has to offer: Travel Sketching in New York Urban Sketching in a French Village Travel Sketching in Italy I've also - [Painting Doors and Windows with Ink and Watercolor](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/painting-doors-and-windows-with-ink-and-watercolor/): An online art class with author and artist Amy Stewart. Learn to paint colorful doors in ink and watercolor in your travel sketchbook. - [I Went on a Sketching Trip to Mexico and I Took You With Me](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/i-went-on-a-sketching-trip-to-mexico-and-i-brought-you-with-me/): Artist and author Amy Stewart teaches an online class on travel sketching filmed in beautiful Guanajuato, Mexico - [Quick & Easy Travel Sketching](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/quick-easy-travel-sketching/): A beginning travel sketching class in ink and watercolor, using Mexico as our inspiration - [Create a Garden and Nature Journal](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/create-a-garden-and-nature-journal/): An online course with Amy Stewart on creating a garden and nature sketchbook with ink and watercolor. - [Learn All My Evernote Tricks!](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/learn-all-my-evernote-tricks/): An online class from New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart on how writers can use Evernote to keep track of their research and book ideas. - [At Last--My Research Class is Here](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/at-last-my-research-class-is-here/): An online class from New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart on research strategies for both fiction and nonfiction books. - [Rewrite, Revise, Revisit: A Guide to Editing Your Book](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/rewrite-revise-revisit-a-guide-to-editing-your-book/): An online writing course from New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart about the many approaches to rewriting, revising, and editing a book. - [Are you ready to write your first draft?](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/are-you-ready-to-write-your-first-draft/): An online class from New York Times bestelling author Amy Stewart on how to complete the first draft of your next book. - [Story Structure is a Thing We All Wrestle With](https://www.amystewart.com/fiction/story-structure-is-a-thing-we-all-wrestle-with/): An online course from New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart to help fiction and nonfiction writers use storytelling techniques to write their books. - [Start Your Book Today!](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/im-teaching-writing-classes-on-skillshare/): An online class from New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart on three simple steps to develop a new book idea. - [The Amazing, Astonishing Google Check: How I Used Google to Spell-Check Every Word in My Book.](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the-amazing-astonishing-google-check-how-i-used-google-to-spell-check-every-word-in-my-book/): Anyone who uses technical terms, scientific terms, foreign words, proper nouns, or brand names in their writing knows the limitations of the spell-checker built into a word processing program. After all, it's just a static list of words that got loaded onto your computer and never gets updated or expanded unless you do it yourself. - [At Some Point, You Just Have to Deal with the Painting in Front of You](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/at-some-point-you-just-have-to-deal-with-the-painting-in-front-of-you/): Several years ago, I took a class with Qiang Huang, an amazing oil painter from Austin. We were all painting from still lifes set up next to our easels. His work is both beautifully precise and also loose and imaginative. That balance of accuracy and abstraction was what we were all after. At one - [Soho](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/soho/): I came back from New York with dozens, possibly hundreds, of these kinds of street scenes. There's something about the way the street meets the sky, and the way the buildings crowd in from the sides, that I just love. 8 x 10. Go here to see more paintings in my shop. - [The Modern-Day Mad Men?](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-modern-day-mad-men/): I painted this during a workshop I took with Karin Jurick in New York. I wanted to learn how to do cityscapes that were more about the people and less about the buildings. So I stood in this spot where I liked the shadows and the light and the background, and I waited for the - [Phone Booth](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/phone-booth/): You almost never see anybody using a phone booth in New York. Come to think of it, you almost never see a phone booth in New York. This was one of those rainy days when I was walking around Greenwich Village in the rain, looking for interesting shots of wet pavement and umbrellas. A - [Springtime in NY](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/springtime-in-ny/): Lexington Avenue on a sunny spring afternoon. Love the water tower on the rooftop. Any time I can work in a water tower, I do it! 8 x 10 oil on 1/2 inch board with slots in the back for easy hanging. See all the paintings in my shop here. - [Looking Up](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/looking-up/): Wandering around New York on a sunny day, looking for something to paint...why not look up? This is 8 x 10 on 1/2 inch fiberboard, with slots in the back for easy hanging. See all my paintings in my shop. - [8th Avenue, New York City](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/8th-avenue-new-york-city/): Sometimes I get a lot of mileage out of just one intersection. I walked back and forth across the crosswalk through several light changes, snapping pictures. This is the latest of several I've done from the same intersection. I'm in love with this 6 x 12 size--it totally lends itself to paintings of the city. - [The Rebecca Diaries](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-rebecca-diaries/): In December I started an art project based on Daphne du Maurier's novel REBECCA. I don't know when I'll finish it. It's more like a book than an art project in that way: I can finish a painting in a day or two, but a book takes years, and it's always an open question whether - [34th Street, New York City](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/34th-street-new-york-city/): For some reason, I just loved this particular view last time I was in New York. I walked across the intersection dozens of times taking pictures. I've painted several versions already, and I'm not done--I'm working on a few more now. This one is 6 x 6, oil on 1/2 inch board with slots in - [Kopp Sisters Collages](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/kopp-sisters-collages/): For a long time, I wasn’t at all interested in making any kind of art that had anything to do with the books I write. I just didn’t have any ideas along those lines. Sometimes my publicist would want me to make some art that could be used in some way for marketing purposes, - [A Street in Bayonne](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/a-street-in-bayonne/): I have to tell you, this painting was such a delight to paint because it gave me an excuse to look once again at all my photographs from Bayonne, in the south of France near Biarritz. It's a lovely little town of narrow streets and strange shops. On this street was an antiquarian bookstore where - [Produce Stand in Cambo-les-Bains](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/produce-stand-in-cambo-les-bains/): This comes from a day I spent in southwestern France, in a little town called Cambo-les-Bains. It was October, the markets were full of gorgeous produce, and that, of course, meant that they were full of scenes to paint as well. I just got back from my own farmers market, which was not nearly as - [Rue de Seine](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rue-de-seine/): This was one of those perfect nights in Paris, and to be honest, this painting is exactly how I remember it. All the food stands on our little street (Rue de Seine) were still open, and we were wandering from one to the other, wondering if it was going to rain, and trying to decide - [Rue Saint-Séverin, Paris](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rue-saint-severin-paris/): This was our best night in Paris. We'd been wandering around the Latin Quarter where our hotel was when it started to rain. So we ducked into a doorway, and I pulled out my camera and shot pictures of people running around under umbrellas. The light really was as purple and blue as it is - [Paris Market Stalls](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/paris-market-stalls/): This is a narrow little street in Paris lined with market stalls and restaurants. I can't tell you exactly where it is, because I didn't take the picture! My mother did. I helped her restore thousands of lost photographs from a damaged CD, and as payment, I told her I was going to borrow - [Lyon](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/lyon/): Lyon is an endlessly photographable city, and still I've only managed one painting from all the images I have. More to come! This one is 8 x 10, oil, on 1/2 inch board with slots in the back for easy hanging. See all available paintings in my shop. - [In 1918, We Collected Peach Pits for Gas Masks](https://www.amystewart.com/kopp-sisters/in-1918-we-collected-peach-pits-for-gas-masks/): I've been talking to a lot of book clubs lately (y'all are figuring out Zoom! Yay!), and something that keeps coming up are all those weird bits of research that either don't make it into the books at all, or that end up in the book as one tossed-off line, when really there's a - [Messing About with Paint](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/messing-about-with-paint/): Here's something new I just sort of fell into: I was messing around with a painting and made a big mess and decided the big mess looked interesting. Next think I knew, I was making these abstract watercolor paintings. I’ve been noodling away at them every day while - [Time for Another Art Auction!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/time-for-another-art-auction/): I'm auctioning off a bunch of paintings to benefit two worthwhile charities. If you want to skip the explanation and go straight to the auction, go here. Bidding ends November 17, 2019. It's been a tough three years, friends. If you're like me, maybe you've found it hard to keep going in the face of - [Bad Drawings Make Great Backgrounds: When a Sketchbook Page Goes Wrong](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/bad-drawings-make-great-backgrounds-when-a-sketchbook-page-goes-wrong/): When I travel, I always take a sketchbook to keep a record of the trip (and, honestly, to entertain myself, because there are only so many old churches one can tour in a day). Here's a video tour of my latest sketchbook, and you can always see more on Instagram. But what happens when a - [Students: Do You Have Questions? I Have Answers!](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/students-do-you-have-questions-i-have-answers/): I get a lot of emails from students working on projects. I'm sorry, but I just can't answer all of them and anyway, there are better ways to do research. I agree with Austin Kleon's advice, "Students: Pretend I'm Dead!" which he got from another artist. You can find out most everything you want to - [Kopp Sisters on the March!](https://www.amystewart.com/fiction/kopp-sisters-on-the-march/): Advance copies are turning up out in the real world! The fifth Kopp Sisters novel won't be out until September, but you you can enter to win advance copies all summer long on Goodreads (add it to your to-read shelf to be notified), and if you are a librarian, bookseller, or book reviewer, you - [Paintings for a Good Cause!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/paintings-for-a-good-cause/): It's time to throw another art bomb at the patriarchy. I'm offering up a dozen paintings for auction on eBay, and 100% of the proceeds will go to either the ACLU or Planned Parenthood. That's right, every single penny you spend will benefit one of these two groups--I'm not keeping anything for myself. These are - [Should I Find A New Agent?](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/should-i-find-a-new-agent/): Every month in my newsletter, I invite readers to ask me a question. I pick one that I'll answer in the next newsletter, and send them the book of their choice. (you can get in on that here.) One of this month's questions came from another writer. She had a very specific question about a - [A Totally True Fact About Writing I Just Made Up](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/a-totally-true-fact-about-writing-i-just-made-up/): Here it is: A two-hour writing session (I mean a serious session, no goofing around on the internet, but two hours of straight concentration and actual work) is as mentally taxing as taking a standardized test for two hours. It's as taxing as doing your taxes for two hours. Meaning: after two hours, you are - [How I Start a Book](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/how-i-start-a-book/): I just sent my editor a very early version of Book 6. While she's reading it and making her notes, I thought I'd start to mull over Book 7. This is just one of many methods I might use to start a novel. I didn't invent it--I believe this is actually a screenwriting technique. - [The Joys of Starting in Pencil](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-joys-of-starting-in-pencil/): Sometimes artists fall into the trap of thinking that if they start with pencil, they're not a real artist. They should be able to go directly into ink, or paint, or whatever. But this is nonsense! Imagine if writing worked that way. If every word I typed went straight to the printer and ended up - [I'm Calling Bullshit on the Whole Idea of Talent](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/im-calling-bullshit-on-the-whole-idea-of-talent/): I can hear your objections already. But…child prodigies! I don’t know why some people are child prodigies and I don’t care. Child prodigies exist on one extreme end of a spectrum of what children are capable of doing. I wasn’t a child prodigy and neither were you, so let’s stop involving them in this - [It Doesn't Matter How Good You Get](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/it-doesnt-matter/): So I’ve persuaded you to let go of this idea of talent, and child prodigies, and to put down the neuroscience and back away slowly. Maybe I’ve convinced you that you—yes, you—could, even with your meager, talentless, non-optimized brain, learn to play the piano or draw a picture. But! You might argue now. I can’t - [Your Sister Didn't Take Art Away From You](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/your-sister-didnt-take-art-away-from-you/): A couple months ago, I was sitting on a bench at the Atlanta Botanical Garden drawing pictures. A woman walked by and said, “Look at that! You’re so talented. I wish I could draw like that. I always wanted to.” “You can,” I said. “All you have to do is take some drawing lessons. That’s - ["Did You Always Know...?" Here's What's Weird About That Childhood Question](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/did-you-always-know-heres-whats-weird-about-that-childhood-question/): I get asked some version of this question a lot: "Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer, even when you were a little girl?" When I wrote a book about plants or bugs, it would be: "Did you love bugs or flowers or gardening when you were a child?" "Have you - [The Bling Layer: Try This When You're Revising Your Novel.](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-bling-layer-try-this-when-youre-revising-your-novel/): In a painting workshop with Carol Marine I learned this trick: At the very end of a painting, add the bling. The bling is that tiny, bright detail that makes a painting come to life. It’s the highlight on the rim of a coffee cup, the dark shadow under the tires of a car, the - [A Drawing is a Record of Your Lived Experience.](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/a-drawing-is-a-record-of-your-lived-experience/): When I’m out drawing, I try to remember to resist the temptation to spend an hour looking for the perfect view. Anything can make an interesting drawing. If you’re in Paris, you don’t have to draw the Eiffel Tower. I was trapped under an awning during a rainstorm recently and drew a picture of the - [Hate the Idea of Outlines? Try a Thumbnail Sketch Instead.](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/hate-the-idea-of-outlines-try-a-thumbnail-sketch-instead/): Most artists begin with some version of a thumbnail sketch. It might look like this one: a tiny, rough drawing, made with the purpose of working out where the big shapes go. Generally there's some attempt at indicating value (light and dark) as well. You might do four of these before you settle on - [Are You Haunted by a Restless Sense that There’s Something Better Out There? Congratulations, You’re an Artist](https://www.amystewart.com/creativity/are-you-haunted-by-a-restless-sense-that-theres-something-better-out-there-congratulations-youre-an-artist/): I can’t stop thinking about what I read in the last three pages of Peter Steinhart’s memoir The Undressed Art. If these lines speak to you…congratulations. You’re an artist. This was the first passage that stopped me in my tracks: “What does one feel that leads one to light out? A restlessness? A sense - ["How Do I Start My Book?" I Have an Answer to That Question.](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/how-do-i-start-my-book-i-have-an-answer-to-that-question/): "I have an idea for a book, but I don't know where to start." People ask writers for advice on starting a book all the time. I'm sure a lot of writers get tired of trying to answer that question. There you are, behind a table at a booksigning, at the end of a long - [Stop Showing Your Art to Your Boyfriend.](https://www.amystewart.com/writing/stop-showing-your-art-to-your-boyfriend/): I was sitting in a park recently, drawing the trees, when a woman asked if she could sit down next to me and watch me draw. “Sure,” I said. “Are you an artist?” “I wanted to be,” she said. “I started to draw, but then I showed my drawings to my boyfriend and he said - [A Cocktail for the New Novel!](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/a-cocktail-for-the-new-novel/): In Chapter 23 of Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit, divorce attorney John Ward makes a joke about a drink make with ginger ale, and then later suggests a cocktail called The Willful Deserter, which describes some of his clients. I put those two ideas together to offer up this delightful variation on a Moscow Mule. The - [The Trick To Travel Packing: Take Only Three Outfits, No Matter How Long the Trip](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/best-book-tour-pack-ever/): I'm about to leave on book tour (please come see me!). Every year I post a picture of my compact suitcase, and every year some of you ask me to explain what's in that suitcase--in other words, how I manage to live out of a tiny suitcase for three weeks, when I have to get - [Tour dates!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/tour-dates-3/): Hi friends! I'm leaving next week for book tour, which is a charming old custom in which writers venture from city to city like traveling salesmen, greeting the townspeople and trying to persuade them to read a book. Won't you join me in keeping this tradition alive, and persuade a few like-minded friends in the - [Pre-Order and Win Great Stuff](https://www.amystewart.com/kopp-sisters/pre-order-and-win-great-stuff/): Our contest is now CLOSED! Thanks, everybody, for entering. If you happen to just be in love with our prizes and desperately want one, you can order one for yourself here. The fourth installment in the Kopp Sisters series is here! Well, almost. It'll be released in September, but if you'd like to pre-order - [It's Time for Another Art Auction](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/its-time-for-another-art-auction/): In the last year and a half, I've held a series of art auctions to benefit groups like Planned Parenthood, Pro Publica, and the American Refugee Committee. With your help, I was able to donate over $9000 to groups that were fighting the good fight. But as we move closer to election season, I know - [The Kopps Are Going to Hollywood!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the-kopps-are-going-to-hollywood/): I am beyond thrilled to share the news that Girl Waits with Gun and the rest of the Kopp Sisters series is officially in development for the small screen. Elizabeth Banks' production company, Brownstone Productions, in partnership with Warner Studios, has made a deal with Amazon for a drama series based on the novels. The - [Happy Paperback Day, Miss Kopp!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/happy-paperback-day-miss-kopp/): The paperback edition of MISS KOPP'S MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS is out today, and to celebrate, I'm giving away a box of books and swag on my Facebook page. Head over there to enter by Friday, May 4, and remember that there are always more giveaways going on in my email newsletter. - [Annie Proulx, Garden Writer](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/annie-proulx-garden-writer/): Before Annie Proulx became Annie Proulx, she was a garden writer. She wrote a book about salad gardening and another, called The Gourmet Gardener, about kitchen gardening. She wrote about growing grapes and building walkways and making your own food from dairy products. She wrote what is still the definitive guide to making hard cider. - [Giveaway Alert!](https://www.amystewart.com/fiction/giveaway-alert/): I have a lot to celebrate today--so I'm giving stuff away on my Facebook page! Just click through by Friday, August 11 if you want to enter to win. It'll be the top post on the page. In particular, thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for the publication of the Wicked Bugs Young Readers edition, out - [Charity Auction for ProPublica](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/charity-auction-for-propublica/): Ah, technology! I'm holding an eBay auction right now for eight paintings of people reading, with 100% of the money going to the nonprofit ProPublica. But eBay's having a glitch right now that is making it hard to browse the paintings online. (I actually got someone at eBay on the phone--they are perplexed and working - [Time for a giveaway!](https://www.amystewart.com/fiction/time-for-a-giveaway/): I'm giving away a book club in a box over on my Facebook page. You don't have to be in a book club to win--just head over there and get all the details. It includes a copy of LADY COP MAKES TROUBLE, which comes out in paperback next week, and an advance copy of MISS - [Reading on the Street](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/reading-on-the-street/): Okay, he's just looking at his phone, but he might be reading some very important investigative journalism from ProPublica. The sale of this and seven other paintings benefit them--go here to bid. (Oh, and I'm pretty sure he knew how good he looked in those green pants with that red bag and that orange - [Reading in the New York Public Library](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/reading-in-the-new-york-public-library/): The most beautiful room in the world. I wrote a few very solid chapters of my first novel there. Proceeds benefit ProPublica--go here to bid. - [Reading in Bryant Park](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/reading-in-bryant-park/): What can I say about this one? Another painting of someone reading in New York's lovely Bryant Park. I'm auctioning it off to benefit ProPublica--go here to bid. - [Woman in Black, Reading](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/woman-in-black-reading/): This is part of a series of paintings of people reading that I'm auctioning off to benefit ProPublica. Go here for details. So this was a painting that surprised me. I was working from a photograph of a woman in a pink sundress, with the bright, happy, green Washington Square Park in the background. I - [Reading on the Fire Escape](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/reading-on-the-fire-escape/): This is another painting I'm auctioning off to benefit ProPublica--go here for details. The only reason I ever keep a painting is because I'm so pleased with it that I'm sure I'll never paint another one as good. I kept this one for years for that reason. I just loved it. Even when I thought - [Reading on the Lawn, Bryant Park](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/reading-on-the-lawn-bryant-park/): It's time for another round of paintings for a good cause! I'm auctioning off eight paintings this week to benefit ProPublica. Go here for details. Every time I go to Bryant Park (which is right behind the glorious public library in New York City, if you've never been) I just walk around taking pictures of - [It's here!](https://www.amystewart.com/kopp-sisters/its-here/): I'm so happy to share the cover and an excerpt from the third book in the Kopp Sisters series! It's coming in September, and is available for pre-order now everywhere books are sold. Thanks once again to Jim Tierney for a fabulous cover design. Read all about it, including an excerpt, in Entertainment Weekly! - [Manhattan Beach](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/manhattan-beach/): Manhattan Beach is not in Manhattan. It's in Los Angeles. It's a charming little town along the coast that nobody can afford to live in. But you can go there, and walk along the water, and take pictures! That part's free. Anyway, this is just a little 5 x 7 postcard-sized painting that posted on - [French Village](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/4848/): Ah...this is a lovely little village in France...I wish I was there right now. This is a little 5 x 7 postcard-sized painting that posted on eBay as part of a charity auction to benefit Planned Parenthood. They get 100%–I’m doing it all for them. Nice to raise some funds for a good cause! Go - [Manhattan Taxis](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/manhattan-taxis/): Ah, New York City in the springtime, when everything's candy-colored, even the taxis. This is a little 5 x 7 postcard-sized painting that posted on eBay as part of a charity auction to benefit Planned Parenthood. They get 100%–I’m doing it all for them. Nice to raise some funds for a good cause! Go take - [Trinidad, Cuba](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/trinidad-cuba/): Trinidad is the most astonishingly beautiful town. Most people who go to Cuba only think about going to Havana, but Trinidad is IT. It looks just like this, for miles and miles: Caribbean-colored houses, Spanish tile roofs, dusty roads, donkeys, and people out everywhere chatting. (OK, I left out the people in this painting.) Anyway, - [Giveaway! Big Box o Bookish Goodness!](https://www.amystewart.com/kopp-sisters/giveaway-big-box-o-bookish-goodness/): Hi friends! I'm very happy to share a big holiday giveaway with you--including books, cocktail recipes, coloring pages, temporary tattoos, and so much more. It's happening on my Facebook page through Dec. 23. Head over there now to enter. And stay tuned on Facebook--more giveaways to come in the new year! - [East Village at Sunset](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/east-village-at-sunset/): Auction ends Dec 19! Click here to visit eBay & see all the paintings I'm auctioning for charity. How long has it been since I've posted a painting? Forever, right? Well, I'm always painting--I just don't necessarily do anything with them. They tend to stack up. That's the difficulty with an artistic pursuit like oil - [Gatsby's Bar, New York](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/gatsbys-bar-new-york/): I've painted this bar before. I painted it again for some reason--honestly, I can't remember exactly why. Someone asked me to. Anyway, here it is, in its crazy red glory. I'm auctioning it off for charity on eBay along with a bunch of other paintings of New York, and one painting of a famous New - [Taxi and Bicycle, New York](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/taxi-and-bicycle-new-york/): Another in my "Nine New York Scenes and One Famous New Yorker" series that I'm auctioning off on eBay for charity. If you'd like to read more about why I'm doing this, go here. - [Chrysler Building in the Distance](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/chrysler-building-in-the-distance/): I'm auctioning a bunch of paintings on eBay and donating 100% of the sales to charity. You can go to eBay to see all the paintings. A few days ago I posted another New York painting and said that it was my favorite, but I changed my mind: I think this one is my favorite. - [Park Avenue, New York](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/park-avenue-new-york/): Here's a little 8 x 8 painting of Park Avenue, looking toward Grand Central Station. I'm auctioning this painting on eBay to raise money for the American Refugee Committee. Here's a link to all the paintings I'm auctioning off for charity. They get 100% of the proceeds--every penny--automatically through eBay's charity program. You can read - [The Girl Waits with Gun Extra-Illustrated Edition](https://www.amystewart.com/fiction/extra-illustrated/): UPDATE: We have a winner! Thanks for playing, everybody! Hi everybody! I made an art project, and now I'm going to give it away to you. Well, to one of you. Behold the totally unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade, extra-illustrated edition of Girl Waits with Gun , created to celebrate the publication of the sequel, Lady Cop Makes - [Celebrating 170 Years of Lady Cops](https://www.amystewart.com/kopp-sisters/celebrating-170-years-of-lady-cops/): Women were not exactly invited to join the ranks of law enforcement officers: they had to demand to be let in. In the early nineteenth century, civic-minded women turned up at police stations and jails, where they feared women and children would be mistreated if they weren’t looked after properly. They demanded to be allowed - [Tour dates!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/tour-dates-2/): Here it is, folks! The official Lady Cop tour. Come see me, won't you? Truly, it makes all the difference in the world to see a few friendly faces out there on the road. Tell your friends, drag them along, and we'll have a good time. More tour details here. - [It's Cocktail Hour!](https://www.amystewart.com/kopp-sisters/its-cocktail-hour/): Update: We have a winner! Thanks for playing, everybody! To celebrate the September release of LADY COP MAKES TROUBLE, the sequel to GIRL WAITS WITH GUN, we're giving away a cocktail set and a drink recipe to go with it! Oh, and you'll get an advance copy of the book, too, of course. If you're - [Kopp Sisters paper dolls!](https://www.amystewart.com/kopp-sisters/kopp-sisters-paper-dolls/): Yes, it's true. You, too, can cut out your very own set of Kopp Sisters paper dolls and re-enact scenes from Girl Waits with Gun (or, you know, propose scenes for future books. Lady Cop Makes Trouble is coming in September, but there are more in the works after that!) Norma has her pigeons, Fleurette has - [$2.99 eBook--and free stuff!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/2-99-ebook-and-free-stuff/): The GIRL WAITS WITH GUN paperback comes out this week, and to celebrate, there's a lot going on. First, the ebook is $2.99 right now, everywhere ebooks are sold. (get direct links here) Second, the sequel, LADY COP MAKES TROUBLE, is now available for pre-order everywhere. Oh, and I'm going out on the road this - [Book Tour Dates](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/book-tour-dates-2/): I'm on tour and I'd love to see you. We're having cocktails and lots of laughs. You can always keep up with my events here, and if I'm not coming to your city, maybe we can do a library, bookstore, or book club Skype event. - [Win some stuff on Instagram](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/win-some-stuff-on-instagram/): Hi friends! I'm giving away a hardcover first edition, a CD audio edition, and some swag over on Instagram. Would you like to win? Just head over to Instagram (I'm amystewart, easy to find) and see all the details here. Ends March 8, 10 am PST - [Color the Kopps!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/color-the-kopps/): That's right, friends. The covers of Girl Waits with Gun and Lady Cop Makes Trouble (coming September 2016) have been coloring book-ized! Use the links below to download PDFs, and if you do color them, I hope you'll share your artwork with me. Enjoy! Download Girl Waits with Gun coloring poster (PDF) Download Lady Cop Makes - [Coming Soon!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/coming-soon/): I'm so pleased to share the cover art for the sequel to Girl Waits with Gun. The next installment in the real-life adventures of the Kopp sisters is coming in September 2016. Stay tuned for news about the Lady Cop Makes Trouble book tour and other details...but meanwhile, here's an excerpt in Entertainment Weekly, and - [Pre-Orders: The Early Bird Gets the Autograph](https://www.amystewart.com/fiction/pre-orders-the-early-bird-gets-the-autograph/): Pre-Order Girl Waits with Gun now and get a bookplate signed by the author AND the girl who waited with the gun! If you pre-order a print edition of Girl Waits with Gun and send a copy of your receipt to trademarketing@hmhco.com, I will sign one of these cool bookplates with both my signature and a rubber stamp of - [Tour dates!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/tour-dates/): It's official! We've got tour dates all worked out. If there are any updates or changes, I'll post them right here. The only thing that matters on book tour is to fill the room with friendly faces--so if you're in town, I hope you'll stop by, and bring your friends. Hope to see you out - [The Big Reveal!](https://www.amystewart.com/fiction/the-big-reveal/): Happy day! I have a new book coming out, and the book has a cover! I'll be putting lots more on my website in the weeks to come, but for now, please meet Girl Waits With Gun, a new novel based on a true story coming from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in September 2015. Yes, there - [Now All We Need is a Cocktail!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/now-all-we-need-is-a-cocktail/): We've only just begun to plan the book tour for Girl Waits with Gun, but I'm already working on a cocktail I can serve. (Book tour planned for Sept/Oct 2015; dates to be posted here.) After weeks of historical research and multiple trips to the liquor store, I think I've got it. The significance of - [My Chickens Love a Good Novel!](https://www.amystewart.com/fiction/my-chickens-want-to-read-girl-waits-with-gun-do-you/): Chickens are naturally curious about crime fiction, and hens in particular do love a story about a plucky lady crime fighter. (Oh, did I really just say that?) Well. We're doing a giveaway on Goodreads through June 22, and I hope you'll enter to win a free advance copy of Girl Waits with Gun! It's based on - [An Author and Bookseller's Perspective on Banned and Challenged Books](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/banned-and-challenged-books/): This week, David Goldenberg wrote a piece on the FiveThirtyEight blog about the American Library Association's list of banned and challenged books. I'm a writer married to a bookseller, so you can imagine the kinds of discussions that an article like this stirs up around our dinner table! My husband responded with this post about why - [Calorie Counts on Menus, 1915 Style](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/calorie-counts-on-menus-1915-style/): As I'm working on my next novel, I'm spending a lot of time in 1915--and it turns out that absolutely nothing has changed in 100 years. Here, for instance, is a big announcement in the New York Times about a brand new idea: Put calorie counts on menus! It's only one restaurant--the lunchroom at the Department - [Every Author's Secret Weapon: A Brilliant Book Publicist](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/every-authors-secret-weapon-a-brilliant-book-publicist/): Friends, I am so pleased to share the news that my former publicist at Algonquin, Michael Taeckens, has formed his own agency and is now accepting new clients. Michael was my publicist for my first four books. You would not think that a book about earthworms, or poisonous plants, or the flower industry, or a - [Boozy Review: Just Add Hammock](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/boozy-review-just-add-hammock/): Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh My rating: 5 of 5 stars Is it wrong to do a boozy review of a children's book? Well, this review is not for children, and as it turns out, the book is a delightful read for adults as well as kids. I hadn't read it in a few - [Nobody's Perfect. Especially This Drink.](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/nobodys-perfect-especially-this-drink/): Nobody's Perfect by Donald E. Westlake My rating: 4 of 5 stars Donald Westlake's Dortmunder novels are really all equally funny and surprising. if you haven't read them, you have many hours of smart, witty, lighthearted reading ahead. But what to drink with them, you ask? Well, here's the thing: the characters in the Dortmunder - [Latest Goodreads review: Cocktail for a Lady Killer](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/latest-goodreads-review-cocktail-for-a-lady-killer/): Lady Killer by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a delightful fast read and such a glorious period piece. It seems like every noir writer working in the 40s had to write a twisted thriller set on board a cruise ship, which leads me to believe that they all let - [Rogues' Gallery](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rogues-gallery/): Available for sale through DailyPaintworks Gangsters! And assorted other criminals and associates. This is my attempt to get better at painting faces. All 8 x 8, oil on cradled art board. If you want to see the paintings, they'll be at Eureka Studio Arts in December. The show opens Saturday, December 7 from 6-9 PM. - [Announcing the New Book!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/announcing-the-new-book/): Hey folks! I've got some news! I just worked out a book deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a series of novels based on the true story of a woman in the early 1900s who, through a series of strange and interesting events, became one of the nation's first female deputy sheriffs, and then went on to - [Phone Break in Bryant Park](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/phone-break-in-bryant-park/): Without really meaning to, I've done a whole series of New Yorkers with their phones. This guy was reading something on his phone after lunch in Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library. I love it that his shoelaces matched his phone case! See this and other paintings at my DailyPaintworks gallery. - [Manhattan from Newark](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/manhattan-from-newark/): The Manhattan skyline as seen from the Newark airport. Who knew they had such interesting views? 6 x 12, oil on cradled wood panel with sides painted black. See this and other paintings at DailyPaintworks. - [Ladybird](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/ladybird/): 8 x 10 oil on cradled wood panel. See this and other paintings at DailyPaintworks. Ladybird is a Buff Orpington with a sweet disposition and an amazing capacity for egg-laying. She's also very eager to sit for portraits. - [Margaritas in Denver, and a Contest](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/margaritas-in-denver-and-a-contest/): Hey folks! I'm headed back to Denver this weekend for the Douglas County Library's Books, Bites, and Brews event. I'm going to give a little botany lesson on margaritas and you'll get to drink a very well-made specimen. Don't you feel smarter already? And in other news--The Drunken Botanist is up for an award over at - [October road trip!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/october-road-trip/): Hey people! It's just about time for the last farmers market cocktails of the year--and it's time for me to hit the road. I'll be all over the country this month. Here's what's coming up-- see you there? October 03 2013 06:00 PM -- Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco, CA An evening of botanical - [Drunken Botanist Tour Dates: Southwest, East Coast, and Where is the Gin?](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/drunken-botanist-tour-dates-southwest-east-coast-and-where-is-the-gin/): Yes, I am still on the road! It's hard to believe, I know. I can hardly believe it myself. So here are some tour dates, and the complete list, if you'd like to see it, is here. As always, check details with the venue before heading out. April 17 2013 07:00 PM -- Changing Hands - [Behind the Bar, Again](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/behind-the-bar-again/): Another "bottles behind the bar" painting! This one is 8 x 8 on a cradled wood panel, $150. To order, or to see more paintings, visit my Daily Paintworks gallery. - [Ward III](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/ward-iii/): This one came from a bunch of photos I took at Ward III in New York. It's 8 x 8 on a cradled wood panel. $150. To order, or to see more paintings, go to my DailyPaintworks gallery. - [Whiskey Bottles](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/whiskey-bottles/): More bottles behind the bar! Wish I could tell you where this one was taken. I confess I don't remember....must have been a long night.... $150, 8 x 10, oil on wood panel. Go to my DailyPaintworks gallery to order or to see more paintings. - [Little Branch](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/little-branch/): An interior of Little Branch, a bar I love to visit when I'm in New York. 8 x 10, oil on wood panel, slots in the back make it easy to hang on a nail unframed. $150 plus shipping. To order or look at other paintings, visit my DailyPaintworks gallery. - [Angel's Share](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/angels-share/): Bottles behind the bar at Angel's Share, an amazing bar in the East Village. This one is 8 x 10 on a wood panel. $150. To order or to see more paintings, visit my gallery at DailyPaintworks. - [Drunken Botanist Pacific Northwest Tour Dates, And a Rum Cocktail for You!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/drunken-botanist-pacific-northwest-tour-dates-and-a-rum-cocktail-for-you/): If you're in Portland, Seattle, or Bellingham, I'd love to see you this week. All the tour dates are online here, but this week's stops include: March 27 2013 07:30 PM -- Powell's (Burnside location), Portland, OR With a special appearance by House Spirits Distillery's Christian Krogstad, who will talk about the botanical nature - [Drunken Botanist West Coast Tour Dates, Plus - Vodka Week!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/drunken-botanist-west-coast-tour-dates-plus-vodka-week/): Vodka week? Isn't every week vodka week? Yeah, well. I'm still hanging out on the West Coast, so if you're in the neighborhood, I hope you'll drop by. Complete list of tour dates can be found here, and please do check with the venue before heading out in case of last-minute changes. March 21 - [Drunken Botanist California Tour Dates, Plus Your Weekly Cocktail](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/drunken-botanist-california-tour-dates-plus-your-weekly-cocktail/): Okay, folks! Your devoted correspondent is on a book tour for the next couple of months. I'd love to stay and chat, but instead I'm going to furnish you with a list of tour dates and ask you to come out and fill a seat, badger your friends into filling seats, pester your neighbors, and - [Drunken Botanist events in Milwaukee, Miami, and Beyond. Plus, Whiskey.](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/drunken-botanist-events-in-milwaukee-miami-and-beyond-plus-whiskey/): Why, yes! It's another week of Drunken Botanist tour dates? Are you out there, Milwaukee people? Miami people? Austin? Phoenix? Well, if you're interested, all the tour dates are here, and as always, check with the venue to confirm event details before heading out. April 10 2013 07:00 PM -- Boswell Books at Great - [This Week in Drunken Botanist Tour Dates, and I'm Ready for Some Tequila](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/this-week-in-drunken-botanist-tour-dates-and-im-ready-for-some-tequila/): And on it goes! All Drunken Botanist tour dates are listed here, but this is what I've got going on this week. Please do check details with the venue before heading out. And then--please do head out! I'd love to see you. And you. All of you, really. April 06 2013 05:00 PM -- - [So What Else is New?](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/so-what-else-is-new/): I'm blogging every week at GardenRant and all the time at DrunkenBotanist. Head over there for a fix. - [More Drunken Botanist Tour Dates, and Two Plants You Should Totally Grow.](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/more-drunken-botanist-tour-dates-and-two-plants-you-should-totally-grow/): Okay! A few more tour dates for you. See you out there? Go here if you want to see everything that's coming up. And as always, check these venues for full details. April 24 2013 -- Culinary Arts & Letters, Chapel Hill, NC Special cocktail event with The Crunkleton and Fearrington Inn. Details coming - [The Drunken Botanist Plant Collection](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/the-drunken-botanist-plant-collection/): Okay, it's the middle of winter, but we can dream, right? This year, the nice people at Territorial Seeds and Log House Plants asked me to pick out a few of my favorite cocktail-friendly plants. We got a little carried away, and the result is the Drunken Botanist Plant Collection. We gathered up all the - [Greenwich Village at Night](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/greenwich-village-at-night/): I'm listing this painting for sale as part of Daily Paintworks' Hurricane Sandy fundraiser. I was on the East Coast when the storm hit, and although I was able to veer out of the way and hunker down with family until it was over, I was possessed of a weird longing to be in New - [Psssst! Available for Pre-Order!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/psssst-available-for-pre-order/): Hey, guess what? The Drunken Botanist is officially available for pre-order. Here are a bunch of ways you can do it: Ask your local independent bookstore to order a copy for you. Pre-order at Barnes & Noble. Pre-order at Amazon. Stop by this page in February and pre-order a signed copy from me. (Sorry, - [November eBook Sale](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/november-ebook-sale/): Ebooks rarely go on sale, but this month two of mine are available through special promotions: For the month of November only, pick up Flower Confidential for $1.99 as an ebook at Apple, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Kobo, Google, and Amazon. Wicked Bugs is also available this month only at Amazon for $2.99. - [Off to Columbia, MD](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/off-to-columbia-md/): Hey, if you're in the area, stop in and see me at the Howard County Library. I'll be talking about Wicked Bugs and Wicked Plants, and they'd like you to register in advance here. I'm also headed to Longwood Gardens, but they tell me that one's sold out. There is a waiting list--if you want - [Tales of the Cocktail Notes](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/totc-notes/): This post will only make sense to you if you were in the talk I gave at Tales of the Cocktail called The Drunken Botanist: A Preview. It was a sneak preview of my new book, coming out in March 2013, called The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks. I - [Quick! Grab an ebook for $1.99!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/quick-grab-an-ebook-for-1-99/): Hey, good news! Algonquin Books has picked a whole bunch of garden and nature ebook titles for $1.99 for the entire month of July. The list includes two books from Diana Wells--Lives of Trees and 100 Birds and How They Got Their Names--as well as three lovely escapist narratives: The Sound of a Wild Snail - [The Pleasures of Summer, at Bargain Prices](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-pleasures-of-summer-at-bargain-prices/): Hey! Where did all these paintings come from? As I was reorganizing my office, I came across a box--a whole box!--of paintings that I had forgotten I had. Many of them are small, quick plein air paintings I did on-site, sometimes as part of a workshop or other painting excursion. A few are studies for - [Portrait of Ladybird](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/portrait-of-ladybird/): Another chicken portrait! This is Ladybird, our very sweet Buff Orpington. 8 x 10 on a thin art panel. Click here to bid. And go here to see other paintings on eBay...and here's my gallery on Daily Paintworks... I'll put a larger version of the image below. - [Lunch at the New York Public Library](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/lunch-at-the-new-york-public-library/): I had this idea to do a series of people eating their lunch at the New York Public Library. So far, it is a series of two. This is the first one. Maybe tomorrow I'll show you the second one. This painting is a minor triumph for me--I'm totally intimidated by the idea of painting - [Chickens!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/chickens-2/): I am home--drove back from Portland last night--and the first thing I did when I got up this morning? Start a new painting! It's good to be back in my space, doing my thing. So expect to see a lot of paintings over the next few weeks. I have a few that were still drying - [The Portland Diaries, Part 6](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-portland-diaries-part-6/): In which I declare my love for Powell's, edit a manuscript, and contemplate very long germination cycles. It's all on the Tin House blog. - [The Portland Diaries, Part 5](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-portland-diaries-part-5/): In which I celebrate defeat. The latest installment can be found here, on the Tin House blog. - [The Portland Diaries, Part 4](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-portland-diaries-part-4/): This was me the very moment I woke up this morning: I do not like my state of mind; I’m bitter, querulous, unkind... I am not sick, I am not well. My quondam dreams are shot to hell. My soul is crushed, my spirit sore; I do not like me any more. I cavil, quarrel, - [Heading to LA, Asheville NC, Portland](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/heading-to-la-asheville-nc-portland/): Hey folks--if you're in any of these places, I'll be there too. See you? May 04 2012 06:00 PM -- Los Angeles Natural History Museum First Friday Series, Los Angeles, CA Wicked Bugs in conversation.... May 06 2012 01:30 PM -- North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, NC A special Wicked Plants lecture in conjunction with the - [The Portland Diaries, Part 3](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-portland-diaries-part-3/): Add this your list of great last lines in literature: "When I hung up I felt as if I was an astronaut who had completed his orbit of the earth and now I was pulled by some new gravity into a cold clean darkness." That's Walter Mosley at the end of A Little Yellow Dog. - [Nebraska and Arkansas Events](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/nebraska-and-arkansas-events/): I have a feeling I'm going to see some very pretty countryside this week! Here's where I'm headed: April 19, 2012 Lauritzen Gardens Omaha, NE April 21, 2012 1:00 Flower, Garden, and Nature Society of Northwest Arkansas Springdale, AR - [The Portland Diaries, Part 2](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-portland-diaries-part-2/): I went the wrong way at the Rothko exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, turning right instead of left, which meant that I saw his last work first. I have an excuse, though: when I walked in, I looked to the left and saw a bunch of stuff I didn't recognize. Nice paintings, but not - [Street Umbrellas](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/street-umbrellas/): I did an interview on the Daily Paintworks blog in which I confessed that this painting is pretty much all about me avoiding having to paint faces. Still, it was a fun one to do--I don't think I've ever tackled this many figures at once. It's all just lines and colors, right? - [The Portland Diaries, Part 1.5](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-portland-diaries-part-1-5/): I should be back at the apartment writing The Great American Something right now, but instead I'm in a coffee shop writing yet another blog post. Actual conversation overheard a few minutes ago: Customer asks what kombucha is. Man and woman behind the counter take turns trying to answer. It's...uh....it's this stuff-- It's alive, kind - [Morning in Manhattan](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/morning-in-manhattan/): This actually comes from a photography by Bobby Williams. I saw it online and asked him if I could paint it, and he agreed. I'm just in love with all that blue light. - [Going to the Gig](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/going-to-the-gig/): New Orleans, of course. I saw this guy with his bass and just followed him around until the light hit him just right. - [Exchange Place](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/exchange-place/): Beautiful little alley in New Orleans. I think I've painted it three times. I saw it in a TV commercial and recognized it immediately, because I've done those buildings in the background so many times. - [On McAllister](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-mcallister/): I was in Golden Gate Park one day last spring, and I wandered out of the park and into the neighborhood to take some pictures. I used to drive through this neighborhood all the time and I always fantasized about living there--so here's my fantasy corner coffee shop. Some of these images are resizing themselves - [The Portland Diaries, Part One](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-portland-diaries-part-one/): So here I am in Portland, occupying a totally charming apartment courtesy of Tin House, whose offices are right next door. (press release, which explains everything.) Actually, the magazine is on one side and the book publisher is on the other, so I am surrounded by literary wonderfulness. On Tuesdays I teach a nonfiction workshop - [Portland by Sundown!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/portland-by-sundown/): I'm packing up the car and heading to Portland, where I'll be a writer-in-residence for two months, teaching a nonfiction workshop in the MFA program at Portland State University. The incredibly cool people at Tin House are co-sponsors of this deal; thanks to them, I'll have a nifty little apartment that they may well have - [How Not To Be Eaten](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/how-not-to-be-eaten/): Great title. I reviewed that and another bug book in the Washington Post. Both got me rassling with the question of what make science writing interesting. The answer, as far as I can tell? Little bit of science, whole lot of drama. Adultery and murders whenever possible. In other news: the Wall Street Journal did - ["Ladybird"--A Chicken Portrait!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/ladybird-a-chicken-portrait/): I'm doing something today that I don't often do, which is to post a painting the same day I paint it. Usually I'm not completely satisfied that I'm actually through with a painting--there's always some small thing I want to go back and fix once it's dry. But I was so pleased with this portrait - ["Bartender"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/bartender/): I'm leaving Wednesday for Tales of the Cocktail, a glorious five day event devoted to all things boozy, held every July in (where else?) New Orleans. (yes, it's research for the next book. It's a tough job....) Anyway, in honor of TOTC, I'm posting some bar paintings this week. I love to paint the interiors - [Cherry Tomatoes](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/cherry-tomatoes/): I've painted these blue cartons of cherry tomatoes before--I pick them up at the farmer's market every time I go, and they rarely even make it all the way home! One of the joys of summer. 5 x 7. Click here to bid. Go here to see more paintings. - [Old Town Alley](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/old-town-alley/): The alleys are the most interesting part of Old Town, painting-wise. If you get there at the right time of day, the light just slides in between the old Victorians and creates all kinds of lovely shadows. Sometimes, I even manage to have a camera in my hand when that happens. At the end of - [Rue Saint Denis, Montreal](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rue-saint-denis-montreal/): I spent a little time in Montreal in August. It's a beautiful city, and while it is very French, it's very North American, too. Sometimes I felt like I was in Seattle, or New York, or San Francisco--and then there are those moments when it feels very much like Paris, or Lyon. Either way, it's - [On Earth as it is in Austin](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-earth-as-it-is-in-austin/): I am just ridiculously happy with this painting. I won't say it's a perfect painting, but it just came together all at once, with absolutely no fussing or reworking. I was in a gloriously happy mood when I took the photo--just so pleased to be back in my native Texas, wandering around my alma mater - ["Soho Street"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/soho-street/): This is one of those paintings that pleased me so much that I just couldn't stand to part with it for the longest time. I just loved that little bird in the middle of the street. Anyway, I think I can stand to let it go at last, especially as I now have another - [Girl with Umbrella](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/girl-with-umbrella/): I took this photo on a rainy day in the meatpacking district, which is of course not at all about packing meat anymore, and is instead about selling art. As always--it starts to rain, and I step outside with my camera and start looking for some umbrellas to paint. A bright blue umbrella is - [Houston Street in the Rain](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/houston-street-in-the-rain/): More rainy day images from New York--just following people around, looking for the right combinations of umbrellas, trying to keep my camera dry... This one's 8x10 on thin (1/16 inch) artist panel. Click here to bid, and go here to see all paintings on eBay. - [Rue Saint-Paul, Old Montreal](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rue-saint-paul-old-montreal/): I could not stop photographing this narrow old street in Montreal last summer. Most evenings I would pace around, waiting for the lights to come up. I could probably just work on Rue Saint-Paul for a year and not run out of material. It's a touristy area now--all restaurants and shops and art galleries--but it - [Eggplant!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/eggplant/): It's the middle of winter, so what am I doing? Pulling out photographs from the summer! This, of course, was taken at the farmer's market, where the big piles of beautiful produce are impossible not to photograph. It's 8 x 8, oil on 1/2 inch thick fiberboard with slots in the back for easy - [Something Wicked This Way Comes.](https://www.amystewart.com/whats-new/something-wicked-this-way-comes/): Both Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs have captured the imaginations of botanical gardens, science museums, zoos, libraries, and other institutions around the country. Several exhibits have already begun based on the "Wicked" concept, and more are in the works. (this is only some test text to get things going...) - [An Earthworm Revival](https://www.amystewart.com/whats-new/an-earthworm-revival/): This just in: The Earth Moved has been re-issued with a clever new cover and an updated appendix with more worm composting resources. Available where ever books are sold. - [Book Tour Post](https://www.amystewart.com/whats-new/book-tour-post/): I'm getting ready to head out on another book tour! The tour begins in April here in California, and will take me to New York by June. For a complete list of events, go here. Hope to see you there! - [Pennsylvania and Ohio Events](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/pennsylvania-and-ohio-events/): The North Museum is doing a very cool bug exhibit that includes a bit of wickedness--a traveling art exhibit based on Wicked Bugs, using original etchings from the book. And then I'm on to Ohio. See you there? March 1, 2012, 7 PM North Museum of Natural History & Science Lancaster, PA March 3, - [Wicked Plants: The Case of the Missing Index](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-plants-the-case-of-the-missing-index/): I regularly hear from readers who want to know why Wicked Plants doesn't have an index. It was a mistake, I tell them. But it's hard to understand how an index could be accidentally left out of a book unless you understand how the production process works. Once the manuscript is finished, edited, and ready - [Experimenting with Free](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/experimenting-with-free/): This is ever so slightly off-topic, but I know that many of you are writers, or landscapers, or small business owners, or self-employed people of some sort. If you are, you have been asked at some point to give your work away for free. Maybe you've wondered if "free" is the new "paid" and if - [See You in Walnut Creek, CA](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/see-you-in-walnut-creek-ca/): This'll be my first time at The Gardens at Heather Farm. Looks like a lovely spot. Do come out and say hello if you're in the neighborhood, and check out their speaker series here. February 23, 2012 The Gardens at Heather Farm Walnut Creek, CA - [New York Skyline](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/new-york-skyline/): Another painting from the same rooftop in the East Village, another summer night, sitting by myself with my paints as the sun goes down...good times! This one is 6 x 6 oil on a thin masonite panel. Click here to bid, and go here to see more paintings. You can also see a full - [Lexington Avenue](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/lexington-avenue/): Can you tell that I'm in a New York state of mind? There's nothing really special about this particular stretch of Lexington Avenue around 60th, but every time I walk past it I end up finding something to paint. This one is 6 x 6 oil on fiberboard with slots in the back for hanging. - [New York City Skyline](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/new-york-city-skyline/): Ah, to be in back in New York, sitting on the rooftop of that lovely old building in the East Village, with my paints and a nice drink and nothing to do but sit and watch the colors change and listen to the laughter and the conversation from the other rooftops all around me. Ahhhh! - [Taxi Crossing Broadway](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/taxi-crossing-broadway/): I love, love, love this 6 x 12 size. The panels are kind of hard to find, so I actually have a backlog of 5 or 6 paintings I'd like to do at this size, as soon as I can get more. Meanwhile--here's one of them. New York City, of course. This is down by - [Five Cherries](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/five-cherries/): This is the last painting in my little Mexico series, and to be honest, I'm looking at it and thinking, "Really? Did I paint that in Mexico? There were cherries?" I guess I can't be sure. All I know is that this one was stacked up with the rest of my Mexico paintings, so here - [Lime Spill!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/lime-spill/): It can't be Mexico Week without some limes, right? Right. 8 x 10 oil on board. Click here to bid and go here to see more paintings. - [Chayote Squash and Habanero](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/chayote-squash-and-habanero/): And the food portion of Mexico Week continues with chayote squash and habanero pepper. I bought these entirely for their looks--I don't think I even ate that habanero! The purple background, by the way, is construction paper. I bought a stack of it in a little shop in town and used it all week for - [Poblano Pepper and Tomato](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/poblano-pepper-and-tomato/): The rest of Mexico Week is, of course, about the food. Starting with the peppers. Mmmmm....there was a little vegetable stand down the street in La Penita, near the tortilla factory....it was not hard to eat well in Mexico! 6 x 6 oil on canvas panel. Click here to bid, and go here to see - [Rooftop Palapa with Palm Trees, Mexico](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rooftop-palapa-with-palm-trees-mexico/): The next installment for Mexico Week--this little 5 x 7 (oil on board) painting of yet another view from the rooftop. Go here to bid; click here to see more paintings. - [Rooftop Palapa, La Penita, Mexico](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rooftop-palapa-la-penita-mexico/): Mexico week continues! Another rooftop view in La Panita, Mexico. This one's 8 x 10, oil on board. Click here to bid and go here to see some more paintings. - [The View from La Penita](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-view-from-la-penita/): As I said yesterday, it's Mexico week! A couple years ago, I took my paints with me to a friend's house in La Penita, a lovely town just north of Puerto Vallarta. This was our view from the roof. 8 x 10 on thin masonite panel. Click here to bid, and go here to see - [La Penita at Night](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/la-penita-at-night/): It's Mexico week! I have a little stack of paintings I did while I was in La Penita, just north of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. Looking at them now, they each remind me of some little moment of our trip, the way a postcard would. So here they are--my postcards from Mexico. This is 8 - [Drunken Botanist: The Website](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/drunken-botanist-the-website/): It'll be at least a year-possibly more--before my new book is actually printed and in my hands. But it's never too soon for a website, right? So here it is: TheDrunkenBotanist.com, named after my forthcoming book of the same title, which is due out in 2013, probably in spring. I do hope you'll bookmark the - [The Daily Specials, Paris](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-daily-specials-paris/): I remember this morning in Paris so well. I was very grumpy, because (believe it or not) I was tired of eating pastries for breakfast. (I know, nice problem to have, right?) I wanted some eggs and toast, or even some oatmeal. And I didn't want one of those tiny cups of coffee--I wanted a - [Rue de Seine, Paris](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rue-de-seine-paris/): Another Paris scene, also from the same rainy night as the painting I posted a few days ago. This was on the Rue de Seine, at the Boulevard Saint-Germain. There was a huge parade of motorcycles going by that night, and everyone on the sidewalk turned to watch them. Might as well; it was too - [Off to Newport News, VA](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/off-to-newport-news-va/): I'm off to the Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Short Course, one of those horticultural gatherings that ends up being a who's who of botanists, entomologists, garden writers, and industry people.This year, Thursday's programming includes a whole day for home gardeners focused entirely on bugs. Imagine my excitement. If you're going to be there, I hope to see - [Looking Down J Street](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/looking-down-j-street/): Eureka's a pretty quiet town at night. Sometimes I like to grab my camera right at sunset and walk around taking pictures of the empty streets just before dark. This one is also in a frame--please read the eBay listing for details before bidding. 8 x 10 oil on panel. Click here to bid, and - [The Carson Mansion](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-carson-mansion/): Just down the street from my house is the Carson mansion, one of the most famous Victorians in the country. It's now owned by a private club called the Ingomar Club. I'm lucky to know a few members, so I get to see the inside from time to time. Please note that this painting is - [Lena's House](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/lenas-house/): I walk past this little yellow house every day. It's one of those classic cheerful California bungalows. It just seems to call out "Paint me!" every time I walk by, so I finally did. 8 x 10 oil on board, framed. Please read the information about the frame on eBay carefully before bidding. Click here - [Ladybird and Ida](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/ladybird-and-ida/): My girls! This is Ladybird, a Buff Orpington, and Ida, an Ameraucana. 8 x 8, oil on 1/2 inch board. Click here to bid, and go here to see more paintings. - [Taxi!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/taxi/): A quick little New York painting. 6 x 6 inches and the bidding starts at just $25. Click here to bid, and go here to see all my paintings. - [A Pair of Pears](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/a-pair-of-pears/): I have two pear paintings going up for auction. I think they're kind of nice as a pair, but I'm listing them separately and I'll let you decide. Both are 5 x 7, and both are painted on thin (1/16 inch) masonite board. The top one is live now, so click here to - [Cuban Cafe, NYC](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/cuban-cafe-nyc/): Ah, to be in a sidewalk cafe in New York City on a summer day, instead of huddled in my office in the middle of a winter storm! That's the great part about traveling somewhere to get images to paint--I get to relive those moments whenever I want to. I'm on a real kick to - [Do You Deserve a Toddy?](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/do-you-deserve-a-toddy/): Here's the latest in a series of columns I'm writing for the North Coast Journal. The column is called The Drunken Botanist; my book of the same title will be out next year. A friend of mine has been on a grueling book tour to promote her new novel. One night in early December, after - [Rainy Day, New York City](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rainy-day-new-york-city/): New York in the rain. If you're walking around the city taking photos to paint, you either want sunshine or rain. On a rainy day, the umbrellas come out, which means big jolts of color on the streets, and the lights just glow, and you get great reflections. So I'm always happy to grab my - [East Village Market](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/east-village-market/): It's surprisingly hard to find a good fruit stand to paint in New York City. If you're selling fruit on the street, it's pretty important to keep it in the shade so it doesn't all spoil before the day's up. But getting good light and interesting shadows on the fruit is always what I'm after. - [Sunset in the French Quarter](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/sunset-in-the-french-quarter/): Luckily for me, I'm more or less required to go to New Orleans once a year for professional reasons--which is to attend the fantastic annual cocktail conference, Tales of the Cocktail. Fortunately, there's always plenty of time after the drinking and dining to wander around and take pictures. Lovely place, New Orleans. 8 x 10 - ["Smoke Break, Soho"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/smoke-break-soho/): It's been a while since I've posted any paintings. I've been incredibly busy finishing my next book, but I have managed to find a little time to paint. In fact, I've got quite a stack of finished paintings sitting around right now. I'm going to try to post a bunch of them in January. This - [Have Yourself a Boozy Little Christmas](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/have-yourself-a-boozy-little-christmas/): This is another in a series of columns for the North Coast Journal called The Drunken Botanist. Book by the same title coming in 2013. Several years ago, at a family Christmas gathering in Sacramento, my brother-in-law served the pie and asked if anybody would like a drink to go with it. There was - [The Drunken Botanist: Apple Season](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/apple-season/): Here's another in my ongoing series of "Drunken Botanist" cocktail articles for the North Coast Journal, loosely based on my forthcoming book of the same name. Forgive the Humboldt references, which are, of course, of interest only to people in Humboldt. Seems like everyone in these parts has an opinion about what Humboldt needs to - [Grenadine: If There's An Easy Way to Juice a Pomegranate, I Don't Know What It Is.](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/grenadine-if-theres-an-easy-way-to-juice-a-pomegranate-i-dont-know-what-it-is/): This time last year, I made a little homemade grenadine during pomegranate season. We had a party shortly after that in which we mixed up Pink Lady cocktails according to this recipe in Imbibe magazine. The drinks were a hit--and although we hadn't been using grenadine around the house before that, we definitely put it - [Introducing: Subtext!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/introducing-subtext/): Subtext from Subtext Video on Vimeo. When my publisher asked me if I'd like to participate in the launch of a new interactive ebook platform, I jumped at the chance. It's an interesting time for digital books, to say the least. Susan Harris' post this summer raised many interesting questions about digital books in general - [Hendrick's Gin and Weird Chicken Art](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/hendricks-gin-and-weird-chicken-art/): As long as we're talking about booze today, here's a strange and marvelous thing: the people at Hendrick's Gin are injecting their usual madcap absurdity into London Cocktail Week, an event it pains me greatly to miss. Anyway, they've created an Umbrella Emporium to pay tribute to the cocktail umbrella. Check this one out--the Mumbrella: - [The Wonders of Cassis](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/the-wonders-of-cassis/): This is another in a series I'm writing for the North Coast Journal based on my book in progress, The Drunken Botanist. (Your intrepid reporter at the Cassissium. Notice the pen and notebook. This is work. Really.) After a week spent touring distilleries in France, Scott and I had come to suspect that anything called - [I'm in DC, Boston, Georgia, and Florida. All at once.](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/im-in-dc-boston-georgia-and-florida-all-at-once/): The book tour madness continues. There better be a very nice mojito waiting for me in Coral Gables, that's all I'm sayin'. Wednesday, October 19, 2011 12:00 noon United States Botanic Garden Washington, DC Wednesday, October 19, 2011 6:30 PM Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens Washington, DC Thursday, October 20, 2011 5:30 pm Lewis - [On the Road. Or in the Air. NM, TX, MD, DC](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/on-the-road-or-in-the-air/): As you read this, I am probably sitting in an airport somewhere. Or maybe I'm here: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 7 PM Bookworks Albuquerque, NM Thursday, October 13, 2011 7 PM Book People Austin, TX Friday, October 14, 2011 11:30 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Austin, TX Saturday, October 15, 2011 1:00 Blue Willow - [On the Road: California & New Mexico](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/on-the-road/): A three-week book tour that starts in California in early October and ends up in late October in Boston? Sure, I can pack for that. Here I go. If you don't hear much from me in October, it's because I'm doing this: Thursday, October 6, 2011 7 pm Conservatory of Flowers "Wicked Bugs" lecture. Tickets - [Off to Seattle!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/off-to-portland-and-seattle/): It's time for me to start flying around on airplanes again. I'll be on the road for most of October. Meanwhile, here I go to Seattle for a couple days! I'm speaking at the Washington State Master Gardener conference, but if you're going to that one, you're already registered and you're packing your bags, too. - [Eggplant and Persimmon, Part Three](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/eggplant-and-persimmon-part-three/): One day I went out and bought some eggplants and persimmons because I like the way the colors looked together. I painted three still life paintings of the fruits--and this is the third in the series. As I'm looking at it now, I realize that what I really like about them is the green bits, - [San Francisco Cable Cars](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/san-francisco-cable-cars/): I got on a little retro transportation kick lately and painted streetcars in New Orleans and in San Francisco. Here's the second San Francisco cable car painting--the California line, once again. Love those cable cars! 8 x 10 oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all my paintings on eBay, and - [Peach and Bourbon Wonderfulness](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/peach-and-bourbon-wonderfulness/): This is the latest in a series I'm writing for the North Coast Journal loosely based on my next book, The Drunken Botanist, due out in 2013. Read earlier cocktail-ish posts here. Bess assisting with my photo shoot. It is almost too late to write this column--almost. Peach season is winding down, but - [St. Charles Streetcar](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/st-charles-streetcar/): Love those old restored streetcars. Last time I was in New Orleans, I rode around on this St. Charles streetcar, then jumped off and ran around in the rain, photographing it. Wooden seats, brass bells--they're glorious. This is the stop just before it turns on Canal Street. 8 x 10 oil on board. Click here - [What This Small Business Needs](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/what-this-small-business-needs/): Dear President and Congress, I'm so glad to hear everyone talk about small business and job creation. And by "everyone," I mean everyone except small business owners themselves. We're too busy running our businesses to take time out to talk policy. But I was pleased to see this article about how a survey of actual - [French Quarter, Exchange Place](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/french-quarter-exchange-place/): This is a narrow alley in the French Quarter called Exchange Place. It's lined with fantastic little restaurants and art galleries. We ate dinner there one night--at an amazing place called Green Goddess that seems at first glance like it might be some sort of little casual vegetarian cafe, but is actually a wonderful blend - [Silly Orange Chicken](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/silly-orange-chicken/): Oh, this silly little hen. I don't know what breed she is--if anybody knows, post a comment. This is not my hen--I met her at a local poultry show-- but she's quite charming and clearly full of personality. I feel like she's looking at the camera and saying, "You do know that this outfit - [Eighth Avenue in the Rain](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/eighth-avenue-in-the-rain/): This is a painting of a little side street off Eighth Avenue Manhattan--probably somewhere in the 30s. Anytime I'm in New York when it starts to rain, I grab my camera and start looking for umbrellas! 8 x 10. Click here to bid. Go here to see more paintings. - [](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/taxicabs-heading-over-the-bridge-late-in-the-day-in-new-york-citys-lower-east-side-i-cant-resist-a-line-of-taxicabs-headin/): Taxicabs heading over the bridge late in the day in New York City's Lower East Side. I can't resist a line of taxicabs heading down the street. That color just says "New York" to me. 8 x 10. Click here to bid. Go here to see more paintings. - [Margarita Time!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/margarita-time/): It's margarita time! Another cocktail-related still life--limes and a little Eva Zeisel low-ball glass I use all the time. 5 x 7. Click here to bid. Go here to see more paintings. - [Summer Night, East Village](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/summer-night-east-village/): I envy this woman, walking home on a summer evening in the East Village. I think this was Avenue A. On nights like this I would grab my camera and walk around the city from about an hour before sunset through an hour after sunset. It's a beautiful time in the city, just when the - [Blue Umbrellas](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/blue-umbrellas/): These umbrellas line the street alongside Grand Central Station. I was there on an unusually misty day when it seemed like the only things in focus were the umbrellas, so that's how I painted it. I don't paint on an orange ground very much, and when I do, I tend to let as much of - [St. George Spirits](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/st-george-spirits/): Photo by Vic Stewart, taken with his weird old Rollei. This is another in a series of columns I'm writing for the North Coast Journal loosely related to my next book, The Drunken Botanist. “Is it all right?” asks the tasting room bartender Chris, looking down quizzically at my barely-touched vodka shot. “It's - [The Chicken Challenge](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-chicken-challenge/): I painted this lovely white hen as part of a Daily PaintWorks challenge a while back and just realized I never actually submitted it! Well, here it is. I wish I could tell you something about this chicken, but I've never met her--just grabbed the photo and started painting. I do love painting chickens, particularly - [Off to Tucson!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/off-to-tucson/): In one of the more difficult gigs I've had to suffer through in recent memory, I'm off to Loews Ventana Canyon, a posh resort in Tucson--Tucson being a place that is (a) warm; (b) easily accessible by my BFF in Albuquerque; (c) sunny; (d) beautiful; and (e) home of good friend Scott Calhoun, who has - [Frilly Umbrellas!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/frilly-umbrellas/): To all of you who are sweltering through this insanely hot summer (well, it's hot everywhere but Eureka), I offer up a very cold drink with a frilly paper umbrella in it. The world needs more drinks with frilly paper umbrellas. Starting today. This is a 5 x 7 oil painting on 1/2 inch board, - [Persimmons and Eggplant, 2](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/persimmons-and-eggplant-2/): This is the second in a series of three paintings I did of these little eggplants and this persimmon. The colors are fabulous together, although you'd never in a million years find a way to eat them together. (As soon as I say that, I know someone's going to send me a recipe for persimmon - [California Street Cable Cars](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/california-street-cable-cars/): I'm on a streetcar kick right now. I just got back from New Orleans, where I rode the beautiful St. Charles streetcar and got some great photos to paint. And I've done two of the San Francisco cable cars on California street. There's something almost human about streetcars--they have this way of enlivening a street - [Behind the Bar](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/behind-the-bar/): I just got back from Tales of the Cocktail, which has been described as the Sundance of the cocktail world. It's always held in New Orleans--which works out great for me, because I love New Orleans, I love the sultry weather, and I really love the opportunity to get some new scenes to paint. This - ["That Street In Paris"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/that-street-in-paris/): You know those wonderful little streets in Paris you just fall in love with and can't remember the name of weeks later, when you're looking through your pictures? That's what this is. I'm calling it "That Street in Paris" because--well, it's that street! You know the one, right? Remember--that day? Next to the thing - [Mason Jar Cocktails](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/mason-jar-cocktails/): I'm pleased to share my new column, The Drunken Botanist, which runs here, on GardenRant, and in the North Coast Journal, an honest-to-goodness printed newspaper that is the amazing alternative weekly for California's North Coast. The Drunken Botanist is the working title of my new book, which should be out in 2013 if I can - [Tequila and Limes!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/tequila-and-limes/): Okay, so it might be a little foggy and chilly today on the North Coast--but I'm still thinking about margaritas. Tequila, lime, a double jigger--it's a happy moment. 5 x 7 oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see other paintings on eBay. - ["Manhattanhenge"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/manhattanhenge/): So there's this thing that happens in New York City every year that people call Manhattanhenge. The sunset aligns with the city's grid in such a way that you can see amazing sunsets between the buildings. I happened to be there last year when it was happening, but I had no idea it was - [Drink This](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/drink-this/): Gin. (vodka if you must, but really--gin. Hendrick's would be a fine choice.) Basil and cucumber, muddled. Squeeze of lime juice. Splash of Dry Cucumber Soda Happy Wednesday! - ['Village Vanguard at Night'](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/village-vanguard-at-night/): This is a loose painting--but then again, it was a loose kind of night. I was wandering around Greenwich Village just after sunset taking pictures of the lights coming up in the bars and restaurants. It's a beautiful time of day in the city--you get all these amazing purples and greens on the streets, and - [Persimmons and Eggplant](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/persimmons-and-eggplant/): 6 x 8 inch thin (1/16 inch deep) canvas-covered panel. Click here to bid. Go here to see all my eBay auctions. I almost never paint on a canvas surface anymore--I've really gotten addicted the smooth surface of a panel. But I had these canvas-covered panels sitting around, and I decided to go back to - [Chicken Paintings!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/chicken-paintings/): 5"x7" oil on board. This is 3/8 inch fiberboard with slots in the back so that you can easily hang it without framing. The sides are painted black. Click here to bid (this auction begins at 6 pm on July 6) and go here to see more paintings. You can also find me and many - [Wicked Plants in the Conservatory with RadioGarden](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/wicked-plants-in-the-conservatory-with-radiogarden/): Andrew Keys invited the staff at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers to create a RadioGarden podcast about the making of the Wicked Plants exhibit. He assured us that any ordinary audio recorder would work; in fact, he's done interviews on his iPhone. So, equipped with exactly that sort of technology, curator Lau Hodges and - [I Srsly Love This Gin. Not Just Because It Was Free.](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/i-srsly-love-this-gin-not-just-because-it-was-free/): by Amy Oh, the product samples we get! Screw the garden gloves; I want to drink me some gin! So a big GardenRant salute goes out to Tru Organic Spirits, makers of a damn fine organic, low-carbon-footprint gin that also happens to be really tasty and oh-so-botanical. If you need to know how eco-friendly these - [On to the Pacific Northwest!](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/on-to-the-pacific-northwest/): And the bug march continues in the Pacific Northwest. Would love to see you guys. Details below, but it doesn't hurt to contact the venue ahead of time to confirm dates & times. Wednesday, June 22, 2011 7 PM Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing Beaverton, OR Thursday, June 23, 2011 7 PM Auntie's - [Bay Area Bug March](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/bay-area-bug-march/): To say that this is a complicated book tour would be an understatement. If you'd like to come out to one of these events, give the folks a call ahead of time and make sure the date and time is right. Just in case. Hope to see you there! Wednesday, June 1, 2011 7 pm - [East Coast Bug Invasion](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/east-coast-bug-invasion/): The bug march continues. Here's the plan for New York and Connecticut--would love to see you East Coast types while I'm there! Monday, May 23, 2011 6 PM Horticultural Society of New York New York City, NY Wednesday, May 25, 2011 6:30 PM Clearfield Public Library Williamsville, NY (This is the Buffalo area--Elizabeth, Michele and - [Huffington Post Infested with Bed Bugs, Tapeworms, Maggots](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/huffington-post-infested-with-bed-bugs-tapeworms-maggots/): And now, the Wicked Bugs HuffPo slide show. Do feel free to head over there to share your comments, thoughts, fears and fantasies. - [Wicked Bugs March on Los Angeles](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-bugs-march-on-los-angeles/): Hey y'all--I'm heading to LA this week. Get your wicked bugs on at one of these events--I'd love to see you there. Tuesday, May 10, 2011 7 pm Vroman's Bookstore Pasadena, CA Friday, May 13, 2011 10:30 AM Laguna Beach Garden Club Laguna Beach, CA - [Happy Bug Day!](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-bugs/happy-bug-day/): Today is the official publication date for Wicked Bugs, a date known in the biz as the "pub date," which I believe means I'm supposed to spend it sitting in a pub ordering another round for my friends. Anyway, Algonquin Books is giving away not just free books, but free bugs as well! Don't worry, - [Bugs Invade NPR](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/bugs-invade-npr/): It's been a big NPR week--here are the links: Fresh Air with Terry Gross Weekend Edition with Linda Wertheimer - [Wicked Bugs Invades Local Newsrooms!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/wicked-bugs-invades-local-newsrooms/): The March of the Bugs continues--in Chicago: and in Denver... and click here to see a segment on Milwaukee's Morning Blend. - [The Wicked Bugs ad](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-bugs/the-wicked-bugs-ad/): Created by Algonquin, for Shelf Awareness. - [The Vodka Taste-Test](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/the-vodka-taste-test/): Because my next book involves plants and booze, I am required to spend a lot of money at liquor stores buying unusual spirits. It's terrible, I know, but this is the sort of grueling research writers must put themselves through. My husband is no help: as a rare book dealer, he has that obsessive - [A Suitcase Full of Bed Bugs. And Termites. And Spiders. And....](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/a-suitcase-full-of-bed-bugs-and-termites-and-spiders-and/): When The Earth Moved came out, I traveled with a little plastic container holding a few live worms in dirt. When Flower Confidential came out, I picked up fresh cut flowers and took them into bookstores and TV studios. And for Wicked Plants, I carried around a box of poison seeds and sometimes picked up - [Wicked Bugs--Get It While It's Hot!](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-bugs/wicked-bugs-get-it-while-its-hot/): It's official--we're taking orders for signed copies of Wicked Bugs. Go here to place an order. They just came in, so they will ship out right away! - [Denver, Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, St. Louis--See You There!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/denver-chicago-madison-milwaukee-st-louis-see-you-there1/): The Wicked Bugs book tour starts next week. I have yet to actually see a copy of the finished book--they have just been printed, I'm told--so I might get a copy in my hands before I leave for the tour, or I might meet up with it on the road. Regardless, I'd really like to - [Wicked Plants Merchandise!](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/wicked-plants-merchandise/): Wicked Plants temporary tattoos! Beer glasses! T-shirts! Shot glasses! Seeds! The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers is selling all kinds of crazy, wonderful, Wicked Plants stuff to go along with their beautiful and creepy exhibit based on the book. Shop online here, and go here to check out the details on the exhibit, which runs - [Rochester, NY and San Francisco Bay Area--here I go!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/rochester-ny-and-san-francisco-bay-area-here-i-go/): And it's time for another mad dash through questionable weather! (Last week's run to San Francisco for the garden show involved all the roads in and out of Humboldt County getting shut down due to 3 inches of snow. I know, I know, we Californians are such wimps.) Anyway, off I go to Rochester, NY, - [Florida, Here I Come!](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/florida-here-i-come/): I'm off to Naples, Florida, where I can't wait to see a little sunshine! Details here. - [A Lovely Gin](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/a-lovely-gin/): There are no recipes this time. Amy and I drank our Esprit de June straight. But we do recommend a look at this post and this site and these pictures to learn more about the wonderful Sonnenberg Gardens. Here's the live experience: > More to come! Look for future episodes of our adventures during Amy's - [Hibiscus Champagne Cocktails](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/hibiscus-champagne-cocktails/): In which Elizabeth gets all dressed up for a gala botanical garden event, while Amy drinks vodka straight out of a mason jar and talks to her chickens. Topics include Champagne, hibiscus flowers in syrup, raspberry-infused vodka, a certain Black & Decker home appliance, and--once again--hyacinths. Special guest appearance by Amy's Buff Orpington, Ladybird. If - [Off to the Portland Yard, Garden, & Patio Show](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/off-to-the-portland-yard-garden-patio-show/): I'm heading to Portland this weekend--are you going to be there? The Portland Yard, Garden, and Patio Show has a big lineup of speakers this year. I'll be talking about Wicked Plants on Friday at 2:00, and on Saturday at 11, I'll give a talk called Global Gardens, which is really kind of a "greatest - [Wicked Plants: The Exhibit](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/wicked-plants-the-exhibit/): My own poison garden (above) is nothing compared to what the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers has planned this summer. Their Wicked Plants exhibit opens in April and runs through October, and while I won't see it unveiled for a few months, I've managed to coax a few hints out of them and trust me, - [Wicked Bugs--A Sneak Preview!](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-bugs/wicked-bugs-a-sneak-preview/): This just in--an excerpt of Wicked Bugs, now available on Scribd.com. Just click below to page through it. As for the real book, I'll have it in my hands in May! Excerpt from Wicked Bugs - [Hot Toddies!](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/hot-toddies/): In which Elizabeth broadcasts live from her bulb bunker and Amy drinks from a Pyrex measuring cup for lack of more suitable barware. Here's Elizabeth's hot toddy recipe: Bourbon hot toddy 2 parts hot lemon mix (using 2 cups water, 1/4 cup sugar rubbed with lemon peel, juice of 2 lemons, boiled until dissolved) 1 - [Wicked Plants: The Seed Collection](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/wickedplantsseeds/): As some of you know, I planted a poison garden while I was working on Wicked Plants. I'd never grown, much less seen, some of the plants in the book, and it's just too weird to write about plants you don't know. So I managed to come up with about 35 species that I could - [Amazon's Bookscan Data and the Rise of Data-Driven Decisions](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/amazons-bookscan-data-and-the-rise-of-data-driven-decisions/): When I wrote Flower Confidential, I found myself hanging out with a lot of business people. Plant breeders trying to guess what the next hot color in roses would be. Growers managing large, complex farms and dealing with such issues as labor laws, water conservation, refrigerated trucks, and currency fluctations, all in one day. Flower - [Limoncello](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/limoncello/): Or at least use some of your lemons for limoncello. There’s something about limoncello. It’s not exactly a subtle or complex taste. But—for many of us, anyway—everything about a bottle of limoncello radiates a hot day in Amalfi, where you’re surrounded by jasmine, wisteria, lemon trees, and stores that are open ten minutes a day. - [Wicked Bugs: The Video!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/if-you-want-to-read-the-book-youre-going-to-have-to-wait-until-may-2011-actually-im-sure-well-give-away-some-galleys-bef/): If you want to read the book, you're going to have to wait until May 2011. (Actually, I'm sure we'll give away some galleys before then. Garden bloggers, start your engines! More soon on that.) But for now, I'm happy to share the Wicked Bugs cover and the official Wicked Bugs video! I'm lucky to - [So a Funny Thing Happened at the Bookstore Last Week](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/so-a-funny-thing-happened-at-the-bookstore-last-week/): Read all about it in the New York Times. Here, in case you're interested, is a link to our bookstore's website. Where we sell books and only books. And here's a little more about the novel that inspired the whole thing. - [Wicked Plants in Tucson](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-plants-in-tucson/): The Tucson Botanical Gardens has taken this Wicked Plants thing one step further and created not only an exhibit, but a character named Dr. Ergot Ratbane and a mad scientist laboratory. How's that for a good gig--playing a mad scientist at a botanical garden? Meet Dr. Ratbane here, and go check out the exhibit if - [Dickens Punch](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/dickens-punch/): In what has to be our all-time favorite Cocktail Hour to date, Amy invites Gen Schmidt of NorthCoastGardening for a celebrity guest appearance, and Elizabeth tries to set her newly-remodeled kitchen on fire. First, the recipes: Elizabeth's Dickensian punch, adapted from Splendid Table's adaptation. Do we really have to give one of those silly warnings - [The GardenRant Cocktail Hour!](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/the-gardenrant-cocktail-hour/): So here's a new thing--I'm doing Skype cocktail chats with one of my GardenRant partners, Elizabeth Licata. Check it out: - [A Lavender Gin and Tonic, and a Honey-Lavender Martini](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/a-lavender-gin-and-tonic-and-a-honey-lavender-martini/): When we (Elizabeth and Amy) get together, we rummage through our respective liquor cabinets to see if we have anything new and interesting to drink that we can try out on the other. But seeing as how we live across the country from each other—Elizabeth in Buffalo, Amy in California—this doesn't actually happen very often. - [See You in NY, AZ, WA!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/see-you-in-ny-az-wa/): I'm headed out for a couple weeks of events at college campuses, botanical gardens, and garden clubs. See you there? Please confirm details with the venue. Wednesday, September 29 7:30 pm Cornell University Ithaca, NY Thursday, September 30 7 pm Finger Lakes Community College Canandaigua, NY Saturday, October 2 10 am Friends of Ganondagan Victor, - [Off to Chicago, Milwaukee, Wausau](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/off-to-chicago-milwaukee-wausau/): I'm on the road next week! Hope to see you there. August 17 & 19 Independent Garden Center Show Chicago, IL Wednesday, August 18 7 pm Morton Arboretum Chicago, IL Friday, August 20 Boerner Botanical Garden Milwaukee, WI Saturday, August 21 North Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners Garden Visions Goes Summer Wausau, WI - [London Book Tour Dates](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/london-book-tour-dates/): It's coming! The UK edition of Wicked Plants will be out in September from Timber UK, and in October I'll head to London for a book tour. Check my site for full details as I have them, but here's the schedule as it stands: Sat Oct 23 - Petersham Nurseries, Surrey Tues Oct 26 - - [Wicked Bugs: Creeping, Crawling, and Slithering to a City Near You](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-bugs-creeping-crawling-and-slithering-to-a-city-near-you/): My new book, Wicked Bugs, will be out in May 2011. No, this isn't the cover--this is the graphic design for a traveling exhibit that will be going around the country after the book comes out. If you happen to be affiliated with a botanical garden, science museum, zoo, etc., read all about the outdoor - [New York Fruit Stand](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/new-york-fruit-stand/): Fruit stands are great fun to paint. And in this case, I managed to get just the right kind of figure in the scene--a guy standing around waiting for someone to buy his wares. This particular stand, if you're curious, was somewhere on Seventh Ave, in the forties, I believe. This is 5 x 7 - [Great Garden Speakers--The Official Launch](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/great-garden-speakersthe-official-launch/): Some of you may remember that a few months ago, we posted an online survey to gauge the interest in a new website called GreatGardenSpeakers.com. The idea was to make it easier for garden clubs, botanical gardens, flower shows, conferences, and other such venues to find speakers with expertise in gardening, nature, horticulture, ecology, landscape - [Off to Buffalo!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/off-to-buffalo/): You can't hear enough about Buffalo's crazy month-long gardening extravaganza, can you? As an outsider, I must say: Buffalo is way hipper than you might think it is. It's like Austin with snow. Maybe better. And these people really know how to celebrate summer. Everybody's out in their gardens having a good time. It's quite - [Roosevelt Hotel Bar](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/roosevelt-hotel-bar/): Here's another painting based on the bar at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans. I just love the way bars are lit--all that beautiful, jewel-colored light coming through the bottles. You'll see more of these in the weeks to come! This one is 8 x 8 inches on 1/2 inch panel with slots in the - [Smith's Bar, New York City](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/smiths-bar-new-york-city/): I just got back from a three-week painting trip in New York. I took a workshop with Karin Jurick the first week, and then, because I had my paints and supplies with me, I actually continued to paint for a little over a week--until I had to stop to let the paintings dry. I didn't - [The View from Varick](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/when-i-go-to-new-york-i-always-visit-my-publisher-not-because-i-really-need-to-but-just-because-it-seems-like-an-author/): When I go to New York, I always visit my publisher, not because I really need to, but just because it seems like an author-ly thing to do. They recently moved to an office on Varick Street, just below Greenwich Village. The view from their building is amazing. I love all of these rooftops, and - [Topless Gardening](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/topless-gardening/): Yeah, that headline caught my eye, too. Turns out that's only what you'll WANT to do after you imbibe a basil martini, according to the San Diego Union-Trib's cocktail writer. This is one of those summer drinks that we can only dream of as the wind howls through the rafters. So, in honor of it - [St. Mark's Place](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/im-on-a-real-new-york-kick-right-now-in-3-weeks-im-headed-there-to-take-a-painting-workshop-with-karin-jurick-a-painter-w/): I'm on a real New York kick right now. In 3 weeks I'm headed there to take a painting workshop with Karin Jurick, a painter whose work I absolutely love. I'm still working from photos from last year's trip, but expect to see a lot more when I return in June! I'm still debating whether - [Pulp Mill!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/pulp-mill/): At last--the pulp mill painting is up on eBay! This painting went into our 2010 calendar and also hung in Eureka Books' pulp mill art show, where artists all over Humboldt County contributed their paintings of the pulp mill. It's part of the landscape; we all get around to painting it eventually. This is 8 - [Sacramento, Bay Area, and Austin](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/sacramento-bay-area-and-austin/): I'm off again! See you there? Saturday, April 10 California State Flower & Garden Show Sacramento, CA Wednesday, April 14 6 pm A special event at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds-- Seed Bank Sponsored by Copperfied's Books Petaluma, CA Thursday, April 15 7 pm The Bone Room Berkeley, CA Friday, April 16 6:30 pm Gallery Bookshop - [Off to Lincoln, NE](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/off-to-lincoln-ne/): I'm off to Nebraska this week! If you're in the area, maybe I'll see you there. Here are the details: What: Amy Stewart, author of four books on botany and nature, will speak about "The Global Garden: Connecting the World of Horticulture to Your Own Backyard" and "Wicked Plants: The Deliciously Dark Side of the - [On My Way to Redlands, CA](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/on-my-way-to-redlands-ca/): Hey y'all----if you're in southern California, this one's for you: Kimberly Crest House & Gardens in Redlands, CA holds their Gardening Seminar this Saturday. It's $50 plus another $5 if you want to stay for lunch. Call 909-792-2111 for registration info. Schedule below--I'm particularly excited about getting to see John talk about his new meadow - [Garden Speakers--Take the Survey!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/garden-speakerstake-the-survey/): If you are a garden writer, floral designer, landscape designer, nature or conservation expert, or anyone else who speaks to garden clubs, botanical gardens, horticulture conferences, and other such venues--we want to hear from you! I'm working with a group of speakers to explore the possibility of creating a website to make it easier for - [This Week: Palm Beach & Kansas City](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/this-week-palm-beach-kansas-city/): Hey y'all--I'll be speaking at the Garden Club of Palm Beach on Wednesday, Feb 10 at 2:30. It's open to the public; get details here. Then I'm off to Kansas City for three big days at the Metropolitan Lawn & Garden Show! Feb. 12-14. I'm there all three days. If you're in the area, stop - [My Health Plan](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/my-health-plan/): We take a break from our regularly-scheduled programming to discuss health insurance. There's no point rehashing what went wrong. My question is: Can we come up with one simple five-point plan and actually get it passed? Can it be simple enough to fit on a single sheet of paper? Here's mine. It's under 250 words. - ["New York Azaleas"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/new-york-azaleas/): In anticipation of spring--some azaleas in an urn on a Greenwich Village doorstep. I am seriously jonesing for New York--and for spring! This is a little unusual for me in that it's actually painted on a little stretched canvas, not on a panel. Makes it very easy to hang unframed if you're so inclined. 5 - ["Green and Yellow Onions"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/green-and-yellow-onions/): 6 x 6 inch oil on 1/2 inch-thick panel. Click here to bid. One afternoon, when there was very pretty light coming into my living room in the late afternoon, I did a bunch of still life setups and photographed them. I'm still working my way through the photos. This is one of my favorites. - [Dolley and Bess](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/dolley-and-bess/): Here's another painting of my hens, Dolley and Bess. I don't know if you've ever tried to get a chicken to post for a picture, but it's very hard to do. I can get them to sit still by putting out some chicken scratch for them to eat, but then the question is how to - [](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/dolley-is-really-my-favorite-chicken-although-ive-said-that-about-all-of-them-at-one-time-or-another-shes-an-americauna-a/): Dolley is really my favorite chicken, although I've said that about all of them at one time or another. She's an Americauna and she lays light blue eggs--when she feels like it. As you can probably tell from this portrait, she is the sort of hen who knows her own mind and isn't afraid to - [Email Newsletter: Have a Wicked Holiday!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/email-newsletter-have-a-wicked-holiday/): (Note--this is the email blast that goes out to my newsletter. If you're reading this blog, you've probably heard all this before! Regardless, if you'd like to sign up for the mailing list, here's where you go to do that.) Hello all, I am ending 2009 at home--at last! By the time I hit the - [Wicked Plants--Best Cover of the Year?](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/wicked-plantsbest-cover-of-the-year/): Wicked Plants is up for Amazon.com's Best Cover of the Year. After an initial round of voting, it's made its way into the top ten. If you've got a minute, I'd appreciate your vote--and tell your friends! Go here to vote. - [The Lost Coast Daily Painters Calendar, plus Chicken Notecards!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-lost-coast-daily-painters-calendar-plus-chicken-notecards/): The group I paint with, Lost Coast Daily Painters, is pleased to announce the release of our 2010 calendar on Zazzle.com. We've gathered Humboldt County scenes painted by Kathy O'Leary, Rachel Schlueter, Linda Mitchell, and Amy Stewart. Zazzle has made it very easy for artists to create calendars, notecards, postage stamps, and other products with - ["Street Vendors"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/street-vendors/): I'm still working my way through New York City! Every time I think I've painted all the interesting images from my trip last summer, I find another one. Street vendors are hard to resist--I love the umbrellas and these simple figures. These carts were at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, across from the Plaza, right - [Cake Boss, Botany of Desire, and Local Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/cake-boss-botany-of-desire-and-local-flowers/): Wow! It's been a big week, TV-wise. Here's what we've got: On TLC's hit show Cake Boss, watch Buddy & co make a cake based on Wicked Plants. They brought it to me at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden this summer. You can see the full episode here. Then, check out the PBS documentary of Botany - [Wicked News--and More News--and Still More!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-newsand-more-newsand-still-more/): My Neglected, Weedy, Overgrown Garden Gets Some Visitors Wow--it's been a busy autumn for me. My friends at Fine Gardening paid a visit to Humboldt County a couple weeks ago. I tried to talk them out of coming to my garden, given the sorry, neglected state it's fallen into while I've been on the road, - ["59 First Avenue"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/59-first-avenue/): Click here to bid. It's been fun trying to track down the exact location of each of these paintings. In this case it was easy--the address of the 30-minute photo shop on the left was printed right on the awning. The shop in the center is a Vietnamese fast food restaurant called New Saigon, and - ["Rainy Day in Soho"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rainy-day-in-soho/): Click here to bid. I love it when it rains in New York because the umbrellas come out--great curvy colorful shapes against the geometry of the city. And you get those wonderful reflections on the streets and the sidewalks. This is a little one--5 x 7 on half-inch thick board, with a slot in the - ["Fifth Avenue at 59th"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/fifth-avenue-at-59th/): Click here to bid. Here come the New York paintings! I took this from the window of the incredible apartment we had for our last trip to New York. Right at the corner of 59th St and Fifth Avenue, with windows looking out over Central Park, the Plaza Hotel, and of course Fifth Avenue, straight - [South Beach at Night](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/south-beach-at-night/): Click here to bid. It's so nice to be home and painting again. I'm obviously on a Florida kick--here's another one, this time from a trip to Miami. This little alley was full of cafes and all lit up at night--a very festive scene. Lots of New York paintings to come! Details: 6 x 6 - [Cat Hair Hat at the fair](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/cat-hair-hat-at-the-fair/) - [Fair--a cat made of dog hair!](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/fair-a-cat-made-of-dog-hair/) - [Happy Cows at the County Fair](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/happy-cows-at-the-county-fair/) - [More garden wickedness!](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/more-garden-wickedness/) - [Wicked garden accessories](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/wicked-garden-accessories/): Spotted at the Indie Garden Center show... - [Wicked Plants on CBS Sunday Morning](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/wicked-plants-on-cbs-sunday-morning/) - [The Boat House!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-boat-house/): 5 x 7 inch oil on 1/2 inch board. Click here to bid. There's something so compelling about these little tropical scenes--the palm trees, the ocean, the sky, the little bits of architecture--they're lots of fun to paint! I need to give you a warning about this one if you're thinking of buying it. Although - [Back to the Easel!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/back-to-the-easel/): What a great feeling to be back from the book tour and finally able to pick up a paintbrush again. There will be lots of paintings of New York over the coming months, but for now I'm posting something I finished just before I left: a painting of a poolside guest house on an island - [CBS Sunday Morning: Tune In](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/cbs-sunday-morning-tune-in/): With any luck, it'll be Wicked Plants this weekend. Here's the lineup for Sunday, barring breaking news. - [Wicked Plants at BBG](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-plants-at-bbg/): Thanks to Flatbush Gardener for publishing these amazing photos of the event last Saturday. - [Wicked Plant sighting in Madison Square Park](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/wicked-plant-sighting-in-madison-square-park/) - [Wicked Lunch at BBG](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/wicked-lunch-at-bbg/) - [View from the Highline](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/view-from-the-highline/): Beautiful grasses and rudbeckia along this newly-reopened stretch of elevated rail tracks on New York's west side. - [Wicked Plants is a Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection for December!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-plants-is-a-pulpwood-queens-book-club-selection-for-december/): And I have the Official Seal to prove it. If you don't know about the Pulpwood Queens, let me introduce you to Beauty and the Book, located about an hour from where my grandparents used to live in East Texas. This is a part of the world that is very close to my heart. And - [Call It a Side Project...](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/call-it-a-side-project/): So last year I wrote a novel about my worst fear: the death of bookstores. The story came to me in a flash, in response to something that was happening around me at that very moment, but for a few months I fought against the idea of writing it. I'm a nonfiction writer, with four - [My Crazy Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/my-crazy-garden/): Good to be home! - [Wicked Plants at Google](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-plants-at-google/): On the book tour last month I had the extraordinary experience of getting to visit Google and give a lunchtime author talk to the employees. I was a little star-struck, to tell you the truth. It's a very cool set-up--I was speaking to a group there in Mountainview, but there were other people watching via - [The Indie Gardening Bestseller List](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the-indie-gardening-bestseller-list/): So I got a copy of this list because Wicked Plants was on it. Which is very cool. But it's an interesting list overall; rarely do we get any kind of comprehensive round-up of popular garden books like this. Check out the list here. Which ones are you reading? - [In Santa Cruz, I'm an Ex-Local Author](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/in-santa-cruz-im-an-ex-local-author/) - [Wicked Plants in Northern California](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-plants-in-northern-california/): Back in my home territory! Hope to see you at one of these. See my website for all upcoming events. Sunday, June 14, 2 pm Book Passage Corte Madera, CA Tuesday, June 16, 7:30 pm Discussion & Booksigning Reader's Books Sonoma, CA Wednesday, June 17, 10-12 Master Gardeners-only Event Santa Rosa, CA Wednesday, June 17, - [Good thing I don't illustrate my own books](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/good-thing-i-dont-illustrate-my-own-books/): Signing the guest book at KUOW in Seattle. - [How To Murder Your Dinner Guests](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/how-to-murder-your-dinner-guests/): Just in case you were wondering. - [On the Road: Pacific Northwest](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/on-the-road-pacific-northwest/): Portland? Seattle? See you there. Confirm dates & times with the venue before you go. See my website for all upcoming events. Saturday, June 6 6:30 pm 'Daisy Chain' garden event Location TBA For details, email kbryant at SpiritOne dot com Portland, OR Sunday, June 7 2 pm Discussion & Booksigning Powell's Books Cedar Hills - [Wicked cart at BBG](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/wicked-cart-at-bbg/) - [Wicked plants going in the ground at BBG](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/wicked-plants-going-in-the-ground-at-bbg/): It's starting! Good thing they're wearing gloves! - [Wicked Plants trading cards at BBG](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/wicked-plants-trading-cards-at-bbg/): Collect all three. - [Which one would you go to?](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/which-one-would-you-go-to/): Be honest, now. - [Salem, MA](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/salem-ma/): Salem is weirdly into witchcraft. I kept thinking, like, weren't they falsely accused? - [Wicked Plants: Get To Know Them at Brooklyn Botanic Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-plants-get-to-know-them-at-brooklyn-botanic-garden/): Oh man, this is going to be so much fun. I get on a plane tomorrow for the East Coast, and I can't wait to get to BBG and see their wicked plants in person. We've been working together behind the scenes on this exhibit for a year or two now, and here we go! - [Chicken Paintings!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/chicken-paintings-2/): I get a surprising number of e-mails from people who want to know when I'm going to do some more chicken paintings. Well, good news: I've got a series of them going up at Lost Coast Daily Painters over the next few weeks. I usually post on Tuesday, so go check it out if you're - [East Coast Book Tour Dates](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/east-coast-book-tour-dates/): The Wicked fun continues on the East Coast at the end of May. Stop by and say hello. Please confirm dates & times with the venue before striking out, and know that some of them require pre-registration. See my website for all upcoming events. Thurs, May 21 11 am Flower Confidential Discussion & Booksigning Peabody - [And I Thought Coke Had Some Funny Ingredients!](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/and-i-thought-coke-had-some-funny-ingredients/): Turns out Coca-Cola isn't the only soft drink to have some interesting botanical ingredients. Yes, Coke still contains coke--or at least, a cocaine-free extract of the coca leaf, but did you know that the original formula for Dr. Pepper may have contained the narcotic mandrake root? Check out this auction listing for a handwritten ledger - [What I Do In Between Book Tour Stops](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/what-i-do-in-between-book-tour-stops/): Plus: 115 emails sent (about what? I have no idea)4 loads of laundry1 book launch party Saturday night9 relatives in town1 sick cat3 website changes1 newspaper interview2 beers, 2 glasses wine, 1 martini (not all at once) - [Who's the Next Sustainable Kitchen Garden Guru?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/whos-the-next-sustainable-kitchen-garden-guru/): Maybe it's you. Hollywood is calling. Seriously. Go here and check it out. - [My kind of booksigning](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/my-kind-of-booksigning/) - [At the Crowell Library](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/at-the-crowell-library/) - [Wicked Plants: The Reviews Are Coming In](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/wicked-plants-the-reviews-are-coming-in/): "Deliciously eerie...entertaining, informative -- and a little unsettling." -- LA Times "Nibble at your peril...after reading Wicked Plants, you'll probably - if briefly - look at every inhabitant of your garden with caution...We have new respect for the awesome, often-hidden and sometimes-deadly powers of the botanical world." --Philadelphia Inquirer "Be careful: Stewart's book can be - [Behind the Scenes: The USDA Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/behind-the-scenes-the-usda-poisonous-plant-research-laboratory/): A couple of years ago I took a research trip to Logan, Utah to visit the USDA's Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory. From the photographs on their website, I was expecting a sort of horticultural X-Files experience: something very high-tech, state-of-the-art, but also mysterious, subversive, and possibly dangerous. And in fact, that's exactly what I got. - [My Poison Box](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/my-poison-box/): When I first started writing Wicked Plants, I had this idea for something I wanted to do on the book tour. "I'm going to find some kind of old leather doctor's bag," I told my editor one day in New York, "filled with little vials and boxes. I'll put my poisons in there--strychnine seeds, castor - [Wicked Plants Book Tour: Cincinnati, LA, Eureka, Minneapolis](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/wicked-plants-book-tour-cincinnati-la-eureka-minneapolis/): And so it begins: the book tour madness. Here's a list of my first few stops. If you're in the area, please do stop by and say hello! Check out the full schedule here, and expect my posts to be sporadic, weird, mostly typed on cell phone keypads, and primarily concerned with airport delays, for - [Wicked Plants at the White House](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/wicked-plants-at-the-white-house/): This just in from The Onion. WASHINGTON—In his first major gaffe since taking office, President Obama accidentally stepped too close to the ferocious, man-eating plants of the White House Rose Garden Monday and was nearly devoured whole. read on: Obama Narrowly Survives Carnivorous Section Of Rose Garden - [Mother's Day Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/mothers-day-flowers/): I wrote an essay for the Guardian on Mother's Day flower in anticipation of the British Mother's Day (which happens earlier than ours) and in anticipation of the publication of the UK edition of Flower Confidential. Read it here. - [Wicked Plants--The Art](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/wicked-plantsthe-art/): I think Wicked Plants just went off to the printer, and in about six weeks I should have a copy. That'll be cool, but what's even cooler is the spin-off project that has come out of this: the artist, Briony Morrow-Cribbs, who created original copper etchings of 40 wicked plants for the book,is doing a - [sLowlife](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/slowlife/): Here's a podcast I recorded to go along with the very cool sLowlife exhibit about plant science. Check it out. - [Gilding the Lily](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/gilding-the-lily/): Flower Confidential is being published in the UK under a new name and with a new cover. The British publisher is Portobello Books; I worked with them to add several new sections about English flower farmers and the situation in Kenya, which exports flowers to England. I interviewed some great flower farmers, including Heather Gorringe - [Evo Morales on a Wicked Plant](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/evo-morales-on-a-wicked-plant/): In today's New York Times Evo Morales Ayma, president of Bolivia, argues in favor of legalizing the traditional use of coca leaves. He makes a gloriously horticultural argument, stating in part: Many plants have small quantities of various chemical compounds called alkaloids. One common alkaloid is caffeine, which is found in more than 50 varieties - [What's Wrong With My Book](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/whats-wrong-with-my-book/): Someday I'm going to have a T-shirt printed up that says, "Uncorrected. Please Do Not Quote Without Comparison With Finished Book." Because that so perfectly describes how everything in my life goes. This is the standard language that appears on galleys, also called advanced reading copies, those early paper-bound version of a book that are - [Hello, Visalia!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/hello-visalia/): I'm off to Visalia for the Tulare & Kings County Master Gardeners annual Landscape Extravaganza. I'll be giving a keynote speech in the morning and then a workshop on worms. This is a really interesting event--a truly in-depth horticultural symposium with lots of interesting speakers, including several people I've been wanting to meet for years. - [Press Kits & Galleys](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/press-kits-galleys/): Algonquin's press kits for Wicked Plants have gone out into the world, along with the galley! I should have actual finished books in a couple of months. - [Who Needs a Website When You Can Have a Blog?](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/who-needs-a-website-when-you-can-have-a-blog/): I try not to blog about blogging too much, but this is so cool I just had to share it. (and by the way, Seth Godin wrote about this years ago and HarperStudio recently asked this question, so I am by no means the first person to think of this) Let's say you're a small - [Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/happy-birthday-charles-darwin/): On the event of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, I am thinking about his fabulous book, The Formation of Vegetable Mould, through the Action of Worms. If you're going to read any book by Darwin, start with this one. He did the most fascinating earthworm experiments and documented them in meticulous detail. (And yes, I devoted - [Where Did The Paintings Go?](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/where-did-the-paintings-go/): I am still painting--I just haven't been posting lately. Before long I'll be on a book tour and this blog will be full of book tour news and weird cell phone photos taken from my hotel window (I know, you can't wait, right?) and other such things. But. The good news is that I have - [The Teleflora Superbowl Commercial](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/the-teleflora-superbowl-commercial/): In case you missed it. And if for some reason the video below doesn't play, watch it here. Now, here's what's interesting about this. There's an unwritten rule in the flower industry that you don't put down someone else's product to promote your own. Over the years, the Society of American Florists has sent letters - [Poisonous Plants on the Playground](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/poisonous-plants-on-the-playground/): photo credit here. Nice. According to this news report, a toddler in Florida was out on the playground when a teacher noticed he'd put something in his mouth. It was a rosary pea seed (Abrus precatorius), which contains the deadly toxin, abrin--a poison similar to ricin. Fortunately, the seed has a hard shell and the - [Ready For My Close-Up](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/ready-for-my-closeup/): On most days, the only way I get through my life is by reminding myself that it's okay to have very relaxed standards about pretty much everything. The whole house needs to be vacuumed, but it's not as if Good Housekeeping is coming over to do an inspection later this afternoon, and besides, nobody ever - [My garden library](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/my-garden-library/): Amazon interviewed me about my garden library for their blog--check it out here. - [The Garden of 2009](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the-garden-of-2009/): January never really feels like the beginning of the year to me. September, with its end-of-summer, back-to-school vibe, is the time of year that makes me feel like I’m starting over. January just feels like more of the same: more cold, more wet, more long, dark nights. But I can’t help but look ahead and - [Wicked Plants: The Trailer](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plants/wicked-plants-the-trailer/): There will be much more news about my new book in the next few weeks. But let's begin with: the video! My oh-so-clever brother (who is off to Sundance with the latest film he edited) planned, directed, shot, and edited this over the summer. We used the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery for the shoot--a wonderful - [Visitors to the garden](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/visitors-to-the-garden/): I was headed outside today with the intention of cutting down the overgrown verbena bonariensis, which was looking quite brown and dull now that it's truly winter. But there were three bright yellow finches--at least, I think they were finches--perched on the wiry stems, picking seeds out of the flowers. So the tall purple verbena - [Bloom Day](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/bloom-day/): Among garden bloggers (a small but mighty force in the blogosphere) there is a tradition of posting a photo of whatever happens to be blooming in your garden on the fifteenth of each month. It's a useful practice for a gardener; if you keep it up for a couple of years, you will be able - [Garden Gifts, 2008](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/garden-gifts-2008/): It used to be such a simple, innocent question. What do you want for Christmas? Tell me and it will save me the trouble of buying the wrong thing. Tell me and you'll probably get it. It's a question we've heard from our spouses, parents, children, friends--what do you want? And just like that, you - ['Houston Deli & Grocery'](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/houston-deli-grocery/): 6 x 8 oil on linen panel. Click here to bid. More eBay paintings here, and Etsy here. If I lived here, I 'd be home by now. I don't know what it is about the idea of living in a little apartment above a store that appeals to me so much. It's like an - [Pomegranate](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/pomegranate/): 6 x 6 oil on board. Click here to bid, and go here to see more paintings on eBay or Etsy. This is the fourth in a little series of square paintings done from photos I took at the last farmers market of the season. It's also on the thicker, 1/2 inch masonite board with - ['Winter Squash'](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/winter-squash/): 6 x 6 oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see more paintings on eBay or Etsy. This is the third of four farmers market paintings--the other two are below and I'll put one more up tomorrow. They're all on this nice thick masonite board--really fun to paint on and easy to - [What I'm Thankful For: Dirt](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/what-im-thankful-for-dirt/): Last week I posted a survey on GardenRant asking gardeners if the economic downturn had put a dent in their horticultural shopping habits. Of the 85 people who voted, a third are going to the garden center a lot less than they used to in order to avoid temptation, and another twenty percent have brought - [Persimmons--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/persimmons/): 6 x 6 inch oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see more paintings on eBay, and here to see paintings on Etsy. Another little square painting, also on this 1/2 thick masonite board with grooves in the back so it can hang right on the wall. - [My Silly Hen](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/my-silly-hen/): Usually our chickens go through a very discreet winter moult, losing one little patch of feathers at a time, so you hardly notice it's happening. But not Eleanor. Poor girl--she seems to have dropped half her feathers at once. She looks like half a chicken. Fortunately chickens don't spend much time looking in the mirror, - [Eggplant Pair](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/eggplant-pair/): I tried out a new surface this weekend--a 1/2 inch thick masonite board with grooves in the back so that you can hang it right on a nail with no extra hardware. It's a nice surface and it's fun to do a square painting again. I've been attached to these 8 x 10 boards for - [on eBay--'Fifth Avenue Reflection'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-ebayfifth-avenue-reflection/): 6 x 8 oil on linen panel. Click here to bid. Go here to see my other eBay auctions, and there are also some paintings for sale on Etsy. Once again--a painting I'm so pleased with that I took it off the easel and photographed it before it even had a chance to dry. I - [The Obama Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the-obama-garde/): I wrote this on the morning after the election, as I was trying to tame my hangover in time for more champagne at another victory party that night. During his acceptance speech last night, President-Elect Obama laid out many challenges that Americans face, but he overlooked our most pressing problem: what to do with all - ['Apple Harvest'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/apple-harvest/): 8 x 10 oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions, and see more paintings on Etsy. I hung out in a friend's apple orchard the other day. The apple season around here starts as early as July and can last into January. As he said, "I was harvesting - [on eBay--'Gaslights'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-ebay-gaslig/): 8 x 10 oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions, and there are more paintings for sale in my Etsy shop. It's funny how some paintings look better when they're photographed, and some look worse. I have very often photographed a painting to put on this blog, looked - [Hummingbird Plants](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/hummingbird-plants/): Along the West Coast, unusually cold winter temperatures damaged hummingbird favorites like bougainvillea and Mexican bush sage. Now is the time to replant and welcome hummingbirds back into your garden. Consider drought-tolerant natives such as California fushcia, monkey flower, and lupine. Aloes thrive in both desert and seaside areas and attract hummingbirds with their bright orange blooms. Cottage - [Prairie Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/prairie-gardens/): As California gardeners enter the drought season, alternatives to traditional lawns start to seem more attractive than ever. Consider giving a strip of your lawn over to prairie and meadow flowers; you may well find yourself letting it take over the entire lawn over the years. Start with drought-tolerant natives like California poppy and yarrow. Add Western - [Fall Bird Gardening](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/fall-bird-gardening/): Let things go this fall and the birds will thank you. Put your rake away and allow leaves to gather where sparrows and brown towhees can scratch among them for insects. Let your cosmos and sunflower go to seed. Resist the temptation to prune salvia—the flowers provide a welcome food source for hummingbirds in the fall, and you - [Brush Piles](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/brush-piles/): If you have plenty of space and you’d like to let a part of your yard go wild, consider a living brush pile made of juniper or another evergreen. A brush pile offers shelter and cover for small birds and mammals, and will be most welcome if placed near a wooded area or around the edge - [Natives and Non-Natives](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/natives-and-nonnatives/): The birds in my neighborhood take happily to natives and non-natives alike. A naturalist visited my house once and cringed at the sight of two dozen double-breasted cormorants perched in the eucalyptus trees across the street. The trees are the worst kind of non-native: toxic, invasive, highly flammable, but as long as the cormorants call them home, the - [Bird-Friendly Shade Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/birdfriendly-shade-garden/): The shady spot in my garden is bordered by a garage wall to the south, a camellia tree to the east, and a wild, overgrown wisteria to the west. It would have been easy to ignore this area and concentrate on the sunnier places in my garden, but the birds led me to the shade and - [Hedgerows](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/hedgerows/): Coastal Californians have long relied on hedgerows to help tame the salty sea wind that blows in off the Pacific in the wintertime. Farmers recognize their benefits for erosion control and windbreaks, but now hedgerows are gaining new respect as a way to attract beneficial insects and birds to farms, thereby helping to reduce the use - [Dogwoods](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/dogwoods/): Maybe I’m just longing for spring, but I’m convinced that California gardeners could hardly do better than to choose a Pacific dogwood, a California native, or the more widely known Eastern dogwood, as a focal point in the garden. Both produce grey branches that grow in a pleasing horizontal pattern in winter. Both burst into spectacular bloom - [Bird Gardening in California](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/bird-gardening-in-califor/): From great egrets standing majestically in a coastal marsh, to spotted owls roosting in an old-growth redwood forest, to mockingbirds building a nest in a backyard citrus tree, California’s bird population is as diverse as the geography of the state itself. From my window in Santa Cruz, I see Anna’s hummingbird visiting a late-blooming salvia, double-crested - [Backyard Fruit Trees](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/backyard-fruit-trees/): A woman up the street from me goes to great lengths to protect her fig tree from thieves. She drapes netting over the entire tree to protect it from an invasion from above. As the tree has grown, she’s had to construct a wood frame to support the netting and keep it in place. She’s - [A Better Lawn](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/a-better-lawn/): California gardeners are always looking for grass alternatives. Watering a traditional green lawn can be impractical in areas with long summer droughts, and many gardeners prefer the more free-flowing look of native grasses or wildflowers. The birds prefer this look, too: it provides them with a source of food and nesting material. If you like the look of - [Hummingbirds](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/hummingbirds/): Watching a hummingbird work its way around a Mexican sage in full bloom is one of the finest pleasures of summer here in California. Hummers are methodical about their feasting, visiting each flower along the stalk in strict order. The deep blue-purple flowers attract them, and the nearly year-round bloom keeps them coming back for more. A - [Birds in the Kitchen Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/birds-in-the-kitchen-gard/): I drive through the vineyards in Sonoma County, the heart of California’s wine country, at least once each season. I am always struck by their beauty: in autumn the grape leaves turn burgundy and gold, and in spring the mustard flower carpets the rolling hills, the gnarled vines standing out in stark relief against the expanse of - [Plant a Thicket](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/plant-a-thicket/): There are so many good choices for thicket plants that it is hard to pick just a few. Whether you have a small corner in your backyard or the luxury of a large lot and a nearby detention pond like Miles’s, these California natives will serve you—and your backyard wildlife—well. Start with a foundation of - [California Natives](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/california-natives/): I have seen native gardens flourish in the unlikeliest of places: on condominium patios, in a postage stamp-size front yard in one of those brand new subdivisions that are springing up all over the Bay Area, and around a corn and soybean farmer’s ranch house. Sure, California natives are drought-tolerant, disease and pest resistant, and good for - [Fast-Growing Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/fastgrowing-flowers/): I visit New Mexico every year and I’m always enchanted by the perennial Maximillian sunflowers growing along the side of the road and in front of adobe homes. Although these flowers are native to the Southwest, they also flourish in California soils and are well-suited to California’s dry summers. The plants bloom from seed in the first - [Early Spring Gardening](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/early-spring-gardening/): Here on the California coast, spring is neither soft, nor gentle, nor delicate: it is a wild and blowsy thing; a confounding season of violent wind, surprise rainfalls, and occasional spells of warmth and sunshine designed to lure you outdoors in the false hope that summer is just around the corner. Just as it starts to seem - [Bird Gardening in a Small Backyard](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/bird-gardening-in-a-small/): Many Californians, particularly those close to the coast, live on postage stamp-sized lots. Planting trees are out of the question and may even be prohibited by homeowners association restrictions. But that doesn’t mean you can’t offer birds shelter, food sources, and nesting sites. First, look around you. Is there an overgrown holly across the street, a tangle of - [Butterfly Plants](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/butterfly-plants/): The most important butterfly plant that California gardeners could plant is asclepias, or milkweed. Monarch butterflies feed on milkweed and ingest an alkaloid from the plant that makes them taste bad to predators. Adult monarchs lay their eggs in milkweed and the plants provide the sole food source for the caterpillars. Over time, the monarch’s habitat has been - [Bird-Friendly Lawn](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/birdfriendly-lawn/): I have a neighbor who dreams of having a lush meadow in her front yard, but she’s not quite ready to give up her tidy green lawn. She’s found a way to have the best of both worlds by keeping most of the lawn neat and manicured, while letting a good-sized section just outside her kitchen - [Winter Garden Shrubs](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/winter-garden-shrubs/): One of my favorite winter plants for birds is a California native shrub called a snowberry, or Symphoricarpos albus (also called S. racemosus). It works well in a thicket with other plants—think ceanothus, coffeeberry, and vines like the native clematis—but it can also stand alone in a remote corner of the garden devoted to wildlife. Snowberry - [Troubleshoot Your Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/troubleshoot-your-garden/): My garden woes fall into two categories: poor soil and insect problems. I’m not alone; many California gardeners, whether coastal or inland, struggle with depleted clay soils. Insect problems are a different story: some battle whitefly and aphids, others struggle with tent caterpillars, still others carry on a never-ending war against snails. The key, in all cases, is to cultivate - [Container Gardens for Birds](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/container-gardens-for-bir/): I’ll never forget the trip I took to Vancouver Island a few years ago. Along the main streets in the town of Victoria, enormous hanging baskets were suspended from wrought-iron poles. Flowers tumbled out in every direction, forming a shaggy mass of blooms that completely covered the pot. An eclectic assortment of plants was packed into each container: I - [Bog Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/bog-gardens/): A friend of mine decided to turn a perpetually damp spot in her garden into a bog, complete with a pond submerged in the middle. What a great way to handle a difficult spot in the garden. Buying a plastic pond liner and installing a pump cost far less than the expensive French drains that would - [Glorious Salvias](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/glorious-salvias/): I can think of no better water-wise plant than salvia for California gardeners. It is beautiful, tough, and hummingbirds love it. There are so many varieties to choose from that I will only hit the highlights here. However, if you find salvia as irresistible as I do, you’ll want to pick up Betsy Clebsch’s The New Book of - [Hedges for Wildlife](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/hedges-for-wildlife/): When you’re planting a hedge, think native all the way. This is a perfect setting in which to use entirely native plants. They’re sure to attract wildlife, they won’t require extra water after the first year, and they’ll resist diseases and pests. After all, this is not an area you want to spend time fussing over. Save that for - [Manzanitas](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/manzanitas/): An excellent “all in one” plant for California gardeners is Arctostaphylos, the manzanita. They’re evergreen, so they provide winter shelter. Many species produce berries and some have spring flowers that attract hummingbirds. Low-growing varieties provide cover and a place to forage for insects. Best of all, they’re attractive and hardy native plants that require almost no water once established. - [Organic Gardening](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/organic-gardening/): In her 1962 book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson told a story about robins and worms. The story went like this: Elm trees were being sprayed with DDT, an insecticide used to combat mosquitoes and lice. In the fall, the elm trees dropped their leaves, and those leaves were devoured by earthworms living among the roots of the trees. But - [First Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/first-gardens/): My first garden had little to offer the birds that inhabited my coastal California neighborhood. Most of the gardens up and down my street overflowed with cheery flowering shrubs and small trees—all the lots were tiny but densely planted—and mine was nothing but bare dirt. There was a lemon tree and an orange tree, an overgrown wisteria, - [Vines in the Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/vines-in-the-garden/): Vines do a great deal for the garden: they add vertical interest, cover unsightly features of the landscape, and offer plenty of benefits to wildlife. Any garden can accommodate a vine: a teepee of bamboo stakes tied together with twine will work just fine, and I’ve even stripped the branches off my Christmas tree, put the greenery - [Backyard Trees for the Birds](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/backyar-trees-for-the-bir/): If you’ve never experienced the sharp, tangy fragrance of a freshly-crushed bay laurel leaf, I hardly know how to describe it. The leaves of the native bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) make a good substitute for the sweet bay (Laurus nobilis)—that pungent dried bay leaf that you fish out of a savory stew just before serving. - [Preparing for Winter](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/preparing-for-winter/): In the milder areas of California, some gardens are just coming into their own for the year. While gardeners in other parts of the country are facing their first frosts, many Californians are enjoying the first ripe beefsteak tomatoes of the year. One of the reasons for this difference is that the Pacific Ocean acts as an - [Invasive Exotics](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/invasive-exotics/): A friend called recently to tell me he’d just bought his first house. He had never planted a garden before, but he couldn’t wait to get started. “I just love the ivy,” he told me. “I know I’ll keep that.” Well, maybe not. Most gardeners, even beginning gardeners, quickly come to realize the pitfalls of invasive, non-native plants. English ivy - [Winter Planning](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/winter-planning/): In the middle of winter, when the ground in most parts of California is too wet to work, there is still something you can do to get the garden ready for summer. Whether you want to rejuvenate last year’s flower beds, reclaim a section of lawn for a little wilderness area, carve out enough space for - [Fruit Trees](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/fruit-trees/): I’m gratified to see that more and more gardeners are getting interested in the wild golden currant, Ribes aureum. This California native is more of a shrub than a tree, although in the right setting, it can reach six to eight feet tall and has all the presence of a small tree. Golden currant sports sturdy, - [Beneficial Insects](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/beneficial-insects/): One of the best ways to keep harmful pests in check, and to provide a food source for birds, is to encourage a diverse insect population. And one of the best ways to do that is to plant what they like—in particular, plants with clusters of very small flowers. That’s right. Just increasing one particular type of - [Gardening Mistakes](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardening-mistakes/): I went to visit some old friends recently—my former next-door neighbors, in fact. Visiting them meant seeing, for the first time in years, the house I used to live in. I tried not to look, but it was hard to avoid. There lay my first garden, in ruin and neglect. When I lived there, I could make constant corrections, - [Late Summer Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/late-summer-gardens/): I spend the late summer doing two things: praising the virtues of salvia, and getting ready for fall planting. My flower garden tends to “pop” in May and June, then go into sort of a decline after that. Many of the spring and summer wildflowers are past their prime, the rhododendrons and azaleas have long since - [Fall Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/fall-gardens/): At last: this is the time of year when I can let the garden go to seed, literally and figuratively, and feel no guilt about it. Here on the coast, I get to enjoy summer annuals right through Halloween, because our warmest temperatures come in September and October. So there are still plenty of flowers - [Neighbor Envy](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/neighbor-envy/): I’ve made more gardening-related New Year’s resolutions than I can count, and I’ve kept fewer of them than I’ll ever admit. I live on the coast in northern California, and while the climate is fairly mild—the term “last frost date” is meaningless here—it’s the constant rain that keeps me out of the garden. With nothing to do - [Hardscape in the Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/hardscape-in-the-garden/): Now that the garden is springing back to life, it’s a good time to take a look at the big picture. A garden is about more than plants and birds and butterflies—it’s about structure, too. Here’s what I do to tune up my “hardscape” in spring: Safety first. Check porch railings, wooden steps, fenceposts, and trellises. Did - [Shade-Loving Plants](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/shadeloving-plants/): If you’ve lived with your garden for more than a year, you know that the shady areas around your house shift constantly. My open, sunny backyard is on the north side of the house, which means that it may get sun all summer, when the sun is high in the sky, but in the winter, when - [Inferno Strips](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/inferno-strips/): Every garden has one of those difficult spots that is impossible to water or maintain. It could be a sidewalk strip, a bed alongside a driveway or garage, or just a corner of the yard that the hose can’t reach. In those places, you need some plants that can stand up for themselves. The first step - [Berries for the Birds](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/berries-for-the-birds/): My garden is a little bit larger than the typical coastal California lot, which means that it’s just slightly bigger than a postage stamp. I want to add more berry-producing shrubs and vines; I really do. The problem is, I don’t have the room. That led me to plant my “bird feeders” in the alley behind the - [Evergreens](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/evergreens/): I recently got to visit an extraordinary backyard. From the street, I thought I was in an ordinary suburban neighborhood. There were a few redwood trees just beyond the rooftops, but it was hard to imagine that I’d be standing in a cool, damp redwood forest in a few minutes. The idea of cultivating a - [Gardening in Small Spaces](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardening-in-small-spaces/): Everyone defines a “small garden” differently. To someone living in the country, a small garden might anything under half an acre. To a city dweller, a patio, balcony, or planting strip by the front door is a small garden. And even someone living on a typical suburban lot might only devote a small patch of - [Gardening with Old Roses](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardening-with-old-roses/): I learned all about roses from an old rose grower in my hometown. (The roses are old, not the grower.) Her relaxed approach to rose care made me realize that roses really could fit into my extremely relaxed—some would say neglected—garden. Take the California native Rosa californica. This deciduous shrub rose prefers sun near the coast, but will - [Gardening with Grass](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardening-with-grass/): My main source of grass-related inspiration has been a book by Nancy Ondra called Grasses: Versatile Partners for Uncommon Garden Design. The book is aimed at people who want to work grasses into a naturalistic perennial garden, so there are plenty of creative ideas for pairing grasses with lavender, salvia, sedum, aster, and even roses - [Planting a New Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/planting-a-new-garden/): It’s not easy to wait before you plant a new garden, but there are some good reasons to do it. Also, there are a surprising number of ways to keep yourself occupied while you let a year pass, watching what happens, waiting to make the most critical decisions. If I was starting over right now, - [Groundcovers](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/groundcovers/): The hot topic of conversation among gardeners this year seems to be the future of the American lawn. Does it make sense to water and feed that stretch of grass in front of the house during summer droughts? Are chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and nematocides safe for children and pets? Does anyone really have time to - [Winter Container Gardening](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/winter-container-gardenin/): When it comes to winter gardens, Californians have it easy. The biggest challenge is keeping containers from getting too waterlogged during winter rains, but that problem is easily solved by moving flower pots under a porch roof or even stashing them under a patio table during a storm. Some California gardeners will see frost or - [Garden Tips & Tools](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/garden-tips-tools/): I try not to cut my perennials back in the winter. Those tall, brown stalks may hold seed heads that provide a food source for birds. Some varieties of salvia continue producing flowers all winter long, offering up nectar and a little color in an otherwise drab landscape. The problem is that winter storms, - [Feed the Bugs!](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/feed-the-bugs/): Doug Tallamy has a message for gardeners: let the bugs eat. From an insect’s perspective, there’s no such thing as pest damage. A leaf riddled with holes is a good sign: it means that the food chain is working. Tallamy, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, has - [Gardening for Cavity-Nesting Birds](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardening-for-cavitynesti/): Cavity-nesting birds seek out the very habitats that tidy gardeners may be tempted to eliminate. Old stumps, half-dead trees, and even very mature trees in need of a good pruning may be the very spots that provide nesting sites to bluebirds, woodpeckers, and others. But if you do have the space in your garden, consider - [Water Gardening for the Birds](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/water-gardening-for-the-b/): I live about eight blocks from the ocean, just close enough to get a surprise visit from a shorebird now and then. And like many coastal California gardeners, I live with nonstop rain in winter and a drought in summer. That drought is accompanied by the chilly fog that rolls in off the Pacific, which - [BATS!](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/bats/): It was just another typical evening in the Stewart-Brown household. ME: Honey, would you like to hear some fun facts about bats? SCOTT: Actually, I was just wondering if there were any fun facts about bats I hadn’t heard already, so your timing is perfect. ME: Did you know that there’s a guy at HSU who has developed - [on eBay--'Algonquin Hotel'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-ebay-algonq/): 6 x 8 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see more paintings on eBay or on Etsy. And now for something completely different. I've always taken pictures of bars and hotel lobbies--I just love all those warm, glowy lights. I finally decided to give one a try. This - ["Peppers 2"--on eBay](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/peppers-2-on-e/): 5 x 7 inch oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see more eBay auctions, and even more paintings on Etsy. Another little one. I don't know which I like more, the peppers or the blue carton. They're both fun to paint. - ['Peppers'](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/peppers/): 8 x 10 inch oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see other eBay auctions, or check out even more paintings on Etsy. I am very happy with this painting. A happy painting on a happy day. I think I'll go paint another. - [on eBay--'Cherries'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-ebay-cherri/): 5 x 7 inch oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions, and there are even more paintings on Etsy. Another little one. I did this cherry painting in Carol Marine's workshop in Santa Fe this summer and I was so pleased with it that I've held onto it - ['Egg Cups 2'](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/egg-cups-2/): 5 x 7 inch oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions, and go here to see more paintings on Etsy. And here are Eleanor and Abigail's eggs. A thing of the past right now--all four of them are moulting, and won't lay many eggs until spring. I might - ['Egg Cups'](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/egg-cups/): 5 x 7 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all paintings on eBay, and check out even more on Etsy here. These two eggs came from Bess and Dolley. Tomorrow I'll put up another small one, very similar, of Eleanor's and Abigail's eggs. - [on eBay--'Cherry Tomatoes'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-ebay-cherry/): 5 x 7 inch oil on art board. Click here to bid. See my other eBay auctions here. I've also got some paintings for sale on Etsy. This is a smaller size than I usually do--only 5 x 7--but it means that everything is exactly life-sized, which makes sense, somehow, in this case. I was - ["Autumn Squash"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/autumn-squashes/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see more eBay auctions, or check out my Etsy shop, where I have even more paintings. These little pumpkins and gourds are SO much fun to paint, especially on days when the sun is shining! - ["The Joy of the Joy of Cooking 2"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-joy-of-th-1/): 8 x 10 inch oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. And check out more paintings on Etsy. The second, and last (at least for a while) Joy of Cooking painting. - [The Joy of the Joy of Cooking--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/the-joy-of-the/): 8 x 10 inch oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see more eBay auctions, and visit my Etsy shop here. This is my grandmother's Joy of Cooking. I think it's an edition from the sixties. Scott uses it a lot, mostly to look up old-fashioned recipes like macaroni and cheese or - ["Five Little Peppers"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/five-little-pep/): 8 x 10 oil on board. Click here to bid. See more eBay auctions here and even more paintings for sale on Etsy here. - [I Feel Bad About My Neck.](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/i-feel-bad-abou/): Another sign that autumn is here: the chickens have started their winter moult. Poor Abigail is losing all her neck feathers at once. Very undignified. Not to mention a little punk. - ["Apple Gang"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/apple-gang/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. These apples looked slightly thuggish, so that's why I called them a gang. And actually, the two in the middle are apples, and the other two are peaches--but I'm not sure if anyone but me can - ["Apple Party"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/apple-party/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. As promised--apples. I'm hoping to get around to some pumpkins soon. So many interesting things to paint in the fall, so little time. Hey, here's something new: I've set up a shop at Etsy for - ["Onion and Garlic 3"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/onion-and-gar-1/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. The third and final in the series! For now, anyway... - ["Onion and Garlic 2"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/onion-and-garli/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. click here to bid. go here to see all eBay auctions. Number two of three in the "onion and garlic" series...onions are really tricky, but it's fun figuring them out. - [on eBay: "Onion and Garlic"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-ebay-onion-a/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. This onion posed for me several times over the last few days. I almost hate to eat it, after all the hard work it's put in. - ["Cup and Saucer 3"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/cup-and-sauce-2/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. Coming up next: Onions and garlic. - ["Cup and Saucer 2"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/cup-and-sauce-1/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. Cup and saucer, the sequel. One more coming tomorrow. - ["Cup and Saucer"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/cup-and-saucer/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. There are three of these cup and saucer paintings. This is one of Scott's favorite coffee cups, and one morning we had the kitchen door open and the light was just gorgeous. So the other - ["Cosmos"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/cosmos/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. Cosmos turn out to be surprisingly tricky to paint, but I couldn't resist this one. There's lots more coming up--some apples, some peppers, some onions--the light is so beautiful in the fall and there's so - ["Princess Flower"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/princess-flower/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. I was mostly interested in the glass vases, so I liked the idea of just putting a leaf or a bud in there instead of a flower. But the other day I hit on the perfect - [Seasonal Wildlife Gardening](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/seasonal-wildlife-gardeni/): Fall: If you have plenty of space and you’d like to let a part of your yard go wild, consider a living brush pile made of juniper or another evergreen. A brush pile offers shelter and cover for small birds and mammals, and will be most welcome if placed near a wooded area or around - [Gardening in the Pacific Northwest](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/gardening-in-th/): Those of us who garden on California's North Coast tend to live in a state of denial about the fact that we are actually gardening in the Pacific Northwest. We like to think of ourselves as California gardeners. You know, California. Santa Barbara. Monterey. That sort of thing. But the fact is that we have - ['Fennel Blossom'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/fennel-blossom/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. I have five paintings drying outside right now. They're stacking up! Anyway, more series--I bought these little glass vases and I just love painting them. Another one coming tomorrow, and I'll probably get back to - ["Tomato Trio 2"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/tomato-trio-2/): 8 x 10 inch oil on board. Click here to bid. See all eBay auctions here. I'm doing everything in series right now. There are two of these; I've got three apple paintings in the works, and another chicken series coming up. It's fun to make three or four different attempts at the same thing. - ["Tomato Trio"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/tomato-trio/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. The paintings are stacking up again, so here we go! - [Amy's Bailout Plan](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/amys-bailout-pl/): OK, so this is wildly off-topic, but I can't help myself. As a former government employee, it's a wonder to me that we are willing to spend $700 billion on this bailout when we could skip the bailout and instead use the money to help people weather a financial crisis directly. That way, irresponsible lenders - [The Garden Writers Discussion Board](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the-garden-writ/): So this weekend at the Garden Writers Association conference, the association's new website was 'unveiled' after 18 months of planning and design by the website committee. It's not live yet, but we've already heard about one thing it doesn't have: a discussion board for members. This news resulted in groans from members who want some - [The Straw Bale Affair](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the-straw-bale/): As the Summer That Never Quite Was draws to a close, I submit to you my final report on the state of my straw bale garden. Thanks to all of you who keep inquiring about it – actually, I'm surprised that the idea has sparked so much interest. In the last few weeks several people - [Eureka Books in the NYT!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/eureka-books-in/): Guy walks into our bookstore, turns out to be a photographer from the NYT. Doing a story on the redwoods. And lo, some months later, here's the story--and Eureka Books! To see our photo, you need to launch the interactive feature, click on Eureka, and look at photo #8. OK, so it's a little obscure, - [Garden 2.0](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/garden-20/): For months I've been ignoring the Facebook and LinkedIn invitations my friends have been sending me. I spend too much time on the computer anyway; the last thing I need is to get sucked into social networking. A cousin who is also a writer told me that Facebook was a wonderful way to procrastinate. While - [on eBay: Three Plums](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-ebay-three-p/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all paintings. Plums are cool to paint because of that bluish sheen. It's a fun thing to try to get right. - [on eBay--'Cocktails'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/on-ebay-cockta/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. I love the colors in a bar. Hard to get good pictures, but this one worked out. - [On eBay-- "Cherries in a Green Bowl"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/cherries-in-a-g/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. It feels good to be painting again! There's more to come in the next week or two. - [IGC](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/igc/): Resources for garden centers who are going green: Green Business Resources: Construction/Remodel: LEED for Retail National initiatives: Institute for Green Business Certification American Consumer Council Green C Certification Regional examples: Washington, DC area Green Business Program Local initiatives: Santa Monica’s Green Business Certification Other industries: Organic Trade Association’s Good Organic Retail Practices Organic/Sustainable Plant Certification: - [Remedial Flower Arranging](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/remedial-flower/): For the last month, I have stood guiltily by and watched my flower garden fade. The daisies, feverfew, butterfly bush, and catmint have bloomed so aggressively that I couldn't possibly keep up with them. After hacking his way through the flowers to get to the chicken coop recently, my husband meekly suggested that I could - [Book Tours](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/book-tours/): Ann Patchett says it all in the Atlantic. Brilliant and so true. - [Get Your Social Networking On](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/social-networki/): Do you LibraryThing? Are you LinkedIn? If you're into bookish social networking, stop by my page on one of these sites and say hello: Facebook -- I've got a page, and my books have a page. Send me a friend invite! Twitter--Follow my Twitter activities here. Linkedin -- Social networking for professionals; lots of creative - [New Email Newsletter Options](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/new-email-newsl/): Just a quick note about a new way to get email updates from me, or to get blog posts emailed to you directly. Go here to find out how. - [See You in Idaho and Chicago](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/see-you-in-idah/): I'm on the road again this month--if you're in the area, drop by and say hello. (and for those of you getting this post by e-mail, I'm testing out a new option for email notification. Thanks for your patience.) Wednesday, August 13 6 pm Discussion & Booksigning Sawtooth Botanical Garden Ketchum, ID August 19-21 Lecture - [Art and Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/art-and-gardens/): A couple of months ago, I spent an afternoon at the di Rosa Preserve, a private art collection housed on a lovely piece of land between Napa and Sonoma along the Sonoma Highway. The collector, Rene di Rosa, is almost 90 years old. His collection of modern art, which now totals over 1700 pieces, fills - ["Oriental Poppy 2"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/oriental-popp-1/): 8 x 10 oil on board. Click here to bid. See other auctions here. Here, as promised, is the second poppy. I'm working on tomatoes now--think I will do two or three as a series. It's fun to paint something more than once because you get to try different approaches. And for these smaller paintings--8 - ["Oriental Poppy 1"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/oriental-poppy/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. See all eBay auctions here. As the title implies, this is one of two Oriental poppies. I cut this flower in my garden and painted it from life that afternoon. It moved and changed in the vase as I painted it--Oriental poppies just - ["Cherries in a Glass"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/cherries-in-a-g-2/): 8 x 10 oil on board. Click here to bid. There's something so great about painting cherries. I think what I love about it is experimenting with different shades of red. I just bought a bag of them, so if I can manage to paint them before I eat them all, there will be more - ["Grapes"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/grapes/): 5 x 7 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Grapes, plums--they have a bluish sheen that makes them an interesting challenge. I've got some plums set up next to my easel right now. We'll see what I can make of them. - ["Two Artichokes"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/two-artichokes/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. I've been painting a lot lately--in fact, they're starting to stack up. Time to clear out the attic again. I'll put several up over the next week or two--enjoy! - [Vegetatitve Matter](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/vegetatitve-mat/): In February, a couple dozen of our friends and relatives made the windy, rainy trek to Humboldt County for the grand reopening of our bookstore. It was yet another winter family gathering. They’ve been here before at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and now, after having made the journey in February, they probably think that Eureka has - [Mammals of Mass Destruction](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/mammals-of-mass/): I could have put a layer of chicken wire under my straw bales before I set up my clever new straw bale vegetable garden. How easy it would have been. Clear the weeds, lay down the chicken wire, arrange the bales on top. Had I done that, I would have had a no-dig, weed-free, compostable - [Eat Your Trash](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/eat-your-trash/): For years, people in the gardening industry -- seed companies, plant growers, owners of garden centers -- have complained that gardening is on the decline. People don't have time to garden anymore, they said. This younger generation just doesn't want to spend the weekend in the backyard. Or if they do, they don't consider the - [Wind Damage](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/wind-damage/): I've been getting e-mails from gardeners in my neighborhood all week. Everyone’s freaked out about the blazing heat followed by the rain and the fog followed by the maddening wind. “What’s up with this weather?” people keep asking me. Like I would know. As I write this, it's the wind that's making everyone nuts.It's a - [How to Make a Blogger Very, Very Happy in One Easy Step](https://www.amystewart.com/cocktails/how-to-make-a-blogger-very-very-happy-in-one-easy-step/): 1. Send her free gin. 2. There is no #2. Seriously, folks. It's a one-step, no-brainer, guaranteed zinger of a promotion idea. Best of all, I have two blogs, so I got two packages just like this. A shot of Hendrick's and a cucumber, along with a little card sending me to their website. (Note - [Straw Bale Gardens, Part Two](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/straw-bale-ga-1/): Recently, I wrote about my new experiment in vegetable gardening. The idea was to build raised beds out of rice straw bales, creating a no-dig bed that would basically turn into one giant compost pile at the end of the season. I heard from several people who were interested in trying the same thing themselves, - [Straw Bale Gardens, Part One](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/straw-bale-gard/): In the last few years, I have almost given up on vegetable gardening. When I moved to Eureka, I laid out my backyard with the intention of growing almost exclusively fruits and vegetables. Sure, there would be a border of perennial herbs and flowers, but I wanted the main attraction to be neat rows of - [Change of Plans](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/change-of-plans/): If you were planning to come to the event in Mendocino on Wednesday night, I'm sorry to say that it's canceled because of a family emergency that requires me to fly back to Texas. I'll try to reschedule soon. Check the Events page for details when it's back on. - [An Eco-Friendly Florist in Davis](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/an-eco-friendly/) - [West Coast Book Tour events](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/west-coast-book/): I'm headed off for a little paperback tour--stop by and say hi if you're in the area-- Saturday, May 31, 10 am Note--registration required. Discussion & Booksigning Descanso Gardens La Canada, CA (LA area) Tuesday, June 3, 7:30 pm Discussion & booksigning Books, Inc. 301 Castro Street Mountainview, CA Wednesday, June 4, 7:30 pm Discussion - [Garden Coach, Part Two](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/garden-coach-pa/): Several posts ago, I wrote about my meeting with Genevieve Schmidt, an Arcata garden coach. I'm the ultimate low-budget do-it-yourself gardener, and apart from hiring a guy with a truck to haul off uncompostable green waste from time to time, I didn't really know much about working with horticultural professionals. Apparently I'm not the only - [Coupons, no less!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/coupons-no-less/) - [Chicken Paintings!--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/chicken-paintin/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid on either painting. Note that paintings will ship on May 20. Several weeks ago, a woman got in touch with me and asked for a chicken painting. I did two paintings and have a couple more in the works, but my latest emails - [See You in Albuquerque!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/see-you-in-albu/): I'll be at Bookworks on Saturday at 3 pm. Come say hello! Bring a friend! Bring all your friends! - ["Two Apples"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/two-apples/): 8 x 10, oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see other eBay auctions. I'm getting ready to head to New Mexico for a week-long painting workshop with Carol Marine. Don't ask me how I found the time--I didn't. I just decided several months ago that if I waited until - [See you at the LA Garden Show](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/see-you-at-the/): I'll be there Sunday at noon--details here. - [What Can a Garden Coach Do For You?](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardencoach2/): Two weeks ago, I wrote about my meeting with Genevieve Schmidt, an Arcata garden coach. I'm the ultimate low-budget do-it-yourself gardener, and apart from hiring a guy with a truck to haul off uncompostable green waste from time to time, I didn't really know much about working with horticultural professionals. Apparently I'm not the only - [The Garden Coach, Part One](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the-garden-coac/): I blog with a group of opinionated gardeners at gardenrant.com; one of my partners in crime on that site makes her living as a garden coach. At first I wasn't sure why the world needed one more kind of horticultural professional. We already have designers, landscape architects, arborists, engineers, lawn care services, and landscape crews - [I Get By With a Little Help from My Coach](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardencoach/): I blog with a group of opinionated gardeners at gardenrant.com; one of my partners in crime on that site makes her living as a garden coach. At first I wasn't sure why the world needed one more kind of horticultural professional. We already have designers, landscape architects, arborists, engineers, lawn care services, and landscape crews - [NY in spring...sigh...](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/ny-in-springsig/) - [Lilies at Rockerfeller Center](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/lilies-at-rocke/) - [Baltimore --view from my hotel](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/baltimore-vie/) - [See You in Baltimore, CT, and NY](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/see-you-in-balt/): It's spring and I'm back on tour for the paperback of Flower Confidential. If you're in Baltimore, CT, or NY, I hope you'll stop by and say hey. Friday, April 4 12-1 Discussion & Booksigning Walters Art Museum Art in Bloom Baltimore, MD Tuesday, April 15, 7 pm Discussion & Booksigning RJ Julia Booksellers Madison, - ['Apple Trio'](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/apple-trio/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. I don't know what it is about apples. They are fun to paint, and I can get totally absorbed in trying to get those splotches of gold and red just right. I think I might do - ['Mr. & Mrs. Salt and Pepper Go to Fort Lauderdale'](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/mr-mrs-salt-and/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. This is kind of a strange, silly little painting, but I'm putting it up here anyway. I was in Fort Lauderdale by myself earlier this year, and I sat at a sidewalk cafe, looking at - ['Refrigerator Dishes'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/refrigerator-di/): SOLD. 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. I love these old Pyrex dishes. They're the only thing we use in our fridge. No Rubbermaid for us. I thought it would be really fun and easy to paint these three primary colors, - ['Oranges and Lemons'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/oranges-and-lem/): 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Click here to see all eBay auctions. Oranges and Lemons: also the name of an XTC album I listened to constantly in college. This fruit bowl was sitting on a friend's counter, just perfectly composed. Took a rather poor photo with my - ['Bookshelf'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/bookshelf/): SOLD. 8 x 10 inch oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. I thought this would be my last painting of books for a while, but just today I started photographing a stack of books on the table in my office, so I may be back at it. I've been fussing over several - [See you at the Garden Shows!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/see-you-at-the-2/): This month, I'm in Boston and San Francisco. If you're going to the shows, stop by and say hi. In Boston, I'm also leading a tour of the show gardens at 9 am on Saturday. Apparently my role is simply to provide witty commentary. I'm much more witty at 5 pm with a glass of - [Why Shop at Your Local Florist?](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-you/): Check out my article about local florists on the Flower Shop Network's website. And by the way, their website makes it pretty easy to find an actual florist to order from--here, for example, is what I get when I search for florists in Santa Cruz, CA. - [Ecuador: Flower Power](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/ecuador-flower/): A very cool ten-minute documentary on Nevado Ecuador, one of the farms I visited when I was researching Flower Confidential. Check it out here. - [Sam's Club Sells Fair Trade Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/sams-club-sells/): It's very cool to see a large company like Sam's Club get behind the Fair Trade program. They're now offering Fair Trade flowers for sale on their website. You can read all about Fair Trade flowers here, but the important thing to know is that in addition to labor and environmental standards, a portion of - [The Paperback!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/the-paperback/): Complete with a new afterword. Coming soon to a bookstore near you.... - ['Decapitated Eggplant'--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/decapitated-egg/): 8 x 10 oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all auctions on eBay. Another eggplant from the same series. I'm thinking about doing more fruits and vegetables with their heads cut off. Keeps it interesting. These are the last paintings that will be up for a while--I'm on the road - ['Death of an Eggplant'](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/death-of-an-egg/): 8 x 10 inch oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. My editor asked for an eggplant painting. You'd think it would be easy to make eggplants interesting, but I was having a hard time coming up with something compelling, so I cut its head off. Much better. - [Garden & Nature Articles and Essays by Amy Stewart](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/articles/): Welcome to my archive of how-to gardening articles, essays, gardening book reviews, and gardening travel articles. I've been writing a garden column for over a decade, and many of those columns are included here. I write about organic gardening, composting, habitat gardening, water-wise gardening, and much more. I'm also the author of three books on - [Eco-Friendly Flowers in the New York Times](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/eco-friendly-fl/): "And as in other industries with increasing demand for green products, the floral industry is debating what is environmentally correct. Should flowers be organic — that is, grown without synthetic or toxic pesticides? Or should the emphasis be on fair trade, meaning that the workers who grow and cut them are safe and well paid? - [Book Tour Dates](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/book-tour-dates/): I'm headed back out on the road soon. If you're in Spokane, Springfield, IL, Virginia, Baltimore, New York, or New Mexico, check the Events page for details. More dates coming soon...it's going to be a busy spring... - [Luxury Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/luxury-flowers/): One of the things that comes up a lot when I talk to florists is the idea of a 'luxury' flower. There is such a thing as a high-end, high-quality, bigger, better, bolder, and more fragrant flower. And those flowers cost more. Why? Some of them are hard-to-get new varieties for which breeders charge a - ["Stack"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/stack/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. The weather's been pretty gloomy lately, so it's hard to get the warm, clear light that I think old books deserve. But every time the sun comes out I start yanking books off the shelf to - ["Books and Vase"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/books-and-vase/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. I set up this still life at our bookstore. I took the photograph at kind of an odd angle, which made this oddly-shaped vase look even more off-kilter. I decided to really just let it look - [Ft. Lauderdale --not too sunny, but WARM](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/ft-lauderdale/) - ["Books, Again"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/books-again/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. Another bookish painting. I fussed with this one for several days, which hardly makes it a daily painting, but in the end I was happy with it. More books to come...they turn out to be a - [Some Thoughts on the Weather](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/some-thoughts-o/): At last, the winter solstice will be over and the days will be getting gradually and imperceptibly longer. That's fine with me: having a few minutes of daylight and a few degrees of warmth snatched away from me day by day has left me feeling irritated and impoverished. I should be in tune with the - ["Books"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/books-1/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all my eBay auctions. Here's the finished painting. I tried to go easy on it and keep the whole thing fairly loose and sketchy, and I'm happy with the way it turned out. I'm going over to the bookstore - ["Tansy"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/tansy/): 8 x 10 oil painting on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see other eBay auctions. I brought this tansy with me when I moved to Eureka from Santa Cruz seven years ago. In Santa Cruz, it was a reasonably well-behaved plant. It grew to some sensible height (a few feet? - [Books!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/books/): I've had this idea for a while now that it would be fun to do a series of still life paintings of books. It sounds simple, but books are tricky. It's hard to make a bunch of rectangles look interesting, and getting the perspective just right becomes very important. So here's my first attempt. We - [Flower Confidential a February Booksense Notable](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/flower-confiden/): The February 2008 Booksense Picks are out from the American Booksellers Association. This is a sort of national "staff picks" list put together by independent booksellers. Last year they chose Flower Confidential for the list, and this year the paperback edition is listed again in the "Notables" section. There is really nothing more exciting for - [Stirring the Pot](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/stirring-the-po/): When you record a commentary for NPR, you don't always know exactly when it will run. Breaking news can really move things around. So I didn't know that my All Things Considered commentary on this nearly-finished Year of Eating Locally was going to run until I started getting pissed-off emails from complete strangers. The commentary - ["Manhattan Window Box"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/manhattan-windo/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. Ahhhh, New York in spring. Amazing how one window box full of tulips can say "April" in a way that nothing else can. The great thing about tulips: they're even more charming when they've been battered - ["Strawberries"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/strawberries/): 6 x 8 inch oil on canvas board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all my eBay auctions. I'm on a fruit kick. I used an upside-down Fiestaware dish for this one. Fiestaware is fun to paint--the colors and shapes are so bold and simple--I should play around with that more. I think - [The Language of Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-language-of-flowers/): Want to show someone how much you appreciate them? Send them a lisianthus. Need to express your respect for a good friend? How about a bouquet of sunflowers and yellow roses? Appalling, I know. Let me explain what’s going on. Our good friends at Hallmark have gotten themselves into the florist business, and they’ve launched - [Summer Vacation](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/summer-vacation/): Some people think that summer is the most relaxing time in the garden. Everything’s growing on its own: the tomatoes are ripening on the vine, squash plants are sending out long tendrils, sunflowers are reaching toward the sky, and the bees and ladybugs are busy from sunup to sundown, scarcely able to attend to all - [The All-American Lawn](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-allamerican-lawn/): Each year, Briggs & Stratton, the self-proclaimed world’s largest producer of air-cooled gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment, holds an All-American Lawn contest. For some reason they’ve decided that I need to know about this event, and every year they send me an elaborate press kit, complete with fact sheets and glossy photographs. Usually the - [Winter Solstice](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/winter-solstice/): By the time you read this, the winter solstice will be over and the days will be getting gradually and imperceptibly longer. That's fine with me: having a few minutes of daylight and a few degrees of warmth snatched away from me day by day has left me feeling irritated and impoverished. I should be - [Foraging for Vegetables](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/foraging-for-vegetables/): I realized recently that I don’t write nearly enough about vegetable gardening. The reason for this is simple: I don’t have one. I understand very little about what’s happening in my own garden, so how could I be expected to have anything at all to say about what’s not happening in my garden? But in - ["New York Fruit Stand"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/new-york-fruit/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed art board. Click here to bid. See other eBay auctions here. When I go to New York, I take a lot of pictures of fruit stands. Fruit stands and doorways--that's my Manhattan oeuvre. I've got another doorway painting on my easel now. But the thing about the fruit stands - ["Two Apples"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/two-apples-2/): Oil on canvas board, 8 x 8 inches. Click to bid. Go here to see all eBay auctions. Oil paints are the perfect medium for a writer. Writing is all about revision and reworking, and the same is true of oils. You try something, you wipe it off, you try something else, you paint over - ["Two Cherries"--SOLD](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/two-cherries/): Oil on canvas board, 5 x 7 inches. Click here to bid. See all eBay auctions here. All I want for Christmas is more time to paint! It's been a busy fall. I've been working hard, but in the new year, I would like more time to PLAY! I have a new easel and I - [Christmas Decorations](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/christmas-decor/): Our store manager (who is inside, hard at work) happens to be married to someone with some talent for Christmas decorating, and she came up with the idea of the stockings with books inside them. We also managed to get a few lights up, although it's clear that we need more lights in our store - [Eureka Books staff meeting](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/eureka-books-st/): Ah, the underbelly of the antiquarian book business. We've been bookstore owners for exactly one week, and so far it's been just about the most fun we've ever had. We've also had some good media coverage, including: This front page story in the Eureka Times-Standard. This story in Publishers Weekly. This write-up in Shelf Awareness. - [Cake from Booklegger](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/cake-from-bookl/) - [All I Want for Christmas Is a Used Bookstore](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/i-think-i-just/): How are we going to fit this under the tree? Eureka Books has been in Old Town for 20 years, and the owners were ready to retire. The store was either going to be closed or sold. Scott has loved this store for a long time and bought many treasures for his own collection there. - [GardenRant is too awesome for words](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/gardenrant-is-t/): We got picked up on BoingBoing, y'all. It's been a busy week over at GardenRant World Headquarters. - [Gifts for Gardeners 2007](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gifts-for-gardeners-2007/): We gardeners are not—I repeat, not—difficult to buy for. The only thing you need to know is that the items you see advertised as gifts for gardeners—floral-printed oven mitts, silver trowel-and-spade earrings, CDs of peaceful bird songs—are actually not gardening gifts at all. They are gifts with a gardening theme, and that’s a whole different - [Photographing the Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/photographing-the-garden/): This spring, a group of garden bloggers got the idea to post a photograph on the 15th of every month showing what's blooming in their garden. (If you'd like to check it out, just Google "garden bloggers bloom day" and you'll see what I mean.) It's a great idea to use a garden blog to - [Still More Plant Theft](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/still-more-plant-theft/): A few years ago, I wrote a tirade on the subject of flower theft. My front yard is full of flowers, and I understand what a temptation this can pose to people walking down the sidewalk. But some of the thieves in my neighborhood were particularly conniving, walking right up to my front door and - [GardenWalk](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardenwalk/): Last Friday, I got a plane and flew to Buffalo, New York to meet a group of women I met on the Internet. We’ve all been blogging together (at www.GardenRant.com) for over a year, but this was our first time to meet in person. I'm the only West Coast gardener in the group. One of - [Digging Dog Nursery](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/digging-dog-nursery/): A couple of weeks ago, I took the long way home from the Bay Area and drove through Mendocino. Before I left, I made an appointment to visit Digging Dog Nursery, source of all good things in the universe. Well, my universe, anyway. I have been a Digging Dog junkie for years. I keep their - [Ready for a Close-Up](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/garden-visitors/): Last month, I was in New York and I stopped by my publisher's office to have a chat with my editor. While we were talking, my editor’s boss walked in and told me that she would be in Northern California in September. I asked her if she would like to stop by while she was - [The Bee House](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-bee-house/): I'll do just about anything to make a bee happy. I’ve filled my garden with asters and sedum and what ever else the bees seem interested in. I let leaf cutter bees carve tiny holes in my rosebushes and fly off unsteadily with a bit of green clutched between their legs. (I think they use - [Old Rare Bulbs](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/old-rare-bulbs/): So there you are, wandering around the garden center, feeling like you are wasting your time because the garden is so overgrown that there's not room to plant anything anyway. Back home, there are weeds to be pulled and the last of the summer vegetables to be harvested. The season has come to an end - [Crickets and Spiders](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/crickets-and-spiders/): There has been a lot of bug action at my house lately. On warm nights, the chorus of crickets from the front yard is loud enough to get a little embarrassing. If I go outside and walk up and down the street, it becomes obvious that the entire cricket scene is happening at my house - [Asters](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/asters/): It was a perfect day to be in the garden. There had been just enough rain to make the ground damp and easy to dig, but not enough to turn it to mud. More rain was on its way, but not right away. Time to start transplanting. I’ve been working on this gradual transformation of - [The Big Chill](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-big-chill/): At the plant sale in Trinidad a couple weeks ago, everyone was talking about what they’d lost during the freeze. Many of us were still having a hard time believing that it had happened at all. “It was just one freeze after another,” someone would say, shaking her head. “Night after night. It never let - [The Sunset Western Garden Book, Take Eight](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-sunset-western-garden/): At this year’s San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, the Sunset staff had put up a sign showing every edition of their famous “green book” going back to 1954. The caption asked, “Do you remember your first?” I remember my first. It was the sixth edition, about thirteen years ago. I was shamed into buying - [Keeping Bees](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/keeping-bees/): I’ve been away from the garden too long. After a couple of months on the road, the place is a mess. Those hard freezes back in January turned some of my favorite shrubs into popsicles, but somehow spared the weeds, which have taken over. I’ve got some serious garden restoration work to do—and I’ll be - [Green Lawns](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/green-lawns/): A couple of weeks ago, a friend was complaining to me about the number of chemicals that an ordinary person can get exposed to in a typical day. "And then the weed and feed guys come by," she said, "and who knows what gets tracked into the house from the lawn?" It sounded as if - [GardenRant in USA Weekend](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/gardenrant-in-u/): Read all about it here. - [Gardening in the Rain](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardening-in-the-rain/): So there I am, sitting at the kitchen table, looking glumly out at the rain. “What am I supposed to write about this week?” I ask my husband. “It’s raining. There’s nothing to do outside.” “Write about the rain,” he says. That sounds rather Zen, but there’s something to it. If you live in Humboldt - [New Year's Resolutions](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/new-years-resolutions/): I’ve been gardening on the same piece of land for six years now, and you’d think I’d have everything figured out. But the garden is still a place of constant change, as I try to figure out Eureka’s weather, its soil, and even its butterfly and bee population. I worked for years to build the - [Garden Gifts](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/garden-gifts/): A couple days ago, my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas. “You know what I want for Christmas,” I said. “No, I don’t,” he said. “I have no idea.” “Just last night,” I said, “I was sitting up in bed reading the Vosges Chocolates catalog and I said that I wanted a box - [The Apple Harvest](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-apple-harvest/): If Thanksgiving is, fundamentally, a celebration of the harvest, then there was not much of a harvest at my family’s Thanksgiving feast. The Brussels sprouts I planted last summer leafed out as soon as the weather turned cold, and then the cabbage lopers arrived, carving intricate lace patterns into every leaf. Although the little green - [Nothing to Plant (and other perils of fall gardening)](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/fall-planting/): A few weeks ago, I was making my usual Saturday morning circuit of the local nurseries looking for something to plant. It’s fall, after all. Everybody who’s ever read a gardening magazine knows that fall is the season to plant, especially here on the West Coast. It’s about to start raining regularly, and that means - [The Dirt on Bulbs](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/spring-bulbs/): I’m in denial about the fact that summer is over and the first day of fall is fast approaching. It would be easy to wallow in this denial until my mother called to ask me what I was bringing to Thanksgiving, except for one thing: bulbs. They’re in nurseries this month. If you don’t plant - [London Calling](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/english-gardens/): You’d think that leaving the country would force me to take a break from the garden, but I just got back from two weeks in London, and there’s nothing like a trip to England, ancestral home of many American gardeners, to make you want to get home and get your own yard in shape. I - [My Overcrowded Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/my-overcrowded/): Something has changed about my garden this year. It’s reached a kind of critical mass, finally. It’s matured. Most of the perennials have been in the ground long enough to reach their full size, and some, like the two dozen lavender I planted when I moved in, are now old and woody and ready to - [Tomatoes Revisited](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/tomatoes-revisited/): Earlier this year, I said that I was re-entering the dicey world of Humboldt tomato growing with a new planter called a Topsy-Turvy that allows the tomato to hang upside down, which lets it grow without coming into contact with soil and soil-borne diseases. It also keeps the roots warm and eliminates the need for - [That Giant Sucking Sound? It's Your Lawn](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/waterwise-lawns/): The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) could not have predicted this summer’s heat wave when they chose July as the month to release their new report on outdoor water use in California (or maybe they did—it’s not hard to predict a warming trend these days), but the timing could not have been better. It’s - [The Overcrowded Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-overcrowded-garden/): Something has changed about my garden this year. It’s reached a kind of critical mass, finally. It’s matured. Most of the perennials have been in the ground long enough to reach their full size, and some, like the two dozen lavender I planted when I moved in, are now old and woody and ready to - [Miami's stalled construction boom](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/miamis-stalled/) - [From hotel window, Miami](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/from-hotel-wind/) - [See You in Miami?](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/see-you-in-miam/): I'm on my way to the Miami Book Fair. My event is Sunday at 11; come say hello if you're there. And in the "this has nothing to do with gardening" section: While I'm gone, please head over to NPR's website and hear Peter Sagal's brilliant commentary on the insanity of the American dream. I - [Meet the Haggards](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/meet-the-haggar/): Pete Haggard didn’t take a vacation for ten years. Why? There was no one to watch the bugs. Haggard, a Humboldt County agricultural inspector, began photographing and cataloging northern California insects over a decade ago. The result is a new book from Timber Press, Insects of the Pacific Northwest, which he co-authored - [Cool-Season Tomatoes](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/coolseason-tomatoes/): It happened again. I got suckered into planting tomatoes. I’m already regretting it. In his new book The $64 Tomato : How One Man Nearly Lost his Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden, William Alexander documents—and accounts for—his struggle to grow the perfect tomato and - [The American Lawn](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-american-lawn/): I’ve never been a fan of lawns, those expanses of green, fertilizer-and-herbicide-hungry plants mowed down to within and inch or two of their lives. It’s a monoculture, and a boring one at that. If you’re going to cover the earth in front of your home with just one plant, choose something interesting. Something that blooms - [Brilliant Bugs](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/brilliant-bugs/): Pete Haggard didn’t take a vacation for ten years. Why? There was no one to watch the bugs. Haggard, a Humboldt County agricultural inspector, began photographing and cataloging northern California insects over a decade ago. The result is a new book from Timber Press, Insects of the Pacific Northwest, which he co-authored with his wife - [Urban Legends](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/urban-legends/): The tall tale started, as all good tall tales do, in Texas. Homeowners in Houston circulated this warning on the Internet: “After the hurricane in New Orleans many trees were blown over. These trees were then turned into mulch and the state is trying to get rid of tons and tons of this mulch to - [Allergy-Free Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/allergyfree-gardens/): A couple years ago, I went to visit my cousin Colin in Minneapolis in early spring. As soon as I got into town, I developed all the symptoms of a horrible cold—sore throat, congestion, and headache. Nobody likes a sick houseguest, but I had no choice but to beg Colin to let me crawl into - [Garden Gossip](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/garden-gossip/): Okay, we get one week of sunshine and everybody starts making gardening plans. I’ve been inundated with news of a horticultural nature in the last week, so I’m handing the reins (make that the shovel) over to my inner gossip columnist diva this week. In true gossip column fashion, we begin with moi. I just - [Naturalist New Wave Garden Design](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/naturalist-new-wave-garde/): I’m going to take a moment and let you consider the idea of “new wave” gardening. Go ahead and make a joke about incorporating the spirit of Devo into your perennial border. There, that was fun, wasn’t it? OK, let’s move on. Gardeners do love their fads. Cottage gardens, tropical gardens, and Mediterranean gardens have - [Great Garden Catalogs](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/great-garden-catalogs/): I can’t remember a catalog season as ferocious as this one. On the day after Christmas, the Pottery Barn catalogs stopped suddenly, as if a spigot had been turned off, and all at once the garden catalogs flooded in. I get two or three of them a day. It’s impossible to keep up. Where are - [Making Sense of Organic Pesticides](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/making-sense-of-organic-p/): If you're reading this, you’re probably an entirely organic gardener, or a mostly organic gardener, or, at the very least, I imagine that you, dear reader, would like to cut back on the chemicals you use in your garden if you only knew how. You’ve probably figured out that organic gardening is not just about - [Blueberry season!](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/blueberry-seaso/): I got into blueberries in a big way recently. One or two shrubs hardly seemed worth the trouble, so I came home with six plants and a commitment to buy more if I could find room for them. I’ve been trying to fill one long border with culinary plants—herbs, fruit, artichokes, kale, anything edible—so blueberries - [Grow Your Own Blueberries](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/grow-your-own-blueberries/): I got into blueberries in a big way last weekend. One or two shrubs hardly seemed worth the trouble, so I came home with six plants and a commitment to buy more if I could find room for them. I’ve been trying to fill one long border with culinary plants—herbs, fruit, artichokes, kale, anything edible—so - [Gifts for Gardeners](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gifts-for-gardeners/): I was dashing through the mall the other day, completely distracted, oblivious to my surroundings, as I looked for some little gadget I needed in order to keep my life humming along. I don’t even remember what it was now—a phone cord, a coffee pot—something essential and unexciting. It took a while, but eventually this - [A New Design for an Old Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/a-new-design-for-an-old-g/): I could never be a real garden designer or a landscape architect. I’m not that organized. I can’t think big. Trees that won’t mature for twenty years? Retaining walls? Gazebos? I can’t picture it. I’m one of those one-plant-at-a-time gardeners. I fall in love with a plant, I buy it, I put it in the - [Here's Your Chance to Go to Ecuador](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/heres-your-chan/): If you're in the flower industry and have never been to Latin America, or if you're a flower lover who is quite certain that you will be sick and tired of cold, grey weather by February, listen up. There's a tour of Ecuador's flower industry coming up in February, and it's worth checking out. - [Rain Gear](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/rain-gear-1/): If you’re not a gardener, you might think that gardening is mostly about the plants: what to plant, where to plant it, what to feed it, when to prune it. While it’s true that gardeners are deeply involved with the lives of their plants, let’s not overlook another critical—and often exasperating—aspect of a gardener’s life: - [Rain Gear](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/rain-gear/): If you’re not a gardener, you might think that gardening is mostly about the plants: what to plant, where to plant it, what to feed it, when to prune it. While it’s true that gardeners are deeply involved with the lives of their plants, let’s not overlook another critical—and often exasperating—aspect of a gardener’s life: - [Fabulous Frogs](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/fabulous-frogs/): Ellin Beltz is seriously into frogs. That’s right, I said frogs. I first met Ellin at a meeting of the Ferndale Garden Club, where I was giving a talk about earthworms. My book on the subject had just come out, and I was warming up for the book tour by traveling around to nearby nurseries - [Ornamental Grasses](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/ornamental-grasses/): For years, I wanted nothing to do with ornamental grasses. I thought they were boring and unproductive. They don’t produce anything to eat and the flowers are insignificant. They don’t attract hummingbirds or butterflies. What’s the point? But over time, I’ve been persuaded. I realized that the ornamental grasses in my neighborhood look good year-round, - [The Girls Review Their Press Coverage](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/the-girls-revie/): Organic Gardening magazine sent a photographer to the house a few months ago to take some pictures of me and the chickens; the results are in the November issue. As you can see, the hens were thrilled to see themselves in print. If you're here just for the chicken blogging, check out the Chickens category. - [Calling All Garden Clubs, Book Clubs, and Organizers of Rowdy Get-Togethers](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/calling-all-gar/): If you're part of a group that gets together to swap stories, tell lies, read books, dig in the dirt, or drink good wine or cheap beer, I hope you'll check the Events page and see if I'm coming to your part of the world. I just got a flurry of requests from garden clubs - [At the Center for Urban Horticulture, Seattle](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/at-the-center-f/) - [At the Center for Urban Horticulture, Seattle](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/at-the-center-1/) - [Dahlia season at Pike's Market, Seattle](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/dahlia-season-a/) - [A New Standard for Sustainable Agriculture](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/a-new-standard/): If you're in the floral industry, or if you're a "stakeholder" when it comes to sustainability in agriculture of any kind, you'll want to know about a meeting coming up on October 29. (This meeting is not open to the general public, but to "companies, organizations, scientists, regulators and others working on sustainable agriculture issues - [The Garden Blogger Challenge](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the-garden-blog/): During the month of October, GardenRant is participating in the DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge. Here's how it works: teachers choose projects they want funded, bloggers pick projects they want to support, and challenge their readers to make donations. GardenRant has chosen a bunch of school garden projects and is encouraging other garden bloggers to join in. - [Why Stop at Twelve?](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-stop-at-twe/): After hearing from several florists who wanted to talk more about the benefits of buying from a local florist, I've spent the last twelve days listing a dozen reasons to buy flowers from a florist. Thanks to all of you who have posted comments or sent e-mails. But why stop there? I'm sure I left - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #12](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-11/): 12. We have more fun. Highlight your special events, promotions, and crazy sense of humor. "Is it your birthday? Come in for a free flower. And don't forget to watch our sign out front. Every Monday we pick a name at random, and if we put your name on the sign, you get a free - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #11](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-10/): 11. We're affordable. Okay, can I just say one thing here? We each have our own definition of "affordable." Let's say you have to buy a gift for your neighbor's daughter's baby shower. You don't know this person very well, but they picked up your mail last time you were out of town, and now - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #10](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-9/): 10. We're artists. Everybody thinks they can arrange flowers, right? Remind them of your fabulous talents without putting off the do-it-yourselfers. "We hate cookie-cutter designs as much as you do. You won't find any boring, fern-and-baby's breath mixed bouquets in our shop." "We want our flowers to take your breath away, not put you to - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #9](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-8/): 9. We go the extra mile. I'm talking mainly about deliveries here, but go ahead and broaden the concept to talk about other ways you go the extra mile. I've heard lots of great stories from florists, and I wonder why they don't turn those stories into advertisements or local news articles. For instance: "Look - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #8](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-7/): 8. We care about the environment. The floral industry is the ultimate green business. I won't bore you with the facts and figures that demonstrate what a large percentage of your customers care about this issue. It's obvious to everybody that 2007 has been the Year of Green. The truth is that some of the - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #7](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-6/): 7. We Give Back. Florists probably get more requests for charitable donations than just about any other kind of business. Remind the community about everything you do for them. Put somebody in charge of charitable giving, and have them keep track of the results. "Last year, we donated over 10,000 flowers and 1,000 volunteer hours - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #6](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-5/): 6. We're part of your community. Buying local is the new buzzword. Get involved in your Local First (here's another list, or just google "Local First" and your city) or downtown merchant's association. Learn about how local merchants are promoting small, locally-owned businesses over big boxes. Remind your customers, and your city council members, that - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #5](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-4/): 5. We'll handle your long-distance orders. Your customers have probably had a bad experience with order gatherers, without even really knowing what an order gatherer is. But you can be sure they don't like the idea of dealing with a call center. "Sending flowers out of town? Call us and we'll get the order to - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #4](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-3/): 4. We offer a money-back guarantee. Can you offer a 7-day vase life guarantee? What about 5 days? "All of our flowers come with a vase life guarantee. Just follow our simple care instructions, and if your flowers don't last a week, we'll replace them or refund your money." "Wrong color? Wrong size? Wrong address? - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #3](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-2/): 3. We take better care of you. Your customers might not even realize how much personal service you offer. Give them some concrete examples. Don't just say "we have better service." Everybody says they have better service. "We know that people buy flowers on some of the best days -- and the worst days -- - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #2](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-1/): 2. We take better care of our flowers. Most people who buy flowers don't have any idea how to tell whether or not they're fresh. So it's up to you to teach them. If you're taking better care of your flowers than anybody else in town, let people know! "Your flowers should last a week - [Why Shop at a Local Florist: #1](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why-shop-at-a-l/): 1. Our flowers are better. OK, so I am, admittedly, starting out with one of the more controversial issues. Are the flowers really better at a flower shop? If so, why? And if not, can you expect people to pay more for them at a flower shop? I would say (and this is actually what - [Starting Tomorrow: A Dozen Reasons to Shop at a Local Florist](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/starting-tomorr/): I said last week that, in response to e-mails I've been getting from florists, I'd post a list of reasons why people should shop at their local florist. This all came about in response to the Today Show/Money Magazine piece on whether it makes sense to "splurge or save" on flowers. I said to splurge, - [Connecting authors, venues, and readers](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/connecting-auth/): It was only a matter of time before somebody figured out how to do this, and somehow I'm not surprised that it was Chris Anderson, editor of Wired and author of The Long Tail. The site is BookTour.com, and the idea is that authors upload information about their books and their tour dates, venues (bookstores, - [Some Thoughts About the Flower Biz](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/some-thoughts-a/): I got an e-mail this morning from a floral wholesaler who seemed surprised and outraged that I had "become the new spokesperson for the floral industry." It's not the first time I've heard some version of this comment. I know that some people in the flower business were a little surprised to see a book - [More Green Floral Fabulousness](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/more-green-flor/): Check this out, y'all. Oh, and by the way, my "Twelve Reasons to Shop at a Local Florist" will start on Tuesday, right after Labor Day. Southern California Wedding and Event Floral Designer to Feature Organic Roses in the Architectural Digest Green Room at the 59th Primetime Emmy® Awards Anaheim Hills, CA – August 29, - [Twelve Reasons to Shop at a Local Florist](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/twelve-reasons/): Money magazine's 1.9 million readers and the Today Show's 6 million viewers got the message that they should splurge on florist flowers rather than save on supermarket flowers. (This came after an interview I did with Money a couple months ago.) So that's a lot of people who just heard that they should take another - [Another Florist Goes Green](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/another-florist/): Check out this story about Magickal Florist in Nevada City here. - [The Today Show](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the-today-show/): Check out this episode of the Today Show, which gives advice about when to splurge and when to save on common household items, based on this article in Money magazine, in which they interviewed me about whether it makes sense to save or splurge on flowers. What do you think I told them? - [The Omnivore's Dilemma](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-omnivores-dilemma/): Michael Pollan does have a way of getting you to think about the food you eat. His most recent bestseller, The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World, explored the natural history of four plants that have adapted themselves to our needs, in the same way that a flower might transform itself to - [The FarmGirl Revolution](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/farmgirl/): MaryJane Butters is a force of nature. She bought a farm in Moscow, Idaho in 1986, hoping to live the rural life of her dreams. It was tough going, but she found some unconventional ways to finance the farm: she started a “Pay Dirt Farm School,” in which would-be farmers can pay three grand to - [This Week in Dirt](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/this-week-in-di/): Things are busy around here, but.... I talked to a reporter at the San Jose Mercury News about changes at the San Francisco Flower Mart--follow the link to the story. And here's a story I wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle about GardenWalk Buffalo and other similar walks. - [NYC, 9th Ave & 15th](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/nyc-9th-ave-15t/): This kind of architecture amazes me--the new busting out of the old. - [Buzz Lives!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/buzz-lives/) - [At the Missouri Botanical Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/at-the-missouri/): A flower demo before my talk -- from the St Louis Florists Network - [Mid-Summer Resolutions](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/midsummer-resolutions/): The year is half-gone. The summer solstice is past; the days are getting shorter already. It’s irritating the way time moves inexorably on, especially in a garden. I went on vacation for one lousy week and everything went to seed. It’s time to whack a path through the undergrowth, take stock of the situation, and - [Meet Me in St. Louis](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/meet-me-in-st-l/): Any St. Louis readers out there? I'll be at the Missouri Botanical Garden this Saturday. The St. Louis Florists Network is doing a floral demonstration at 11:30, then I'll speak at 12:30. Tell your friends...come out and say hello...see you there! - [Live from the Denver airport](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/live-from-the-d/): I'm on planes a lot this month. When I fly I've been reading Chuck Klosterman IV, a collection of his essays on music, sports, and pop culture that have run in Spin, Esquire, NYT magaine, etc. When I get home, this book is going on a short stack of books I keep nearby and read - ["Taos Adobe"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/taos-adobe/): 5 x 7 oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all auctions. If you spend any time at all looking at art in New Mexico, you realize what a cliche it is to paint adobe buildings. But they are hard to resist. There's something about that wonderfully uneven, rounded surface. This - ["Lemons"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/lemons/): 5 x 7 oil on board. Click here to bid. Go here to see all auctions. This was one of the fun, quick paintings that I did while I was in New Mexico. I just needed to use up the boards I'd bought and the paint that was on my palette, so I ran around - ["Garden Roses"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/garden-roses/): 5 x 7, oil on board. Click here to bid. See all auctions here. OK, this is the first time I've ever had fun painting roses. Maybe I just needed to loosen up. In fact, this was so much fun to paint that I'm thinking about doing a series of them, all based on this - [Late Summer Planting](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/late-summer-planting/): If you live near the coast like I do, you’re probably wondering what happened to summer. It’s as if the season showed up for a couple of days, looked around, and said, “Well, never mind.” Like a houseguest who is not nearly as excited about visiting you as you hoped they would be, summer showed - [Damn Fine Dahlias](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/damn-fine-dahli/): Every year these dahlias come up and I think, "What was I doing, planting these boring pinkish-white dahlias in a garden that's supposed to be all orange and red and purple?" In fact, they were probably mislabeled, because I have never been a pale pink kind of gal. But then enough of them bloom at - [Sweet Peas](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/sweet-peas/): The sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus, has been in cultivation in Europe and the United States for three hundred years. It was easy to hybridize—think of Gregor Mendel and the elegantly simple experiments he carried out on peas to demonstrate how genetics worked—and the flowers themselves were popular as cut flowers in the Victorian era, when - [Off to Buffalo](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/off-to-buffalo-2/): I'm off to Buffalo, NY this weekend for a real whirlwind of events. The main attraction is GardenWalk Buffalo, a very cool, laid-back garden tour featuring over 200 gardens, all within walking distance. The other main attraction is that all four of us GardenRanters are going to meet up (it's our first time to all - [Getting Ready for a Backyard Wedding](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/backyard-wedding/): Janis Eastman-Moore contacted me a few weeks ago about her garden in Eureka. She’s planning to get married there next August, but the place is completely overgrown with weeds. She doesn’t have much experience gardening, and on top of everything else, it’s a rental. She wanted to know if I had any ideas. I like - [The Abundant Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/the-abundant-garden/): This time of year, when everything blooms at once, I realize that I should work a little harder to keep something flowering all year long. In the winter, when my front garden is cut down to nothing but dead sticks and pale green shoots, the place looks more like an abandoned lot than a carefully - [Herbs and Other Urgent Matters](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/herbs/): Judging from the tone of your e-mails, you people are busy this summer. I've had a flurry of questions from people who are undertaking some large, impressive garden project or another. If you've got questions about your garden, send them to me, and at some point in the not too distant future you might get - ["Rudbeckia"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/rudbeckia/): 8 x 10, oil on clayboard panel. Click here to bid. The first of the New Mexico paintings. These were all quick, simple paintings--they had to be, as I was painting outdoors and the light changed quickly! This is my friend's Nambe vase and the yellow rudbeckia wildflowers that grew in her backyard. This was - [Building an Archive](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/building-an-arc/): I've been slowly working on getting some of my garden columns and articles online. It's a work in progress, but you can check it out here. I'll keep adding to it. In particular, I've had many requests from florists who did not read the Valentine's Day op-ed I wrote for the New York Times about - [Lady Bird's Lupines](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/lady-birds-lupi/): In honor of Lady Bird, a flower that is impossible to resist: the lupine. She favored the Texas bluebonnet, Lupinus texensis, which blooms all over my native state thanks to her efforts. But there's more to lupines that bluebonnets. The lupines in this photo, which I took at Pike Place Market in Seattle, are probably - [On the Road this Summer](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/on-the-road-thi/): OK, the schedule for the rest of the summer is finalized. If you're in one of these cities, drop by and say hello, and check the Events page for the full listing through next year. Thursday, July 19, 4:30 Filoli Gardens Discussion & Booksigning, with reception to follow Woodside, CA Sunday, July 22 Time TBA - [How the Worm Turns](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/how_the_worm_turns/): Birds have all the luck. New or rare species get discovered and written up in scientific journals and celebrated for their curved bills or their salmon-colored feathers or their unusual techniques for extracting seeds from pine cones. When the ivory-billed woodpecker was spotted in Arkansas after fifty years in hiding, the bird became an overnight - [Pick Your Poison](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/pick_your_poison/): New York Times Op-Ed, May 14, 2006 WHEN I send a bouquet to my mother on the second Sunday in May, I'm motivated by this familiar scene from childhood: Mom walking in the door at the end of the day, paperwork spilling out of her briefcase, her feet aching to get out of high-heeled shoes - [Local Color](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/local_color/): New York Times Op-Ed, February 14, 2007. IF a city is an ecosystem, the flower shop is perhaps its most vital and endangered habitat. In the last 15 years, the number of florists in the United States declined 17 percent. In 1992, there was a florist for every 9,300 Americans; now florists must serve, - [The Joy of Compost](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/compost/): I’ve always been something of a compost bin addict. In my life I’ve had five bins, (not counting open compost piles) and there are a few more models I’d still like to try. The satisfaction that comes from turning over a pile of dead leaves and moldy fruit and discovering dark, damp, worm-infested muck underneath—well, - [Rare Dutch Tulips and Other Fabulous Bulbs](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/rare_dutch_tulips/): You know your gardening habit has gotten out of control when: A. You look forward to receiving junk e-mail from your favorite gardening catalog B. You are willing to pay $10 for a single diseased bulb because it’s so rare C. A traveling exhibit on the history of the flower pot actually sounds interesting D. - [Favored Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/favored-flowers/): I first encountered Catherine Ziegler's work when I was doing research for Flower Confidential. She was doing some interesting research about commodity chains, consumer preferences, and communication within the global flower trade. Now that research is available in book form: Favored Flowers: Culture and Economy in a Global System has just been published by Duke - [Painting in New Mexico](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/painting-in-new/): It's been a fun week. Painting on vacation is great--and the paint dries so fast in this desert sun! - ["Daffodils"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/daffodils/): 8 x 10 oil on gessoed board. SOLD. Go here to see all my auctions. You know I'm working from a photo when I'm painting daffodils in July. What can I say--I ran across the picture and couldn't resist. The real advantage for me of working from photos is that I have fallen into the - ["Manhattan in Spring"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/manhattan-in-sp/): 8 x 10, oil on gessoed art board. SOLD. Go here to see all my auctions. It's a little dangerous for me to spend time late at night, up in my attic, focusing on the tiny beautiful details of Manhattan real estate. Pretty soon I'm on craigslist, trolling the listings. Who wouldn't want to live - [A Blank Slate](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/a-blank-slate/): The side garden, before--completely neglected and overgrown. I just never could get interested in this space. It only gets morning sun thanks to the shadow our house casts, and because it's by the kitchen door, that's where the recycling and worm bin goes. Not our most attractive moment. And the same garden, taken from the - [Those Naughty Hens](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/those-naughty-h/): We thought we had foiled the chickens' attempts to lay eggs outside their box by clearing out the nest they had made and blocking the entrance to it, but Eleanor stubbornly refused to give up and made herself a new nest under the berry vines, where the tangle of thorns almost prevented us from finding - [Foreign Policy](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/foreign-policy/): I wrote an article for the July issue of Foreign Policy magazine about globalization in the cut flower industry. You have to be a subscriber to read the whole article online, but the July issue will be on newsstands soon. - [Bowl of Cherries](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/bowl_of_cherrie/): 5 x 7 oil on gessoed art board. SOLD. A couple other auctions are ending soon--check those out here. Painting in the evening has been so much damn fun. I usually get started around 8 and go to 10 or 11. I'm never too tired to paint--in fact, I get my second wind for the - ["Today's Eggs"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/todays_eggs/): 5 x 7, oil on gessoed art board. SOLD. Click here to see all my paintings. When we're lucky, we get four eggs a day. As hens get older their egg production declines--and in the chicken world, a two year-old hen is "old" and is usually headed for the stew pot. Not our girls! They're - [Sierra Club Radio](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/sierra_club_rad/): I spoke with these folks a couple of weeks ago. Listen to the interview here. - [Our Naughty Chickens](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/our_naughty_chi/): We had noticed that we weren't getting as many eggs from Eleanor, and we thought it was awfully odd that we got no eggs at all yesterday, but we didn't think much of it until Scott found an egg in the compost pile today. What was it doing there? Then he noticed that Eleanor was - [Calla Lily](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/calla_lily/): 6 x 8, oil on canvas board. Bidding starts at $9.95. Click here to bid. When I was working on Flower Confidential, I developed a habit of going into flower shops anywhere I went. Sometimes I'd ask a few questions in hopes of finding a good interview subject for the book, but usually I'd just - [Eleanor--by popular demand!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/eleanorby_popul/): 8 x 10, oil on gessoed board. Click to bid. The other day I was thinking about blogs, and how difficult it would have been to start a blog without digital photography. In other words, what if all this internet stuff had happened, but somehow no one had thought to invent digital photography along the - [More Florists Going Green](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/more_florists_g/): I love hearing from florists who are working on ways to go green. I've come to believe that the move toward sustainability in this industry is going to come from an army of individual florists--highly creative, artistic people who are personally committed to the environment and who have the flexibility and the entrepreneurial spirit to - ["Three Daisies"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/three_daisies/): 6 x 8, oil on canvas panel. SOLD. This vase is so much fun to paint. I use it a lot in still lifes. It was made by Eva Zeisel for Nambe (uh-oh, I see she's got another design out, and I'm headed to New Mexico soon. I have a feeling I'm coming home with - [The Girls!](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/the_girls/): Lots of people write to me and ask for more chicken posts. So here, by popular demand, are some pictures of the girls. There's not a great deal of news to report--they are all healthy and happy, and they spend almost all day free-ranging in the backyard now. Dolley had an impacted crop for a - [Raising Chickens in Your Backyard](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/chickens/): In the off chance that you haven’t been cruising through your favorite feed store every weekend to check for new developments, let me be the first to tell you: the chicks are here. We’ve been wanting to keep hens the backyard for a few years now, but it has taken all this time to build - [A Garden From a Hundred Packets of Seed by James Fenton](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/fenton/): In James Fenton’s book A Garden from a Hundred Packets of Seed, he not only explores the possibilities of creating a garden on a small budget and entirely from seed packets, he also advocates another kind of gardening entirely. He points out that most garden design experts recommend focusing first on structure, laying out the - [Growing Your Own Wedding Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/wedding/): A few weeks ago, a friend asked me if I’d do the flowers for her wedding. Now, I know that “doing” the flowers mostly means figuring out what flowers we should use, ordering them from a florist, and arranging them myself. But I couldn’t let it be that simple, and why would I want to? - [Tulips in Manhattan](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/tulips_in_manha/): 8 x 10, oil on canvas panel. SOLD Click here to see all my paintings. I've always had a thing for Manhattan. I would live there if I could figure out how to keep chickens and have a real garden--not a few succulents on a rooftop--in the city. And yes, I read that article in - [Centranthus for Graham Rice](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/centranthus_for/): Graham Rice just did a post about the always lovely Centranthus ruber, or Jupiter's beard. I have a lilac/lavender variety that I have only ever seen once. I wish now that I had bought every one I saw. But this one is quite tough and self-sows just like the others, so I've been moving the - [Tulips and Gerbera](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/tulips_and_gerb/): Oil on masonite art board, 8 x 10. SOLD. One reason to always travel with a camera: You never know when a still life is just going to appear in front of you. This bouquet of flowers sat on a table at a friend's party, and everything about it was just perfect for one of - [Garden Show Gadgets](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/gardenshow/): I’ve just returned from the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle. It’s going to be a busy, garden show-ish kind of spring for me: I’m trekking to the Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco shows this spring to teach workshops, always with my worms in tow. So this column is the first of what may - [The Kindest Cut](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/snip/): The most dangerous moments in my garden come, not surprisingly, when I have a pair of pruning shears in my hand. What is surprising is the sheer stupidity of my attempts at self-inflicted injury: I grab a bunch of dead stalks with one hand, reach in to cut them down with the other, and somehow - [Zen and the Art of Apple Tree Maintenance](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/apple/): “I expect to fully master the art of pruning by the time I’m eighty years old.” That’s how Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist begins his chapter on pruning. It’s not an encouraging start. I didn’t think it would be all that complicated to care for an apple - [Kiss Me Under the Vascular Plant Parasite](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/mistletoe/): The big insect-related holiday story this year comes from Saginaw, Michigan, where a receptionist named Marianne Luth unpacked her new artificial Christmas tree and noticed a line of tiny bugs—brown fir longhorned beetles, to be precise—scurrying across the carpet. Turns out that the tree, which was made in China, featured a trunk covered in real - [Fabulous, Glorious Dahlias](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/dahlias/): When I got Timber Press’ Encyclopedia of Dahlias in the mail, I thought, well, they’ve gone and done it. They’ve printed up dahlia porn, and now they’re distributing it on the Internet. It’s only a matter of time before the Feds show up and shut them down. There may be some words in this book, - [Geums and the Art of Sticking to What Works](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/geums/): I’m always surprised at what flowers won’t grow in my garden. I have a great deal of trouble getting annual sunflowers to stick around, for instance. Either the snails mow them down or they just don’t get quite enough heat and sunlight to push them along. I say this with full knowledge that a neighbor - [You Can Put Those Reading Glasses Down.](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/you_can_put_tho/): The large print edition of Flower Confidential is out. I got a copy in the mail today. I cannot tell you how strange it is to see my book with a completely different cover and a totally different typeface. It's very nice, and I'm quite happy that there is a large print version available, but - [Eleanor's Egg Cup](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/eleanors_egg_cu/): Oil on canvas board, 5 x 7. SOLD. I did a whole series of egg cup paintings, and this was my favorite. The more I did, the more loose and abstract they got. It eventually came down to these few elements: the egg, the cup, the wall, the table. This is, of course, Eleanor's egg. - [Lemons!](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/lemons-2/): 9 x12, oil on board. SOLD. There's something so delightful about painting lemons. They have a funny, odd shape and they pick up so much color from the background. I painted this one from life, rather than using a photograph, and I had fun letting them drift out of the frame like this. The other - ["Autumn Pears"](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/autumn_pears/): oil on board, 8 x 10. SOLD. Every year, I get a box of these fat, ripe pears in the mail from a relative on the East Coast. I always save a few and take them with me to paint on Wednesday night. Before, I had always done them on canvas, but this time I - [Questions I Get Asked](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/questions_i_get/): Q: What kind of recorder do you use to do interviews? A: This is actually a very good question. If you've got interviews to do, here's what you do: Get a hand-held Olympus digital recorder. You can buy them online or someplace like Radio Shack would carry them. If you're doing phone interviews, spend another - [A Fabulous Florist and Grower](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/a_fabulous_flor/): I got to know Erin Benzakein earlier this year as I was getting ready to head up to Seattle on the book tour. She grows her own flowers in Mt. Vernon, WA, and creates amazing bouquets, and she specializes in green weddings. The company is Floret--check out her website here. And be sure to take - [Why I Paint](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/paintings/): Five years ago, I took a drawing class. I had a simple idea: I wanted to be able to sketch what I saw in my garden. I had kept a garden journal on and off for years--in fact, that journal was the inspiration for my first book, From the Ground Up: The Story of a - [Poetry Videos: The Next Big Thing?](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/poetry_videos_t/): I want my PTV! - [At Work](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/at_work/): It's kind of strange to be back home in my office, working on another book. (No, I'm not saying what it's about! Not yet.) When Flower Confidential came out and I was going to be on the road for almost three months, I realized that it was finally time for me to give up the - [Along Came a Spider...](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/along_came_a_sp/): Imagine my excitement when I moved the couch and found this spider web filled with dead flies on a windowsill. The spider herself was nowhere to be found, but damn, she's been busy. I am fortunate to be married to a man who doesn't even blink when his wife, upon finding a mass grave of - [Did You Forget Mother's Day?](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/did_you_forget_/): First--here's a video from last night's CBS Evening News about organic roses--I can't post the video, but follow this link. And now, this: - [Whither the Bees?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/whither_the_bee/): I’ve been away from the garden too long. After a couple of months on the road, the place is a mess. Those hard freezes back in January turned some of my favorite shrubs into popsicles, but somehow spared the weeds, which have taken over. I’ve got some serious garden restoration work to do. But before - [Flower Lust is in the Air](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/flower_lust_is_/): I spoke with a reporter for the New York Observer a couple weeks ago as she was finishing up a story on floral trends in Manhattan. It's a fun, spirited story: The cool, fluffy peony, so Mrs. Dalloway, is especially perfect for women moving about in this season’s fragile, tissue-thin flowered dresses. The women in - [Here Comes Mother's Day](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/here_comes_moth/): There will be lots in the news over the next week about Mother's Day flowers, and I expect that a good deal of the coverage will involve environmentally-friendly or organic flowers. This piece from an Austin station is a great illustration of why the time is right for eco-certified flowers. Notice that the focus of - [Recovering from Frost](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/recovering_from/): At a plant sale a couple weeks ago, everyone was talking about what they’d lost during the freeze. Many of us were still having a hard time believing that it had happened at all. “It was just one freeze after another,” someone would say, shaking her head. “Night after night. It never let up.” Almost - [The Very Difficult Life of an Author](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/the_very_diffic/): Here I am at the Wednesday night meeting of the Windmill Book Club. They had chosen my book for May, so they invited me to come swill wine at a local wine shop and chat. Do you see the sort of difficulties I have to endure? - [Los Angeles events](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/los_angeles_eve/): If you're in southern California, I hope to see you this weekend. Check my website for more event details. Here's where I'll be: UPDATE--TOWN HALL EVENT CANCELED Thurs April 26 5:30 p.m.Town Hall Los Angeles (Registration required) 515 S. Flower Street (Clubhouse) Los Angeles, CA Sat April 28 LA Times Festival of Books--Vroman's Book - [Worms in the New York Times](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/worms_in_the_ne/): Something for Earth Day. Read my op-ed piece on earthworms in the Sunday New York Times. - [Another Marketplace Interview](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/another_marketp/): Listen to it online here. - [New York, New Hampshire, Boston](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/new_york_new_ha/): I'm headed to New York this week. If you're in the area, please stop by, and tell your friends, too. The complete event listing is here; some of these do require pre-registration, so check that out first. Wed, April 18 5:30 Nature Conservancy Discussion & Booksigning Butler Sanctuary, Mt. Kisco, NY Suggested donation $100. Call - [And the Nominees Are...](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/and_the_nominee/): The 2007 Mouse & Trowel Awards, an award program just for garden blogs and websites, has announced its list of nominees. I hope you'll get over there this week and cast a vote for GardenRant and your other favorite blogs. Will there be a red carpet? Goody bags? We'll find out! - [More Green Florists](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/more_green_flor/): I just had a note from the owners of BlumeBox, a company that makes these easy-to-recycle cardboard vases with a plastic liner. They're pretty cute--somebody gave me some flowers in one of these boxes while I was on the book tour--but what really interested me was the fact that florists are getting in touch with - [A Florist Rolls Out a Green Wedding Package](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/a_florist_rolls/): Earlier this week I heard from Christine Saunders, a florist in Orange County, California. You can check out Christine's flower shop, The Spiraled Stem, here, but what I really wanted to share with you is the press release that she issued today. It speaks for itself. How cool is this? Since Flower Confidential was published, - [Flower Confidential on Marketplace Money](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/flower_confiden/): A few weeks ago, I visited Marketplace's Tess Vigeland right in her own backyard and we recorded a segment on gardening for the show. It's a finance show, so you'll hear a lot of talk about getting the most bang for your buck. I've already gotten one e-mail from a listener asking me to please - [Gardening With Hens](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/gardening_with_/): My good friend Michele over at Sign of the Shovel and GardenRant asked me how on earth I keep the chickens from destroying the garden. I thought this was a blog-worthy topic, so here you go: Forget about annuals. Anything that self-sows is history. The girls love to scratch in the dirt, and when they - [Cast Your Vote for GardenRant!](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/cast_your_vote_/): I'm not asking you to vote for this blog, which I can barely manage to keep up, and am usually posting to via cell phone, which is just pathetic. But please, consider casting a vote in favor of GardenRant. Where do you cast your vote? Right here. - [More About Eco-Labels for Cut Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/more_about_ecol/): I've had several e-mails in the last few weeks asking me about eco-labels for cut flowers. It's a subject I covered in Flower Confidential and I've written about it on this blog a few times, but I thought I would put a bunch of resources in one place so that people could do their own - [The Flower Confidential Gift Basket](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the_flower_conf/): Just in time for Mother's Day. The nice people at La Vie en Rose put this one together. The book will even be signed by the author. Check it out here. - [A Flower Confidential Podcast](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/a_flower_confid/): Check out this podcast--a talk between me and Chris Watson of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. This is a very unscripted conversation--in fact, I don't even remember knowing that it would be out there as a podcast--but that's cool, because it means that it's really casual and informal. Download it here. - [Eco-friendly tulips at Trader Joe's!](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/ecofriendly_tul/): Grown at Sun Valley, certified VeriFlora and organic, and $6.99 for 10 stems. What a deal! The staff told me that they sell so fast that they can't keep them in stock. In fact, they don't even put them in water. The flowers are dry-shipped and they just put them in a basket. They explained - [Books, Inc. tonight](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/books_inc_tonig/): There's been a little confusion about the book tour schedule. (Actually, it's amazing things go as smoothly as they do most of the time! This is a rare exception.) Anyway, I'm reading tonight at Books, Inc. in San Francisco at their Laurel Village store on 3515 California Street. The bookstore had the event listed for - [Growing Pains](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/growing_pains/): An UK organization called War on Want has issued a new report about the cut flower industry called Growing Pains: The Human Cost of Cut Flowers in British Supermarkets. You can read a press release and download the report here. Be sure to check out the footnotes--this report is extensively documented. Here's their main point: - [The AbeBooks Interview](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the_abebooks_in/): Go here to read the interview I recently did with the nice folks at AbeBooks.com. Where would I be without a good source of obscure, out-of-print books, (not to mention the not-so-obscure)? Thanks, Abe! - [LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/la_times_san_fr/): I'm home for a whole week before the Bay Area events begin! What a luxury. Who knows--I might even get outside to pull a weed or two. Meanwhile, check out the profile in the LA Times here, and a story about growing cut flowers in your garden that I wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle - [Hollywood studio lot--visiting my brother at work](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/hollywood_studi/): v'g¶­¶Šâuè§j %}Æ«µÖ«ž+ - [Lilacs at Descanso Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/lilacs_at_desca/) - [B&N in Encino, CA](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/bn_in_encino_ca/) - [my life's work at the library](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/my_lifes_work_a/) - [Good morning, LA](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/good_morning_la/) - [Fran Sorin on Flower Confidential](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/fran_sorin_on_f/): Garden designer and writer Fran Sorin calls Flower Confidential "the must-read book this season." Hear her CBS radio segment here. - [See You in California!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/see_you_in_cali/): The last--and longest--leg of the Flower Confidential book tour is about to begin. Please do stop by and say hello, and check here for details and updates. Wed, Mar 7, 7 pm: Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena Thurs, Mar 8, 7 pm: Descanso Gardens, La Canada Sun, Mar 18, 1 pm: Book Passage, Corte Madera Mon, Mar - [Reviews and updates](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/reviews_and_upd/): I've updated the Reviews and Media pages of my website. You'll find links to lots more radio interviews, and there's a San Francisco Chronicle review here, and a review in the Richmond Times-Dispatch here. Also, in today's New York Times, Flower Confidential is listed in the Editor's Choice section under the bestseller lists. Although the - [Snow in Denver--just let me get home!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/snow_in_denverj/) - [from Happy Canyon Flowers in Denver](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/from_happy_cany/) - [Speaking Roses](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/speaking_roses/): 6‹lΊ·’*.q©λy§m†+(Ež•Κ&zΐ&Ι+^ΑͺνΒ+ajά© Œ+’ךn‹­Ά¬r‰©j|’₯怊x’Η¬ŠqBN²­θ§RΦ‘²‚’ž ž b²+uκήuͺθ±ζ(ΉΖ§zχ§λr’κ醋h¦Έ§΅ηhͺθ±αξ - [Park City--and off to Denver now.](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/park_cityand_of/) - [Snow!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/snow/) - [Salt Lake City](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/salt_lake_city/) - [Times Sunday Book Review!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/times_sunday_bo/): My first review in the New York Times Sunday Book Review! "Engaging and scrupulously reported," writes reviewer Constance Casey. The best part, though, is the comment about my previous book: “ 'The Earth Moved' not only had that great title, it was a completely original combination of science and passion." And here's the link to - [Flowers Are Animals, Too.](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/flowers_are_ani/) - [img090](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/img090/) - [AUSTIN!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/austin/) - [Flower Confidential Hits the Bestseller List!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/flower_confiden-2/): Flower Confidential debuts on the New York Times bestseller list in hardcover nonfiction at #31. (I don't have a link yet--you might have to wait until Sunday.) It also landed at #24 on the Booksense bestseller list, which captures sales at independent bookstores. The Booksense list highlights it as a bestseller "on the rise" here. - [Frozen Roses](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/frozen_roses/): This video has been making the rounds among people in the floral industry. A florist in Pennsylvania ordered a box of flowers online for Valentine's Day, and it was shipped via a carrier like FedEx and frozen solid by the time it arrived during the winter freeze on the East Coast. You can read more - [Coming Up: Austin, Utah, Denver](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/coming_up_austi/): All right, you Austin gardeners: Here I come! Hope to see some of you on the southwestern part of the Flower Confidential book tour. As always, full details here. Friday, Feb 23, 7 pm: Book People, Austin, TX Tuesday, Feb 27, 7 pm: King's English, Salt Lake City, UT Wednesday, Feb 28, 7 pm: Spotted - [The Price of Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the_price_of_fl/): My op-ed piece on flower shops in the New York Times drew two letters to the editor. One of them says, in part: Much like the diamond trade, cut flowers are certified or uncertified to inform retailers and consumers of the conditions in which they were grown, cut and shipped (often from countries with inexcusable - [Christian Science Monitor review](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/christian_scien/): "Stewart comes not just to skewer the flower industry but rather to examine it, and this she does thoroughly and in highly readable prose...It all makes for a "gosh how interesting I never thought about that" kind of read. Read the whole review here. - [Flower Cake!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/flower_cake/): The fabulous Monica at Northtown Books, my hometown bookstore, MADE A CAKE for my booksigning. I mean actually MADE it, like, in a kitchen, and created this fabulous design. I am in awe. And here it is with some roses sent over by Heuer's, the flower shop where I spent Valentine's Day in the epilogue - [We Had a Point Here Somewhere...](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/we_had_a_point_/): As you can see, Teresa Sabankaya and I get very serious when we're talking about flowers. This photo was taken the day we shot the segment for CBS Sunday Morning. I stole it from Teresa's blog, The Art of Flowers. Check out her Santa Cruz flower shop, Bonny Doon Garden Company, here. - [The TypePad podcast](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the_typepad_pod/): I spent a half hour talking with the nice folks at TypePad about Flower Confidential, blogging, writing, and more. Check it out here. - [The Floral Industry Responds](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the_floral_indu/): Here's a round-up of comments I've received from florists, growers, and other industry people around the country about the book, my recent NYT op-ed piece, and all the other coverage and discussion surrounding Flower Confidential: "Your book Flower Confidential is amazing! I have been in the floral industry for 24 years...Your book truly does say - [More Reviews Than You Can Shake a Daisy At](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/more_reviews_th/): OK, I finally got the Reviews page updated. Check it out for all the latest from Parade, People, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and more. Also go to the Media page for an updated list of TV and radio appearances, as well as national print stories about the book. And here's a - [A First](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/a_first/): Found a book of mine at the airport for the very first time -- at SFO. - [Good Morning America](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/good_morning_am/): I spent some time in a gorgeous Seattle flower shop called Mary Megan Olander on Tuesday. We were filming a short segment for Good Morning America, which aired yesterday. The florists were incredibly busy getting ready for Feb 14, but thet were very gracious about the camera and the lights. - [Belated flowers from Portland](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/belated_flowers/): A flower stall in Portland the day before Valentine's Day. - [TypePad Book of the Month](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/typepad_book_of/): I'm pleased to announce that the nice people who host my blog at TypePad have chosen Flower Confidential as their Book of the Month. Each month they feature a new book by an author who blogs on TypePad; check out some of their past selections here. If you've been thinking about starting a blog or - [Long Lasting Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/long_lasting_fl/): Posted by Scott Brown, Amy Stewart's husband. One of the most common complaints about flowers is that they don't last very long. That can be true if you buy cheap flowers from a supermarket or low-end florist. But if you by good flowers, they can look great for weeks. Take this bouquet. Heuer's - a - [Powell's Guest Blogger](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/powells_guest_b/): I'm guest blogging over at Powell's this week. It's a lively book blog any day of the week, and I'm honored to be included. Check it out. - [AP story](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/ap_story/): An Associated Press story about flower certification programs and pesticide use is running in papers all over the country today. Read it for yourself and see what you think--meanwhile, some important points that demonstrate that not all eco-labels are created equal: --Of 600 flower farms in Colombia, only 200 are members of that country's growers' - [Portland](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/portland/): On my continuing tour of our nation's weather patterns, I leave balmy Miami behind for rainy Portland. And I brought the east coast time zone with me--I'm up 4 am, like it or not. I hope I can shake these early morning habits and get back to my old slothful ways soon! Powell's tonight. - [Washington Post & Elle](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/elle/): From the Sunday Washington Post Book Review (which gives Teresa Sabankaya and Boony Doon Garden Co. well-deserved attention). Stewart's journey takes us down many such paths, all connected by her own curiosity and highly readable prose. The greatest value of Flower Confidential, however, is that it was written at all. We know so little of - [CBS Sunday Morning](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/cbs_sunday_morn/): Tomorrow morning (Sunday), CBS Sunday Morning will air a segment about the flower business. I spent a couple of days recently with the crew filming in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Check your local listings for the time - it varies around the country. I'll probably miss it, as I'll be getting on a plane - [New York Times Home Page](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/new_york_times_/): Above the fold on the New York Times home page! - [People!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/people/): Check out the write-up on Flower Confidential in the Picks & Pans section of this week's People. (come on, you know you read it!) There's also a review in the Wall Street Journal which requires login, but they say: The arrival of Valentine's Day might coax a smile to your face or a desperate hope - [Diane Rehm and NYT](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/diane_rehm_and_/): Big day today. Two readings in Washington DC and a very fun hour on the Diane Rehm Show. The New York Times story scheduled for tomorrow (Friday), is now on the web: "On a recent early-morning tour of the flower district, it was Ms. Stewart’s smutty, lusty side that was more in evidence." - [DC](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/dc/): A crazy busy day -- Diane Rehm in the morning, US Botanic Garden in afternoon, Olsson's at night. It's been freezing cold here, so much so that the fresias I brought to Diane nearly perished in the biting wind I had to fight on the way from the subway . Off to Miami today--Some warmth - [NPR Confidential](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/npr_confidentia/): Listen to my essay about spending Valentine's Day in a florist shop, tonight on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. The florist shop is Heuer's in downtown Eureka, California. - [Green Is the New Red](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/green_is_the_ne/): A story I wrote about the revolution in eco-friendly flowers centered in the San Francisco Bay Area appeared in today's Chronicle. That's Teresa Sabankaya of the Bonny Doon Garden Co. on the front page of the Home & Garden section. - [Snow in DC](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/snow_in_dc/): Just my luck. The locals are horrified. I guess it doesn't snow here as much as I thought it did. OK, if you're in DC and you're reading this, I'm counting on you to turn out tonight! (check Events page) We may even be giving away VeriFlora tulips from California, if FedEx comes through. another - [A Smutty Sort of Lust](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/a_smutty_sort_o/): It's not a big surprise that the BookSlut review of Flower Confidential quoted what is turning into the most often cited line in the book - "I've always had a generalized, smutty sort of lust for flowers..." As the premiere blog about books, it also came as no surprise that reviewer Sarah Statz captured what - [Northtown](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/northtown/): Had a great time at Northtown in Arcata on Sunday. Standing room only, sold out of books, and everybody laughed in all the right places. There was a cake (photo coming soon) decorated to match the book cover, and coffee, and free VeriFlora-certified tulips for everybody from Sun Valley, a grower I write about in - [DC, Miami, Pacific Northwest Book Tour Events](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/dc_miami_pacifi/): The Valentine's Day leg of the Flower Confidential book tour is underway. Please do stop by and say hello. I might just have a rose for you if you do. Full details here. Wed, Feb 7, 7 pm: West End Neighborhood Library, Washington, DC Thurs, Feb 8, 1:30 pm: US Botanic Garden, Washington, DC Thurs, - [Make That Hyacinths!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/make_that_hyaci/): The Miami New Times gave Flower Confidential a great little write-up in anticipation of my event at Books & Books in Coral Gables on Feb 10, but quoted me as saying that for Valentine's Day, I was hoping for "Chinese hydrangeas." What I actually said was "hyacinths" and I went on to explain why I - [A round-up of reviews](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/a_roundup_of_re/): I'm home for two whole days. Long enough to do one bookstore event, a half-dozen phone interviews, and a couple loads of laundry. Some reviews and write-ups: The Orange County Register: "I bet you'd never guess what the world's second-oldest profession is. And there is just as much sex and secrecy for sale as in - [Back in Arcata](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/back_in_arcata/): If you live in my hometown, I've probably already strong-armed you into coming to the booksigning at Northtown. Otherwise, here are the details--and we'll be giving away flowers! Come check it out. Sun Feb 4, 3 pmNorthtown Books 957 H StreetArcata, CA - [What I Learned in the Midwest](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/what_i_learned_/): (note--I wrote this on the plane and forgot to post it. So here you go...) 1. It is possible for it to be too cold to snow. 2. TV trucks were designed to transmit signals on location when it's 32 degrees outside, but they don't work when it's minus 9. The Ice Age will not - [Florists](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/florists/): I've been on the road with flowers a lot this week, and I've also met a lot of the people who grow and sell them. Florists and wholesalers have been some of the most enthusiastic members of the audience, in spite of the fact that they are so busy with Valentine's Day. In fact, a - [Prairie Lights](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/prairie_lights/): I had so much fun at Prairie Lights on the last book tour that I couldn't wait to come back. For The Earth Moved, I invited Sam James (who lives in Iowa) to come speak alongside me and bring his worms. Well, there will be no worms this time, but there will be plenty of - [Milwaukee](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/milwaukee_1/): I'm on a plane to Iowa City, where a crew will meet me at the airport for a live interview because I can't get to the studio before the show goes off the air. These early mornings are killing me. Temps continue to drop but I don't go outside. At every event, I'm giving away - [Milwaukee](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/milwaukee/): If you're in the Milwaukee area, I hope to see you tonight: Thurs Feb 1, 7 pmSchwartz Bookshop 17145 West Bluemound RoadBrookfield, WI (Milwaukee area) - [Chicago](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/chicago_1/): I was going to take a picture of the exterior of the hotel , but it is 7 degrees outside. That's right, I said 7. So here's the hallway. This is everyone's fantasy of what a book tour is like--luxury hotel (Hotel Burnham---check it out) and a staff that knows your name and can get - [Chicago!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/chicago/): Twenty degrees? Is that possible? How do you people do it? OK, in spite of the cold weather, I hope you'll come see me. The details are: Wed Jan 31, 7 pmAnderson's Bookshop 123 West JeffersonNaperville, IL (Chicago area) - [At SFO](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/at_sfo/): One dozen stems--a little of everything--for thirty bucks. No refrigeration. Already wilting. Skip it. - [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/chicago_suntime/): "Garden columnist and author Amy Stewart sniffs out the intrigue behind the $40 billion per year flower industry in her new book, Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers. She acts as a present-day Columbo as she uncovers answers to unusual questions. Can adding Viagra to a vase - [more camera crew](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/more_camera_cre/) - [camera crew](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/camera_crew/): doing a shoot to promote the book...at Bonny Doon Garden Co in Santa Cruz. stay tuned for details! - [img034](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/img034/) - [Afternoon Magazine, Chicago](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/afternoon_magaz/): I just had so much fun doing an hour-long radio interview with Celeste Quinn at Afternoon Magazine in Chicago. Look for it in the archives here when they get the January 25 program online. Celeste is a very thoughtful host and her callers are amazing--a man who grew up in Germany called to talk about - [Flower Confidential in the Trades](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/flower_confiden-3/): The Cut Flower Quarterly, the publication of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, says: An absorbing read, one that kept me up at night....Stewart covers an amazingly wide range of the flower industry. Go out and get a copy of Amy Stewart's book. After you have finished it, pass it on to one of - [Bookpage, Chicago Tribune](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/chicago_tribune/): Bookpage says: "In a potent medium of quirky wit, incisive reporting and occasionally breathtaking prose, Stewart grows her strange and riveting tale...Flower Confidential is a page-turner. I read avidly to its end, madly curious to know if, after all she had witnessed, Stewart's floral romanticism remained. In the book's ironically captivating epilogue, I found out. - [Fast Company says...](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/fast_company_sa/): "Who knew that flowers were a global industry as innovative, competitive, and troubled as microprocessors or jumbo jets? Amy Stewart did--and this nosy, sensational muckraker exposes what's definitely not a garden-variety business...Stewart captures all this with wit and elegance that, by book's end, will have the most cantankerous capitalist thinking differentlyabout a product 'bred more - [BUST Magazine says...](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/bust_magazine_s_1/): "This engaging exploration won't make you feel guilty about buying a bouquet, but it will make you much more informed--and intrigued--by where it came from." BUST, by the way, is a very hip and fun feminist magazine "for women with something to get off their chests." They always write the most entertaining book reviews. Check - [The Book Tour As an Athletic Event](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/the_book_tour_a/): The book tour begins in a couple of weeks (the complete list is here and please come say hello if I'm coming to your hometown!), and as I've been getting ready for it, I realize that preparing for a book tour is a lot like training for a marathon. Training activities include: Airport Sprint: I'm - [Eureka Times-Standard story](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/eureka_timessta/): Check out the Eureka Times-Standard's story on local writers and Flower Confidential here: www.times-standard.com. - [February Booksense pick!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/february_bookse/): It's a great honor to have Flower Confidential chosen as a Booksense pick for February. If you hang out in independent bookstores as much as I do, you know that they all get together and vote on their favorite new books, and publish a kind of nationwide "staff picks" list. That's the Booksense list. It's - [Real books!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/real_books/): At last--the actual finished hardcover books arrived. Now that they actually exist somewhere in the world, I encourage you to visit your local independent bookseller and ask them to hurry up and get you a copy. - [Fabulous Flowers, and a Nice Note, Too](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/fabulous_flower/): The next-best thing to having flowers sent to you is having photos of flowers sent to you. I just heard from Erin Benzakein, an organic grower and florist in Washington State. The name of her business is Floret; you can get her contact info from the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Grower's website. In addition - [Book tour dates online!](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/book_tour_dates/): The book tour is starting to shape up. Check my Events page for a preliminary list of dates. I'll get times and locations up soon, along with more events. I hope to see you there, and if you know a garden club, florist, or community group that would be interested in the event, send me - [Enough already!](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/enough_already/): These 'Esperance' roses were sent to me a few days before Thanksgiving, and here it is December 12 and they haven't shed a single petal. Isn't that a bit much? Shouldn't flowers die eventually? They're open and lush and maybe leaning slightly towards wilted, but the fact is that it's been three weeks (that's right, - [Flowers: They Work Every Time](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/flowers_they_wo/): Just got a nice note from a reader--a happily-married man who confesses that he practically "abandoned the niceties of courtship two decades ago," but was encouraged to try again after reading Flower Confidential. He says: "Today is my wife's birthday, and last night I drove to a local florist (for possibly the first time - [PW Calls Flower Confidential an "Indie Surprise for Spring"](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/pw_calls_flower/): Publishers Weekly has included Flower Confidential in its list of five "Indie Surprises for Spring." They write: Almost any flower, in any color, is for sale at any time of the year anywhere—and not just in florists' shops. That's one reason why buyer Holly Myer at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, Wash., is "super - [World's Tallest Roses](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/fortune_small_b/): Here's something that surprised me about the cut flower industry: there is no obvious, high-end, luxury flower for flower buyers to crave. I mean, you'll find beautiful, fresh, seasonal, interesting, unusual flowers here and there, but there's no Dom Perignon of flowers. No Rolls Royce. No one flower that everyone can point to and say, - [The End of an Era?](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/the_end_of_an_e/): There's a story in the New York Times today about a third-generation flower shop in the Bronx. The owners, two brothers who are grandsons of one of the original owners, wonder if their shop will survive into the twenty-first century. “We didn’t want the kids to go into the business,” he said. “Flowers have become - [The Survey Says:](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/the_survey_says/): A few weeks ago, I posted a survey asking why people don't buy more flowers. Let's look at the results now that 100 people have voted in the poll. 51% said that they don't buy flowers, or they don't buy them more often, because they cost too much. This, I know, will drive people - [Welcome, Modern Brides!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/welcome_modern_/): Modern Bride magazine ran a short piece about brown wedding flowers--brown is the new white, in case you didn't know--and they quoted me saying that there is a new brown rose coming on the market soon. (You can see a PDF of the article here, and you can read a longer post about brown roses, - [Spinach, Microbes, and More](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/spinach_microbe/): I wrote a story for HGTV.com about safety issues in the garden. (Read the story here.) This latest E. coli scare has quite a few gardeners wondering about the safety of animal manure and animal-based fertilizers that use blood meal and bone meal as ingredients. There's good news: these products are fairly safe and I - [Booklist says...](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/booklist_says/): "From the Netherlands to Ecuador, Stewart traveled the world, tracking the scent of the hottest stories in a $40 billion per year international industry...As candid as she is circumspect, Stewart combines a romantic's idealism with a journalist's objectivity in this tantalizing expose." Read the entire review here. - [Smoky Mountain News...](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/smoky_mountain_/): ...calls Flower Confidential: "A bouquet of pleasant surprises...If like most Americans you buy flowers at some point during the year — for a funeral, for a wedding, for romancing the one you love — you’ll enjoy this marvelous account of where those flowers came from and the work it took to put them into your - [How About a Rainbow Rose?](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/how_about_a_rai/): This photo comes courtesy of floral industry expert J M. H. Schwanke, who says that they were all the buzz at Hortifair, the big floral trade show that happens in Holland every year in early November. How do they do it? These roses are stem-dyed, which means that they are put into water with dye, - [What's the Big Idea?](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/whats_the_big_i/): This question has come up a lot since the publication of Flower Confidential was announced, and it was just posed to me again this week in an e-mail. Someone who'd read one of my earlier books wrote to me and said, "Your new book isn't going to make me have to stop buying flowers, is - [Why Wait? Read an Excerpt Now](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/why_wait_read_a/): You can place an advance order for Flower Confidential through your local independent bookseller, or order one online here. But meanwhile, the introduction to the book is posted on my website as an excerpt. Check it out. - [Kirkus Reviews Says....](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/kirkus_reviews_/): "An engaging mix of botany, history and commerce ... Stewart writes with humor and insight about real people, entertaining as she informs." Read the full review here. - [On the Road in LA](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/on_the_road_in_/): I didn't get a chance to take any pictures at the Southern California Booksellers Association trade show, but you've probably seen enough trade show photos. Books, booksellers--you get the idea. Here's a funny thing: because this is Hollywood, guess what everybody at the show was talking about? YouTube! Book videos! Film! Television! Everybody seems to - [Why Don't You Buy Flowers?](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/why_dont_you_bu/): The floral industry is touting the results of yet another study that demonstrates the benefits of flowers. There have been several of these studies, conducted in partnership with the Society of American Florists, over the last few years, including: A Rutgers University study showing that flowers make people happy. The study, which was published in - [Live from the Santa Fe Farmers Market](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/live_from_the_s/): OK, I was live at the Santa Fe Farmers Market about three months ago. Now the interview is available online here--go to the October 21 show. I was talking with Bob Ross, host of "Gardens, Food, & Santa Fe," about earthworms, flowers, and garden blogging. We did our interview right out in the middle of - [Posies!](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/posies/): A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post about Bonny Doon Garden Company and their world-famous posies. Now I've got a posy of my own sitting on my desk. What makes these so lovely is not just the seniments they express, but also the way all these flowers and leaves come together in the vase. - [Talking Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/talking_flowers/): I'm a little behind with my posts from the road. On most weekends, I'm traveling around to bookseller trade shows talking up the book. It's interesting how different every trade show is--and I think it really points out what a diverse group independent booksellers are. For instance, in Portland, everybody wanted to know more about - [A Photo From the Road](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/a_photo_from_th/): Unlike those other bells that give ample warning before ringing... - [Dole Restructures Workers Right Out of Their Union](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/dole_restructur/): The Associated Press is reporting that the Colombian flower farm that Dole announced it would be closing last week was on the verge of finalizing a union contract for its workers. Although the reasons the company gave had more to do with a cost-cutting restructuring measure, it is an awfully strange coincidence that they chose - [We Interrupt Our Regularly-Scheduled Programming for This Important Chicken News](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/we_interrupt_ou/): Dolley's moulting! Look at this scraggly girl. For those of you who aren't chicken owners--and why not, may I ask?--hens go through a moult in the winter where they lose their feathers in patches and grow them back. Here you can see quills coming back in to cover a bare patch on her breast. I - [Meet the Florists: Bonny Doon Garden Company](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/meet_the_floris/): A couple weeks ago, I went down to Santa Cruz and stopped in to say hello to Teresa Sabankaya, owner of Bonny Doon Garden Company. She owns a cheery flower stall right outside of Bookshop Santa Cruz, she ships her fabulous posies all over the country, and she provides all the services you'd expect from - [Another Half-Satisfied Flower Customer](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/another_halfsat/): As long as I'm in the thick of talking about my book, I might as well share my own stories of flower consumption. This one happened over the weekend--not to me, but to my husband. He left town for a family funeral--not Grandma, who I mentioned earlier, in case you're worried--but another elderly relative. I - [Signing Books](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/signing_books/): Here I am at the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) trade show in San Francisco signing galleys after dinner. NCIBA hosts a "Moveable Feast" dinner in which one author sits with each table of booksellers, and after each course the authors get up and move to a different table. (They feed us ahead of - [Publishers Weekly Says...](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/publishers_week/): "Fascinating...This book is as lush as the flowers it describes." To read PW's entire review of Flower Confidential, check out the Reviews page of my website. - [Order Gatherers: A Customer's Perspective](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/order_gatherers/): I set out to write Flower Confidential from the point of view of an ordinary customer who is passionate about flowers and wants to know more about where they come from. (That worked out well, because it happens to be who I actually am!) So the other day I had the opportunity to once again - [Roses Made In China](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/roses_made_in_c/): Several people have contacted me this morning to ask about this story in the New York Times about cut flower production shifting to China. It's an interesting story and one that mirrors what's happening elsewhere in global agriculture. A few points to ponder: China’s push into the cut flower industry — which includes plans to - [And in Other News](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/and_in_other_ne/): Check out my story in Saturday's San Francisco Chronicle about the Wiggly Wigglers podcast. You can also find out about other podcasts I like, including the super-cool Geek.Farm.Life. - [Meet the Florists](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/meet_the_floris-2/): Over the next few months, I'll give you a preview of some of the florists I got to know as I was writing Flower Confidential. Today I invite you to check out bbrooks fine flowers, an exclusive network of specialty florists who work with luxurious, seasonal flowers and stay away from what you may think - [IRLF: Child Labor, Union Negotiations on Flower Farms](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/irlf_child_labo/): Thanks to the International Labor Rights Fund for sending on news of two labor issues on Latin American flower farms. Before I get into this, let me just remind you that there are some excellent certification programs that can help ensure that the flowers you buy met some standards of social and environmental responsibility. There - [Flowers from the English Countryside](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/flowers_from_th/): Last week I left London and took a train to Hereford, home of Wiggly Wigglers, a farm that sells just about everything you need to enjoy an eco-friendly life in the English countryside. I got to know them because they sell worms and composters, but they also ship plants, tools, and--this is where it gets - [Those Naughty Non-Native Earthworms](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/those_naughty_n/): Great stuff from Boostrap Analysis on the publication of some new data from the Minnesota research team I interviewed for The Earth Moved. I devoted a chapter to the time I spent there walking through the forest and talking with researchers Cindy Hale and Lee Frelich about their work. It is true that non-native earthworms - [Moving Flowers Around](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/moving_flowers_/): Two examples of how flowers get moved around the world. First, this old flower transport box, probably used more for taking flowers to flower shows than to markets, but interesting anyway: a solid wooden box, metal vases, and a raised lid stamped with instructions. I found this at the Museum of Garden History in London - [A Damn Fine Chicken Coop](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/a_damn_fine_chi/): Spotted in the English countryside: just about the smartest little chicken house a flock could ever want. (Sorry for the fence in the foreground; there was no getting around that.) On the left, a nice wooden coop with nesting boxes sticking out the side, making it easy to collect eggs from the outside. Windows that - [Pig Races in the Kent Countryside](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/pig_races_in_th/): There is still a place in the south of England where most of the village will turn out on a rainy Saturday to watch a pig race...and I have the pictures to prove it. I'm not going to tell you exactly where it is, or you'd all want to move there, and that would just - [Fabulous British Eggs](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/fabulous_britis/): Walk into just about any grocery store in London and you can buy these gorgeous eggs. Made us feel like we'd brought our chickens with us on this trip. - [Blogging from London](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/blogging_from_l/): I went into Marks & Spencer's Simply Food, an upscale UK grocery store kind of like Trader Joe's in the US, to check out the kinds of flowers they sell. I'd heard that they were going to start offering a new rose developed by David Austin for the cut flower market that was designed to - [And Now, This.](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/and_now_this/): You won't hear much from me for the next couple of weeks, but meanwhile, take a stroll over to GardenRant, where there's always something going on. Also, I just did an interview with The Blog Reader--go check them out, too. more coming soon.... - [Eco-Friendly Flowers: More Good News](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/ecofriendly_flo/): VeriFlora, the eco-label for cut flowers sold in the United States, has just announced that it has certified two more flower farms. Now there are six farms in the US, Ecuador, and Colombia that have met VeriFlora's standards for environmental and social responsibility. They've also announced that they're working with other certification programs to try - [London Calling](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/london_calling/): I'm heading to London soon. Any gardens or garden-related tourism I should add to the plan? I might also be in Kent for a couple days. - [What's a Vase Life Guarantee?](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/whats_a_vase_li/): Someone posted a comment asking me what I meant by "vase life guarantee." Good question! Over the years I spent researching Flower Confidential, I watched this issue become more and more important to florists. When people buy flowers, they want to know that they're getting their money's worth, and often that means knowing that the - [Fabulous, Locally-Grown Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/fabulous_locall/): Ah, summer in Arcata. At the farmers market this time of year, you can get all kinds of interesting and unusual flowers. Sweet peas and clarkia were for sale today, along with tons of dahlias. Gorgeous. And I heard the grower giving a customer a vase-life guarantee, something more and more florists are starting to - [The New Cover](https://www.amystewart.com/book-tourevents/the_new_cover/): My publisher is getting ready to send the press kits out, and they've redesigned the cover. What do you think? - [Fabulous Gerberas](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/fabulous_gerber/): I was really suprised by the number of people who found their way to this blog in search of a brown rose. So how about a brown gerbera? I've seen this gerbera in person; it really is a lovely chocolate brown with an espresso-colored center. Good enough to eat. This comes from Terra Nigra, a - [A Flower Worker Speaks Up](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/a_flower_worker/): I was very moved by a story in the May/June issue of Floraculture International called "Much Has Been Done, But There is Much More To Do." An Ecuadorian flower worker named Paulina Vilca gave a speech at a recent floral industry conference about the impact that flower certification programs have had on her life. - [Come On, Touch It!](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/come_on_touch_i/): The Chicago Sun-Times on worm composting: The process is odor-free and bug-free, but a certain yuck factor may nonetheless be keeping worm bins from really taking off. Pat Schwarze of the Building Owners Management Association of Suburban Chicago said members learned about vermiculture at a trade show last year, but nobody bit. "People are interested - [Yet Another Reason to Raise Your Own Chickens](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/wwwnytimescom/): That's right, advertisements for TV shows. On your eggs. I am not making this up. I've written before about EggFusion, a company that has developed a laser etching technology that allows eggshells to be engraved with, say, an expiration date or other information. But then it occurred to the execs at CBS that there was - [The Fotis and Their Chickens](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/the_fotis_and_t/): I've been a fan of the Foti Family blog for a while now, but somehow I didn't get it that they were part of the Edible Estates project until I saw the NYT story today. Read more about all of this over at GardenRant, but meanwhile, I point you to the Fotifarm Egg Production Chart, - [Cut Flower Grower Tells It Like It Is](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/cut_flower_grow/): A cut flower grower in southern California made it clear that his business relies on illegal immigrant labor, making him one of the few farmers who really wants to own up to the situation. "I'm assuming that a good number of our people are lying," said Mellano, 67, who farms lilies, irises and sunflowers on - [Dutch Growers Buy C02](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/dutch_growers_b/): The New York Times reports on a new program for Dutch flower growers to buy carbon dioxide and reuse it in their greenhouses: Mr. van Os produces four million roses each year, flooding the atmosphere inside his vast glass canopy with pure carbon dioxide to bolster his crop. What is unusual is that he now - [Daffodils cure dementia](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/daffodils_cure_/): A recent Guardian story reports that a compound in daffodils called galanthamine can be made into a drug to treat dementia. Farmers in Wales could soon be growing fields of daffodils to provide a cheap source of a compound used in drugs to combat dementia. Trials to harvest the country's national flower - and Wordsworth's - [Are you ready for a brown rose?](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/are_you_ready_f/): It can take seven years or more to bring a new hybrid rose to market. But it's almost impossible to predict what will sell. A grower has just rolled out a chocolate brown rose called 'Terra Nostra', but now the question is: do you want it? Would you buy this rose? UPDATE: First of all, - [Organic Bouquet Goes Carbon Neutral](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/organic_bouquet/): Organic Bouquet just announced that they are purchasing carbon carbon credits to offset the carbon dioxide emissions that are caused by shipping their organic flowers to customers. According to the press release: Organic Bouquet will participate in the Climate Trust's Truck Stop Electrification Program, which reduces wasteful diesel emissions at truck stops where, each night, - [More On My Husband's Sex Appeal](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/more_on_my_husb/): This is for Susan, in response to her comment on the last post. Here's my all-time favorite picture of Scott, in which he proves once and for all that he just can't leave those redheads alone. - [Cat Meets Chicken](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/cat_meets_chick/): Man picks up cat. Chicken jumps on man. Cat hides head in man's arm and moans. Chicken tries to kiss man. It's a typical day in the Stewart/Brown household. - [Observations from the Garden Tour](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/observations_fr/): What a berry trellis should look like: What my berries look like: - [A new hen blog!](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/a_new_hen_blog/): Terry Golson, author of the very tempting Farmstead Egg Cookbook, now has a chicken blog that even includes a live ChickenCam. But it turns out she's not the only one--she provided a link to an entire collection of HenCams. So in those rare moments when my own chickens are quiet and off entertaining themselves, I - [The Flower Confidential Video](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/the_flower_conf-2/): See, it's not enough to write a book anymore--you gotta have a video on YouTube, too! You can go see it there or head over to the Media page and check it out. This, by the way, was directed, produced, filmed, and edited by my brother, who works in TV and films in LA. The - [Tomatoes, Humboldt County Style](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/tomatoes_humbol/): When you're this close to the ocean, you grow 'em in a box. No way around it. At least these people built a cute box for theirs. And they've got big 'ol monster tomatoes inside there. Just stand by with the olive oil and the salt shaker! - [Saturday's Harvest](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/saturdays_harve/): Lucky for me--all of these plants need to be cut back so they'll continue blooming. This weekend's harvest included hydrangea, catmint, lady's mantle, daisies, coreopsis, sweet William, and alstroemeria. I could have cut plenty more, but where would I put it? And yes, I know that the flowers spilling out of the watering can - [Let's Geek Out](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/lets_geek_out/): Excuse me while I get all geeky for a minute. First, this website is hosted by Webmasters. When I signed up with them, I thought, oh, whatever, it's a big old anonymous company and I'm on my own, but hey, it's cheap. Was I ever wrong! These people have 24/7 live phone support with an - [Welcome to my new blog!](https://www.amystewart.com/uncategorized/welcome_to_my_n/): There are big changes afoot at Dirt. First, I've moved to this new location and integrated the blog with the rest of my website. Second, I've rolled my three old blogs (Dirt, Humboldt Hens, and Worms of Endearment) into one. If you're only here for the chicken stuff, the worm stuff, or the garden stuff, - [Orchid Day Care](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/orchid_day_care/): I guess it had to come to this. You can now spend $300 a month boarding your collection of orchids while you're on vacation. That's not all...you can also send them off to camp when they're finished blooming, where they will be pampered in a climate-controlled greenhouse until they're ready to burst into flower again. - [Green Flowers Just Got Greener](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/green_flowers_j/): Organic Bouquet just announced that it will buy "carbon offsets" to help mitigate the environmental impact of shipping flowers. According to a press release: " Organic Bouquet will participate in the Climate Trust's Truck StopElectrification Program, which reduces wasteful diesel emissions at truckstops where, each night, thousands of truckers idle their engines to powerheating, air - [Great Moments in Chicken Videos](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/great_moments_i/): This is my gift to you on a Monday when we'd all rather be outdoors. Enjoy. Nike Angry Chicken - Google Video - [Welcome, San Francisco Chronicle Readers!](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/welcome_san_fra/): If you're coming here to check out the blogs you read about in the San Francisco Chronicle, welcome. Settle in; have a look around. I'm blogging regularly on a new group blog, GardenRant. You can find out more about the inspiration for this blog here. And if you're interested in starting a garden blog of - [In Praise of Small Magazines](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/in_praise_of_sm/): When I saw Sign of the Shovel's post about her husband's new book, I realized that it was about time for me to employ a little crass commercialism in support of my own spouse's venture. Scott has been the half-owner and editor of Fine Books & Collections for four years now. He started the magazine - [Garden Rant Takes Over the World](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/garden_rant_tak_2/): A few months ago, I started talking with Susan Harris of Takoma Gardener and Michele Owens of Sign of the Shovel about a modest little idea we had to stage a horticultural revolt. We were tired of what the mainstream gardening media has to offer--warmed-over garden tips, repurposed press releases about the ten thousandth new - [Holy Bat Shit, Lady Hillingdon!](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/holy_bat_shit_l/): Well folks, this is it. This is as good as it gets. The garden is at its absolute peak right now. There are some late summer salvias that are not in bloom yet, but apart from that, everything is out of control, including--in the background, against the fence--a yellow 'Lady Hillingdon' rose that has gone - [The Future of Heronswood](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the_future_of_h/): Anne Raver, writing about Heronswood in the New York Times, has a bit more to say about the future of the gardens themselves. "Mr. Ball said Heronswood's gardens-- 5 1/2 acres of the garden, as distinct from the business Burpee is moving, will not be depleted even as the best specimens are taken for propagation - [The Opinionated Multitasker](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the_opinionated/): Thanks to the Houston Chronicle for choosing Dirt as its favorite opinionated garden blog, and to the Sacramento Bee for...uh...choosing Dirt as its favorite opinionated garden blog. Green Space: Best Gardening Blogs (and what I've learned from them) The SacBee says: "A fascinating and informative blog from Amy Stewart, a popular speaker and writer who - [Nursery Too Interesting, Catalog Too Smart, Must Be Closed Down](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/nursery_too_int/): If you haven't been to Heronswood Nursery in Kingston, WA, it's too damn late. The owner, Dan Hinkley, sold it to Burpee, and they have--yep, you guessed it--shut 'er down. Brilliant plantsman Dan Hinkley, who continued to run the nursery after he sold it, was horrified to show up and learn that Burpee had shut - [The Garden, Part Two](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the_garden_part/): The chickens are also making inroads into the side garden (and here's Bess in the path). I had intended for this to be an all-culinary garden, with artichokes, sage, apples, rosemary, edible flowers, other herbs, but inevitably, that definition got stretched, first to include other salvias that are related to culinary sage but not necessarily - [Chicken-friendly plants](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/chickenfriendly/): Here's the back yard looking yummy, as it does this time of year. This is the north side of the house, which means that even though it's an open, unshaded space, the house tends to cast a long shadow most of the year. The back, around the chicken coop, is really the only place that - [Cybergardening in the Sacramento Bee](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/cybergardening_/): Thanks to the Sacramento Bee for this story on the digital gardening world, which includes a mention of Dirt. I'd like to second their nomination of Annie's Annuals as the best nursery website--it's useful as a reference source and as a place to find plants. News - Dan Vierria: Online gardening is almost as good - [Boo Boo Succumbs](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/boo_boo_succumb/): Y'all might remember my earlier post about the chicken who went on Jay Leno. Well, I'm afraid that Boo Boo has died. I'm sorry to be the one to bring you this news. Those close to the chicken say that she had seizures, which may have been the cause of her earlier near-drowning experience. ABC - [Bess is My Emotional Support Chicken](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/bess_is_my_emot/): This just in from the New York Times: "At French Roast on upper Broadway, however, two women sat down to brunch with dogs in tow: a golden retriever and a Yorkie toted in a bag. They both said that their animals were emotional service dogs," said Gil Ohana, the manager, explaining why he let them - [Thanks for all your good garden blogging advice](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/thanks_for_all_/): I updated the post (below), put a link on the sidebar, and I think it's done. Feel free to keep commenting, however. - [Chicken blogging!](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/chicken_bloggin/): I was taking a picture for a post about garden blogging over on Dirt, when the chickens wandered over to see what I'd brought them. Perhaps we should set up an old computer out there in the coop and see what the girls come up with. (Do you suppose they touch type or hunt and - [Flower Confidential](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/flower_confiden-4/): My new book, Flower Confidential, will be published in February 2007. I encourage you to buy a copy from your local independent bookseller when it comes out, but you can also place an advance order online now. I'll post more news in the weeks and months to come. (and yes, there will be a book - [Don't Get Dirt in the Keyboard, and Other Blogging Tips for Gardeners](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/dont_get_dirt_i/): What is a blog? A blog (short for "weblog") is a website that follows a very specific diary format, with the most recent post on top and everything else below it in chronological order. You don't need any special skills to make or post to a blog--it's as easy as writing an e-mail. People tend - [Earth Plugs](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/earth_plugs/): So my mom gave me these sweet little Fiestaware-colored flower pots. Nice, huh? But what to do with them? They're almost too nice to go outside, and I don't really have any little houseplants I could put in them. What a dilemma! Then I was at the nursery and I saw these Earth Plugs from - [Women! What do they want?](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/women_what_do_t/): Scott comes outside and finds himself surrounded by a flock of very demanding girls. Bess, as always, flies right up to his face, just assuming that he'll hold out an arm as a landing perch about the time she arrives. In other news...Dolley laid one of those strange shellless eggs the other day. It was - [Sweet William, sweet Eleanor](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/sweet_william_s/): That's my hen Eleanor in the foreground, and the sweet William I planted last year in the background. Now, I know that this stuff is a biannual, but the plants I bought last year were so big that I thought surely they were in their second year and would bloom soon. That's reasonable, isn't it? - [Why blog?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/why_blog/): A good discussion going on here and here about why people keep gardening blogs. It all got started when Gardening While Intoxicated (and by the way--love her, love her blog, love the whole intoxicated gardening concept) said that she finds that GardenWeb's reblog, Garden Voices, "contains a confusing and daunting amount of material, so I'm - [Dude, Where's My Lawn?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/dude_wheres_my_/): People, I said to rip our YOUR lawn, not your neighbor's lawn! Isn't anyone paying attention? SignOnSanDiego.com > News > State -- Thief steal Adelanto homeowner's front yard: "Witnesses told the homeowner they saw the thief taking the sod, plants and irrigation system to a residence on Tara Lane" - [Going Organic for Mom](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/going_organic_f/): USATODAY.com - Growers say it with organic flowers A USA Today article on Mother's Day flowers shows that more and more consumers are buying organic flowers for their mothers. "We'll sell 10,000 organic bouquets in the next two days. We're really getting slammed," Prolman says from Miami, where he's helping out at one of Organic - [Certified Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/certified_flowe/): Great posts in the comments section in response to my Times piece on socially and envirnmentally responsible flowers. I've heard from a few people in the industry who want me to remember that there are many farms doing the right thing, and many certification programs besides VeriFlora. You'll see when my book comes out that - [Satellite Dishes as Garden Art](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/satellite_dishe/): American in Bloom is an organization dedicated to gardening up the American landscape; they hold contests and give awards to cities that have done the best job. One of their judges, Evelyn Alemanni, wrote in their newsletter about the innovative use of satellite dishes in the garden. They work as fountains, planters, and surprisingly elegant - [Even Crack Addicts Have Mothers, and Other Hazards of Urban Gardening](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/even_crack_addi/): According to this Washington Post report, the plant thieves are out in droves on Mother's Day, looking for that perfect potted azalea for Mom. Urban gardeners are warned to wait until after Mother's Day to festoon their porches with hanging plants, and to consider something thorny, like a rose. Or how about a plant stake - [The Ethics of Buying Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/the_ethics_of_b/): The Observer | Magazine | Lucy Siegle: Is it ethical to buy cut flowers? Funny to read a British writer saying she envies the options American consumers have to buy "ethical" flowers--I am always saying that Europeans have so many more options than we do. In fact, Fairtrade flowers are widely available in the UK, - [Today's New York Times](https://www.amystewart.com/mediareviews/todays_new_york/): Check out my op-ed piece in today's New York Times. You'll be hearing more from me in the months to come about my new book, Flower Confidential, but this will give you a preview. - [David Austin's Perfect Rose](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/david_austins_p/): icBirmingham - Austins think this is the perfect English rose David Austin is working on putting the scent back into roses sold on the cut flower market: Bouquets of the unique rose are on sale for prices between £35 and £95, but even at that price they are being snapped up. "We can sell as - [The garden industry blogs!](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the_garden_indu/): Greenhouse Grower magazine is now hosting several blogs about the horticulture industry. Right on, y'all! Welcome to the blogosphere! I'm thrilled to hear growers talking. Your customers are talking too--are you listening? Now, a few quick blog tips: 1. Allow comments. Come on, let's chat! It's sort of a basic blog concept that people will - [Gardening as a National Pasttime: The Kids Are All Right](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/gardening_as_a_/): What does this Oriental poppy have to do with this week's debate over the life and death of gardening as our nation's favorite hobby? Nothing. But it's pretty, and it's blooming in my garden right now. Great comments from everybody on this issue. Two things worth discussing in more detail: 1. Do we need to - [Miami, Flower Import Capital](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/miami_flower_im/): MiamiHerald.com | 05/08/2006 | Miami flower import capital of the world, facing changes Check out this story about changes to the flower industry and how they're impacting importers in Miami. Downward pressure on prices is a real concern, especially as fuel prices go up and the market continues to change: Importers also have been hard-hit - [Japan, China in War of Flowers](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/japan_china_in_/): MiamiHerald.com | 05/08/2006 | Miami flower import capital of the world, facing changes Check out this story about changes to the flower industry and how they're impacting importers in Miami. Downward pressure on prices is a real concern, especially as fuel prices go up and the market continues to change: Importers also have been hard-hit - [More about the decline of gardening](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/more_about_the_/): Oh, for crying out loud. Rocky Mountain News is on about it too. This story is also filled with vague, unsubstantiated claims. It begins, believe it or not, with this earth-shattering observation: "Once upon a time, people worked in their gardens and yards..." and continues, "Unfortunately, the act of garden piddling is losing ground, so - [Reports of Gardening's Death Greatly Exaggerated](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/reports_of_gard/): Nothing irritates me more than these stories about how gardening as a leisure activity is on its way out. In this week's San Francisco Chronicle, John Hershey writes: "Are you aware of the impending demographic crisis facing our country? ...In a recent poll, the number of Americans who list gardening as one of their favorite - [Oddly Fascinating Animated Video...](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/oddly_fascinati/): shows a worm digesting its food. I love the little cartoon poop left behind at the end. Check it out here: Overview - [Sam James, Worm Hunter](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/sam_james_worm_/): Check out this story about Sam James, earthworm taxonomist who recently found an earthworm in Brazil that was believed to be extinct. Kansas City infoZine - KU Research Associate Helps Discover Worm Once Thought to be Extinct - USA - [More Praise for Earthworms](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/more_praise_for/): "Where there's a healthy earthworm population, there will be 1000 miles of burrows per acre, she continues. "Fields with earthworm tunnels absorb water at a rate of 4-10 times that of fields without worm tunnels." Worms also act as a biological filter, she maintains. "They line their burrows with mucus which absorbs any pollutants, such - [Cheering on a Kindred Spirit](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/cheering_on_a_k/): Uncle Tom's vegetable garden takes over the front yard! Go, go! Once, in Santa Cruz, I decided to stop worrying about all the tourists (those dreadful garden pests) picking flowers from my narrow strip of a front garden and to indulge them instead. The garden sat up about five feet from the sidewalk, hemmed in - [More Truth in Gardening](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/more_truth_in_g/): I love all these photos from Casa Decrepit, a blog about a Bay Area house renovation, showing the garden in all its glory with little labels pointing to what is there and what may someday be there. Casa Decrepit: The Garden: An Overview and Notes - [Every Day is Respect for Chickens Day Around Here](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/every_day_is_re/): United Poultry Concerns has declared May 4 International Respect for Chickens Day. I know that their name sounds like the name of some industry puppet group, but in fact, this is a group that advocates for better treatment of chickens even as they are being raised for slaughter. Good people. And here are some random - [Susan Harris Totally Rocks](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/susan_harris_to/): You know her as Takoma Gardener. Now, if you're in the DC area, you can hire her as a garden consultant and coach. I understand about the need for a service like this: as the garden columnist for the local paper in my small town, I often get calls from people who would like me - [American Green: The Quest for the Perfect Lawn](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/american_green_/): Readers of this blog know that I’ve never been a fan of lawns, those expanses of green, fertilizer-and-herbicide-hungry plants mowed down to within and inch or two of their lives. It’s a monoculture, and a boring one at that. If you’re going to cover the earth in front of your home with just one plant, - [Earthbound Farms Loves Earthworms](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/earthbound_farm/): "'Here, you dig the earth and there are earthworms,' says Kodet. 'In my 22 years working for a conventional grower, I never saw an earthworm.' " THE FACES OF ORGANIC / EARTHBOUND FARM: Backyard farmers emerge as top organic produce brand - [Sign of the Shovel: Peeping Mad](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/sign_of_the_sho/): There's a good discussion going on over at Sign of the Shovel about the noise backyard hens make. I have often wondered if our neighbors were going to get fed up and come knocking on the door. Our girls can get quite riled up just after, and sometimes just before, they lay an egg (wouldn't - [Kiwis Discover the Flower Switch](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/kiwis_discover_/): It had to happen sooner or later. A group of scientists have discovered the genetic pathway that regulates flowering, and they've developed a spray that can either force a flower to bloom or force it not to bloom. "Flower growers could spray to make flowering coincide with events such as Valentine's Day." Like all cut - [Battle of the Blue Roses](https://www.amystewart.com/cut-flowers/battle_of_the_b/): For Flower Confidential I interviewed John Mason, a scientist at Florigene working on a genetically modified blue rose. They've gotten close, creating roses implanted with a petunia gene that produces, if not a true blue rose, at least a pretty unique shade of purple. They've also rolled out a series of purple carnations, which proved - [Something else American garden magazines lack...](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/something_else_/): Hunky British gardeners! Where's the sizzle in garden magazines, anyway? Gardening is such a deliciously dirty and sweaty activity anyway, so come on--let's see some muscles and some curves! Show us your freckles! Peel me a grape! Between the overripe berries, the outdoor showers, the droning of the bees, the wisteria-covered arbor at sunset--are we - [Why British Garden Magazines Are So Vastly Superior to Our Own](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/why_british_gar/): At first, I didn't think the answer would be so simple. I thought I'd page through a few UK garden magazines and be left with a vague sense that their photographs were better, plants more unusual, writing more clever, and that they were just--well, hipper and smarter than us in the way that all things - [The Last of the Manhattan Gardens](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the_last_of_the/): This sweet little garden in Manhattan's Lower East Side seemed to require a lot of signs--although the most popular garden sign in New York, one that I saw placed above tiny, two-foot long strips of tulips or pansies that barely qualify as a garden, usually involved a warning about dogs. The most straightforward was, "Your - [](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/post/) - [Gardening in the Big Apple](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/gardening_in_th/): I'll say this about the island of Manhattan: all that concrete and steel makes you appreciate the smallest attempts at horticulture--whether it's a flowering plant in an urn on a stoop... or the tulips in front of the New York Public Library... or a pair of young trees in bloom. I've always believed that living - [I Know Why the Caged Rose Sings](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/i_know_why_the_/): More from my ongoing quest to figure out how people garden in Manhattan: a rose in a cage on the lower East side. I suppose that if the plant survives to adulthood, the cage will come off, and it will have only its thorns with which to defend itself. And in response to a comment - [Too Much Pollen? Blame the Males](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/too_much_pollen/): Yesterday on All Things Considered, Robert Siegel interviewed author Tom Ogren about his book Allergy-Free Gardening and about the recent proliferation of male trees in the American landscape, which has caused a tremendous increase in seasonal allergies. I confess that I didn't place much stock in the notion of planting an allergy-free garden until I - [Terra Nova perennials](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/terra_nova_pere/): There's a great article in USA Today (did I just say that?) about Dan Heims of the wholesale Terra Nova Nurseries. He's the guy who's responsible for all the amazing heurcheras that have come on the market lately. Check this out: "The bumper sticker over Heims' desk says it all: "So many species, so little - [Horticulture and the City](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/horticulture_an/): And now, Manhattan. I'm so fascinated with all the ways people find to garden in this city, and I couldn't stop taking pictures of courtyards, windowboxes, potted plants, rooftop gardens--anything and everything that people do to experience a little nature in Metropolis. Here, the entrance to the Orchid Show at Rockefeller Center. - [Plant Orphans](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/plant_orphans/): For a while now I've been meaning to write something about plant orphans, those lost and abandoned plants that all gardeners take in and nurture back to health. It seemed like a good counterpoint to the flower theft stories (and more here) from earlier in the year. But ironically, my own plant orphan story is - [How Do You Compost?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/how_do_you_comp/): I’ve always been something of a compost bin addict. In my life I’ve had five bins, (not counting open compost piles) and there are a few more models I’d still like to try. The satisfaction that comes from turning over a pile of dead leaves and moldy fruit and discovering dark, damp, worm-infested muck underneath—well, - [Snip It!](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/snip_it/): The most dangerous moments in my garden come, not surprisingly, when I have a pair of pruning shears in my hand. What is surprising is the sheer stupidity of my attempts at self-inflicted injury: I grab a bunch of dead stalks with one hand, reach in to cut them down with the other, and somehow - [What's Bugging You?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/whats_bugging_y/): Pete Haggard didn’t take a vacation for ten years. Why? There was no one to watch the bugs. Haggard, a Humboldt County, CA agricultural inspector, began photographing and cataloging northern California insects over a decade ago. The result is a new book from Timber Press, Insects of the Pacific Northwest, which he co-authored with his - [Clematis and Wisteria](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/clematis_and_wi/): I can't get so much as a poppy to bloom in the chilly, wet weather we've had in the Pacific Northwest lately, but just a few miles up the road, a friend's clematis and wisteria are blooming their heads off. Is it possible that she just went out and bought these sturdy, woody vines last - [Sex in (and after) the Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/sex_in_and_afte/): In her New York Times piece, Joyce Wadler tells the tale of author William Alexander's attempt at pollinating his apple tree. She writes: "After learning that apple trees would not bear fruit unless cross-pollinated with trees of another variety, he harvested blossoms from trees near his office, mashed the blossoms and spread the pollen on - [More Pretty Pictures, Still Not My Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/more_pretty_pic/): A gate to nowhere. The first time I walked through it, this garden's owner said, "Be sure and close the gate so the donkeys don't get out" (she actually does have two fabulous little donkeys) and I fell for it. I have gates to somewhere that don't look nearly as good as this gate to - [The Jay Leno Arkadelphia Chicken Video](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/the_jay_leno_ar/): This is so brilliant, folks. Thanks to Brian & Enis for sending a link so I could share it with you. Terry Bradshaw's the other guest, and he may be the funniest part of the whole deal. The Arkadelphia Chicken - [Still Not My Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/still_not_my_ga/): How yummy is this? You need a big space for a big statue, and this one totally works. - [Not My Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/not_my_garden/): You won't see any great examples of garden design in my own garden. It's small and overcrowded and tended by a reckless, careless gardener who operates entirely on impulse. However, I do know people who design beautiful gardens for themselves. I spent the day taking photographs of one such garden during an annual Easter party. - [Easter Eggs!](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/easter_eggs/): Thanks, girls! And if you're in the mood for some truly fancy organic dyed easter eggs, (I know, Easter is over, this information would have been useful a week ago), check out this great article on all-natural egg dyes made of spinach, berries, cabbage and more. Oh, and someone asked what chicken scratch was. Good - [Sweet Abigail](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/sweet_abigail/): She's so eager to do her trick. The trick is simply that she hops from the back of this chair onto your arm for a treat. Unlike the smaller birds, she can't get herself off the ground (or, as Scott says, she can but she doesn't try hard enough...), but she has figured out how - [The Garden, Looking Pretty](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the_garden_look/): OK, enough ugly garden pictures. Here's the eye candy, or at least this is as much eye candy as I could muster. Artemesia, Spanish bluebells (which grow like weeds around here--I did not plant them), and hens. Next, phlomis (aka Jerusalem sage) with the yellow flowers, centranthrus (Jupiter's beard) with the pink flowers, and orange-flowered - [My Garden: The Ugly Truth](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/my_garden_the_u/): Sacramento Gardening took this idea of photographing the real garden, the way it really looks, even if the off-season, even with weeds, and ran with it. She actually went out and voluntarily photographed the ugliest parts of her garden. OK, I'm up for it. Ugly Spot #1: between the chicken coop and the back gate. - [The Coop O-Rama](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/the_coop_orama/): I totally want one of these. Don't my girls deserve an airy, lofty A-frame? Find out more at The Easy Chicken. They also sell lots of interesting poultry supplies. It's actually a good thing I don't have much time on my hands, or I'd be shopping for them, drafting up architectural plans, and most of - [Now what?](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/now_what/): So I'm at the feed store picking up another bag of organic layer pellets. There's only one store in town that offers the organic stuff, so I make a trip out there every couple of months for a bag. This time the woman behind the counter says, "We have organic scratch now, too." Well, that's - [Garden Center Blog](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/garden_center_b/): Check out the golden gecko blog--the blog of a garden center owner in Garden Valley, CA. I found him when he posted a comment about organic fertilizers on Sacramento Gardening--he said, in part: "“Authentic” companies are authentic for the very reason they are not found in chain stores. Just like Mc Donald’s or any other - [Hot or Not?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/hot_or_not/): Takoma Gardener has a great round-up of gardening trends. Hot: Dwarf evergreens and colored foliage. Not: shade trees and ornamental grasses. Now, I get it about gardening trends--sort of. If someone asks me what an unfamiliar flower is, I can say, "Oh, that's cerinthe, it's sort of a trendy little annual right now." In other - [Couldn't we all, really?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/couldnt_we_all_/): "Those paperwhites and other daffodils sure could use a drink -- a little whiskey, vodka gin or tequila could keep them from falling over. " Gin has the opposite effect on me, but OK, I'm listening. A study at Cornell showed that sharing happy hour with the houseplants would stunt their growth. In the case - [What a load of horseshit!](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/what_a_load_of_/): ElizabethGardens is working on a complete overhaul of a 1/3 acre lot, starting with bringing in a glorious load of manure and compost to improve the soil. So one question is, how much to buy? There's a great shortcut to converting square feet into inches of mulch. Just multiply the square footage of your garden - [Miracle-Gro's Organic Choice](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/miraclegros_org/): Thanks to Sacramento Gardening for pointing out that Scotts now makes a line of Miracle-Gro organic products. Now, you might think that I'd jump on my high horse and rail against the corporate organic model, in which a smattering of organic products are wrapped around a giant, environmentally-unfriendly behemouth in the name of making a - [Spring Garden Tour](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/spring_garden_t/): I'd promised to post the same picture of the garden each month, whether it looked good or not. For April I decided to conduct a full tour of the garden. So in the spirit of showing more real gardens, even when they look like crap... The front's coming along. Cerinthe is blooming. Rose campion about - [Dreaming of Summer](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/dreaming_of_sum/): I found this going through last year's pictures. I look like a stooped-over old person here, but that's only because I'm bending down to talk to the chickens. But doesn't the garden look lovely? Just a few more months... UPDATE: Oh, yeah, that's a good idea--say something about the plants! Icelandic poppies in front (and - [How quickly they grow up!](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/how_quickly_the/): The girls are all one year old. They're officially hens now. Ah, time flies... I was at the feed store last week admiring the new crop of baby chicks and it was all I could do not to stuff a couple in my coat pocket and take them home. Here's a little trick that will - [Plants We Love: Geum](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/plants_we_love_/): (Red geum pictured here with lilac centranthus, aka Jupiter's Beard.) I’m always surprised at what flowers won’t grow in my garden. I have a great deal of trouble getting annual sunflowers to stick around, for instance. Either the snails mow them down or they just don’t get quite enough heat and sunlight to push them - [Garden Blogs go Mainstream](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/garden_blogs_go/): Durn, we've been found out! Thanks to Sign of the Shovel for unearthing this one. CNN.com - Take time to blog the roses - Apr 6, 2006 - [Welcome, Yahoo users!](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/welcome_yahoo_u/): If you've come here from your customized Yahoo home page, welcome! For those of you who haven't yet learned the joys of a customized home page, to go Yahoo and click on "My Yahoo," or go to Google and click on "Personalized Home" in the upper right corner. From there you can choose all kinds - [Great Moments in Plant Photography](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/great_moments_i-2/): This just makes me happy. Flowering Plant Families, UH Botany - [And we're off!](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/and_were_off/): Sign of the Shovel took the time to drive around New Jersey and photograph the most offensive, banal, and generally irritating gardens she could find. Yes! Somebody's got to stop these people! Michele, please don't be swayed by suburban California gardens. If I see one more rockrose and agapanthus garden planted by a contractor, I'm - [What's the Big Deal with Miracle-Gro?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/whats_the_big_d/): Sarah asked this question in the comments, and it's a good one. For me, a magazine published by a big company like Scotts is a little suspect. I mean, we're not talking about a group of passionated and dedicated gardeners who got together to share their love of horticulture with the world. I'd be equally - [The Arkadelphia Chicken--Mouth-to-Beak Resuscitation](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/the_arkadelphia/): I wish I could share this woman's appearance on Jay Leno, which my aunt June e-mailed to me, but I don't have a way to post a video on the blog and I haven't found it online yet. It's about the funniest piece of television you've ever seen. I'll keep looking. Meanwhile, you can meet - [Faster Circuit Board Built With Chicken Feathers](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/faster_circuit_/): Thanks to Roni for this one: a circuit board made of chicken feathers and soy. Yeah, we just build electronics with whatever we've got laying around the house. (get it?) Apparently " the chicken feathers make it faster because they have a higher dielectric constant, which means the electrons running around the board will not - [Miracle-Gro Magazine](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/miraclegro_maga/): This just in: Miracle Gro is going to give you gardening advice. I've never been so frightened. - [Honey, what's for dinner?](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/honey_whats_for/): Worms, of course! "They taste like cockles, earthy and a bit bitter," he said, describing the blanched worms he ate, having heard that earthworm was used to cure fever in Indonesia. New Straits Times - Malaysia News Online - [No Dirt, No Weeds, No Mess](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/no_dirt_no_weed/): And best of all, no green thumb needed! Folks, this is the year of the high-tech garden gadget. For just $149, you can grow herbs right in your kitchen using this self-contained little grow system. It's got a built-in light, "bio domes" that come pre-planted with the seeds of your choice, an aeroponic optimizing chamber - [Be Good to Your Worms](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/be_good_to_your/): The Salt Lake Tribune reminds us that "bumpy lawns can drive some homeowners crazy. Even while acknowledging that worms are beneficial in the long run, many people ask how they can kill this lawn 'pest.' " Boy, does that drive me crazy. People, a lawn with a good earthworm population is a healthy lawn! Be - [Married in the House, Single in the Garden](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/married_in_the_/): Sign of the Shovel has sparked a discussion of the relative merits of gardening with a spouse vs. gardening alone. She wonders briefly if she should have married a man like Eliot Coleman: "Eliot, are you the man I should have married? Someone who'd actually work the soil with me? Side by side, shovel to - [Rose Apples](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/rose_apples/): At the risk of spoiling the fun...damn, I wish I could come up with an April Fool's entry like this one. Brilliant! Reading Dirt: A New Twist on Edible Landscaping -- With a Little Help From Science - [More crop trouble](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/more_crop_troub/): Man, this chicken thing is complicated. Dolley recovered perfectly from her impacted crop (if you're surfing around for crop info, check the February and March 2006 archives), but about three weeks later, we saw Return of Big Crop. I had heard that once a crop gets stretched out, it'll stay that way, but this time - [Annie's Annuals](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/annies_annuals/): Finally sifting through the last of my garden show finds. From the Annie's Annuals booth, we have: Limnanthes douglasii 'Meadow Foam'--low-growing wildflower, dense, spreading mat, self-sows. I'm hoping it'll be a good chicken plant. Quick--what's low-growing, spreading (or borderline invasive), flowering, and likes Pacific Northwest climates? Whatever it is, I need it for the chicken - [Chocolate-filled eggshells](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/chocolatefilled/): You go, Martha! For a while I was worried that Martha Stewart had lost her enthusiasm for the obscure and difficult, and was instead going for least-common-denominator tips and recipes to appeal to the masses. No more! Now we're blowing out eggs (using a drill, of course), and filling them with melted chocolate that must - [Chickens Elude Authorities](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/chickens_elude_/): This just in: "Members of Manatee County Animal Services were unable to round up the feral chickens that have been roaming 16th Avenue West in the Village of the Arts. Enforcement supervisor Larry Adams and field officers Jerry Hill and Joyce Bentley tried for nearly two hours to no avail Monday. "We'd try to catch - [The Terminte that Ate Houston, and Other Gardening Urban Legends](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/the_terminte_th/): The tall tale started, as all good tall tales do, in Texas. Homeowners in Houston circulated this warning on the Internet: “After the hurricane in New Orleans many trees were blown over. These trees were then turned into mulch and the state is trying to get rid of tons and tons of this mulch to - [Seed Ballz](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/seed_ballz/): Something else I'm trying out from the garden show: these little clay balls impregnated with seeds. Last year I picked a few up at the Seattle show and they did nothing for me, so when I saw the booth in San Francisco and said that I'd tried them and they didn't work out, the woman - [Another chicken story](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/another_chicken/): This lovely piece of writing is from my friend Beverly Levine: We leap up and spread our arms like graceful wings. Our aging bodies are agile, light. We are in a swimming pool. Here, with the clear water to hold us up, gravity is forgotten, and we soar. We are mermaid ballet dancers, full of - [A New Toy from the Garden Show](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/a_new_toy_from_/): I've seen these upside-down tomato growing contraptions around for a couple years now, but somehow they just didn't capture my imagination. Growing tomatoes upside down? Why bother? Either grow them in the ground, the way they were meant to be grown, or not at all. The problem is that for me, it's been "not at - [A Chicken Moat!](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/a_chicken_moat/): Oh, I loooooooove this! If you have not checked out Make magazine, get over there. Most of their ideas involve doing cool stuff with high-tech gadgets, but some of it is delightfully, low-tech, like this plan for a garden surrounded by a chicken moat. Let the birds patrol the border, eat bugs, etc. They'd get - [A traffic jam!](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/a_traffic_jam/): Four hens trying to lay at once! It rarely happens that the Egg Stork arrives at the same time for all four of them, but when it does, it's chaos. We have two nesting boxes (each bird does not need her own box; they usually take turns and besides they develop a preferred box) and - [More Highlights from the Garden Show](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/more_highlights/): Today's feature: a yard caddy that allows you to push a big ol' trash can around the garden with lots of attachments for tools and gear. Similar attachments for wheelbarrows, smaller trash cans, etc. The photo doesn't do it justice, but it's...well...large. Sort of a big, powerful, whip-the-garden-into-shape machine. - [But Does it Eat Snails?](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/but_does_it_eat/): Speaking of keeping a chicken in the house...check out the amazing Chicken Alarm Clock, courtesy of my friends Roni & Jessica. It crows and lays eggs to wake you up in the morning. Fabulous! I may have to have one in spite of my aversion to alarm clocks. Le Futur Amazing Gifts - [Ah, the drama!](https://www.amystewart.com/chickens/ah_the_drama/): It's rare to catch one of these dramatic moments, but I just happened to have the camera in my hand when Bess popped into the laundry room (perhaps to have a look at the cat food? or a return to her ancestral home in the downstairs bathroom?) and on her way out, who should she - [Write an essay, win a flower shop](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/write_an_essay_/): Ever dreamed of becoming a florist? Now's your chance. Write a clever essay, mail in your entry fee, and you just might end up with a flower shop in Florida. Are you a budding florist? Palm Beach Gardens shop is yours for $100 with write stuff: South Florida Sun-Sentinel - [More Wonders from the Garden Show](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/more_wonders_fr/): A fake lawn! Notice the sign in the background: "No Watering or Fertilizing Ever Again." Well, yeah. 'Cause it's...uh...plastic. Can't these people go live in apartments? Seriously, if the only thing you can think of to do with the land around your house is to cover it in plastic grass, let somebody else live there. - [Invite a Worm to Dinner](https://www.amystewart.com/worms/invite_a_worm_t/): In honor of Earth Day, Organic Valley Family of Farms would like you to hold an Earth Dinner to celebrate the planet's bounty. "Make it simple or make it splendid! From a potluck dinner to a masterful multi-course presentation--any style works for an Earth Dinner. The key is to know the origins of what's being - [Tobacco in the Garden?](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/tobacco_in_the_/): Takoma Gardener is on a tear about Jerry Baker and his questionable gardening advice. Reminds me of a story I wrote years ago about buying tobacco in an attempt to follow his recipe. It ended up being more about the experience of buying a tobacco product and less about whether or not it's a good - [Wonders from the San Francisco Garden Show](https://www.amystewart.com/garden/wonders_from_th/): I bring you this from the garden show: the Garden Auger, a sort of giant drill bit with a round blade at the end. Attach it to your drill, point it toward the ground, and watch the dirt fly. Clay gets busted up. Holes get dug. Weeds get chopped. Worms get pureed. I gotta say, ## Pages - [Amy Stewart, Bestselling Author and Artist](https://www.amystewart.com/): Amy Stewart, artist & bestselling author of over a dozen books, including The Drunken Botanist, Girl Waits with Gun, & The Tree Collectors - [How to Book a Talk with Amy Stewart](https://www.amystewart.com/events/how-to-book-a-talk-with-amy-stewart/): Wondering how to book a talk with Amy Stewart? As a best-selling author and speaker, Amy will come and speak to your garden club, group, or school. Call today! - [State Bird](https://www.amystewart.com/state-bird/) - [](https://www.amystewart.com/books/): Check out Amy Stewart's books: Girl Waits with Gun, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Bugs, Wicked Plants, Flower Confidential, The Earth Moved, From the Ground Up - [Amy Stewart, Best Selling Author](https://www.amystewart.com/about/): Amy Stewart, Best Selling Author of Girl Waits with Gun, Lady Cop Makes Trouble, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and others. - [Book Clubs & Virtual Author Visits](https://www.amystewart.com/events/webcam-events/): Free book clubs & Skype author visits, and more from Amy Stewart, best-selling author of Girl Waits with Gun and the rest of the Kopp Sisters series. - [Subscribe to My Newsletter](https://www.amystewart.com/newsletter/): Amy Stewart's monthly email newsletter with giveaways, get-togethers, and gossip. Join us! - [High-Res Image Downloads](https://www.amystewart.com/images/): Download high definition graphics here. (Click on a picture, and wait for the larger version of the image to open in a new window. Then save that larger image to your computer.) See the Media page for video and radio clips. - [The Tree Collectors](https://www.amystewart.com/books/the-tree-collectors/): The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession by bestselling author Amy Stewart - [The Drunken Botanist](https://www.amystewart.com/books/drunkenbotanist/): The Drunken Botanist was written by Amy Stewart. This book is all about the plants that create the world's great drinks. A New York Times bestseller! - [Amy Stewart Media Appearances](https://www.amystewart.com/media/): Amy Stewart has made media appearances through television, radio, and print. There is simply no end to the creativity of this NY best-selling author and artist. - [Press Kit](https://www.amystewart.com/media/press-kit/): Download fact sheets and press kit materials here. If you're looking for high-res images of book covers, author photos, etc., see the Images page. - [Print & Signed Books from Amy Stewart](https://www.amystewart.com/books/order/): Order print editions and signed copies of Amy Stewart's books, including Girl Waits with Gun, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and many more. - [Wicked Plants](https://www.amystewart.com/books/wicked-plants/) - [Wicked Bugs](https://www.amystewart.com/books/wicked-bugs/): The New York Times bestseller by Amy Stewart - [The Earth Moved](https://www.amystewart.com/books/the-earth-moved/) - [Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessions](https://www.amystewart.com/books/miss-kopps-midnight-confessions/): Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessions is the third novel in Amy Stewart's Kopp Sisters series, based on the remarkable true story of one of America's first female deputy sheriffs. - [Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit](https://www.amystewart.com/books/miss-kopp-just-wont-quit/): Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit is the fourth novel in Amy Stewart's popular Kopp Sisters series, based on the true story of one of America's first female deputy sheriffs. - [Miss Kopp Investigates](https://www.amystewart.com/books/miss-kopp-investigates/): The seventh Kopp Sisters novel, from New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart - [Lady Cop Makes Trouble](https://www.amystewart.com/books/lady-cop-makes-trouble/): The much-anticipated sequel to Amy Stewart's novel Girl Waits with Gun, about the extraordinary real-life Kopp Sisters. Based on a true story and beloved by book clubs. - [Kopp Sisters on the March](https://www.amystewart.com/books/kopp-sisters-on-the-march/): The fifth book in Amy Stewart's beloved Kopp Sisters series, which began with Girl Waits with Gun - [Girl Waits with Gun](https://www.amystewart.com/books/girl-waits-with-gun/): Girl Waits with Gun is the first book in Amy Stewart's acclaimed Kopp Sisters series, based on the true story of one of America's first female deputy sheriffs. - [Flower Confidential](https://www.amystewart.com/books/flower-confidential/): Author Amy Stewart has done it again! Flower Confidential -- The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers. This book will change your life! - [Dear Miss Kopp](https://www.amystewart.com/books/dear-miss-kopp/): The sixth Kopp Sisters novel, from New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart - [From the Ground Up](https://www.amystewart.com/books/from-the-ground-up/) - [The Last Bookstore in America](https://www.amystewart.com/books/last-bookstore-in-america/): The Last Bookstore in America is a comic novella about the future of books and bookstores. Best-selling author Amy Stewart. Purchase as eBook or audiobook. - [Contact Amy Stewart](https://www.amystewart.com/contact/): If you'd like to contact Amy Stewart to learn about her online writing & painting classes, her books, events, or more, fill out this form & we will be in touch! - [Amy Stewart Events](https://www.amystewart.com/events/): Visit this page for Amy Stewart events and book tour events and public appearances with Amy Stewart, best-selling author, painter, and teacher. Sign up today! - [Kopp Sisters Series](https://www.amystewart.com/books/kopp-sisters-series/): Amy Stewart's beloved Kopp Sisters series is a book club favorite that weaves the real-life history of a pioneering lady cop with charming historical fiction. - [Amy Stewart Art and Writing Classes](https://www.amystewart.com/classes/): Interested in Amy Stewart Art and Writing Classes? Take an online writing or art workshop with New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart! Contact us! - [Audios & eBooks by Amy Stewart](https://www.amystewart.com/books/ebooks/): Visit our site for Amy Stewart's audios and ebooks, including Girl Waits with Gun, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and many others. Contact us today! - [Amy Stewart's Paintings](https://www.amystewart.com/paintings/): Visit us to see Amy Stewart paintings and drawings by this New York Times bestselling author. Amy also offers classes in writing, painting, and drawing. - [Shop](https://www.amystewart.com/shop/): Original paintings by New York Times bestselling author and artist Amy Stewart - [Wicked Plant Artwork](https://www.amystewart.com/wicked-plant-artwork/): Download high definition graphics here. (Click on an image, and wait for the larger version of the image to open in a new window. Then save that larger image to your computer.) COPYRIGHT NOTICE: These images are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without permission from Algonquin Books. Credit should - [Educator Resources](https://www.amystewart.com/educator-resources/): Common Core-aligned lesson plans and teacher resources for Amy Stewart's nonfiction books Wicked Bugs, Wicked Plants, The Earth Moved, and Flower Confidential - [Constance Kopp’s World](https://www.amystewart.com/photos/): A look inside the world that inspired Amy Stewart's novel GIRL WAITS WITH GUN - [The Real People Behind the Cast of Characters](https://www.amystewart.com/characters/): Meet the real people who inspired Amy Stewart's Kopp Sisters novels. ## Products - [Jupiter Island Palm Tree 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/jupiter-island-palm-5x7/): Many years ago, I stayed in a very nice guest house on Jupiter Island, FL and took many pictures of palm trees against the backdrop of the turquoise ocean. Hard to beat a guest house with a view in a tropical locale! This is painted with gouache, ink, and colored pencil. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Sunrise from my Window 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/sunrise-from-my-window-5x7/): I try very hard not to be awake to see this, but: the sunrise from my studio window, which in the middle of the summer happens at 4:45. That's the Fremont bridge on the horizon. This is painted with gouache. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Beach Life 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/beach-life/): Ahhhhhh....I could use a little beach time right about now... This painting measures 5 x 7 inches, pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [San Francisco Sunset 8x16](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-francisco-sunset/): A gorgeous end to the day in San Francisco. 8 x 16 inches, oil on canvas-covered panel. Panels measure about 1/8 in deep. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Cienfuegos Yacht Club, Cuba, 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/cienfuegos-yacht-club-cuba-5x7/): You wouldn't think I'd go all the way to Cuba to paint the yacht club, but this crisp white building in the gorgeous town of Cienfuegos just spoke to me. Cuba has its own kind of elegance. This one is gouache with a touch of mixed media--colored pencil, marker, paint pen. This painting measures 5x7 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. (You can cut the paper to fit a frame, I've just left extra paper around the edge so you'll have flexibility) Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [San Francisco Evening 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-francisco-evening-8x10-gouache-painting-copy/): A gouache painting of that moment when the sun goes down and the lights start to come up in San Francisco. This is Toro Taqueria on Valencia at 17th. - [Dahlia Bouquet, 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/dahlia-bouquet-2/): An ink and watercolor painting of a bouquet of dahlias in red, yellow, and orange - [Flower Farm Bouquet, 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/flower-farm-bouquet/): An ink and watercolor painting of a bouquet from a flower farm - [Amsterdam Streetcar 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/amsterdam-streetcar-5x7/): A sketch from a recent trip to Amsterdam, where vintage streetcars ran in the lovely Plantage neighborhood. This is painted with pencil, marker, and watercolor. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [New Mexico Hills, 16x16](https://www.amystewart.com/product/new-mexico-hills-16x16/): An acrylic painting of the colorful painted hills in the New Mexico desert - [Rio Chama, 18x24](https://www.amystewart.com/product/rio-chama-18x24/): From a trip to Abiquiu, New Mexico, a painting of the Rio Chama as it winds through the desert landscape. Georgia O'Keeffe helped us to see this landscape with its vivid color palette and abstract shapes, and as a painter, it is impossible to resist! 18 x 24 inches, acrylic on a cradled panel. The panel is about 3/4 inch thick. The sides are unpainted natural wood. You could hang it unframed if you like. The painting has been varnished with a UV-resistant matte varnish. It does not need to be framed behind glass. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting using a trackable method. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put this painting behind glass. - [Springtime Forest 1, 18x24](https://www.amystewart.com/product/springtime-forest-1-18x24/): A loose, abstract painting of the forest near my house in Portland, Oregon in spring. This was painted with many layers of acrylic ink. I painted several of these in a series, so if you see another on my website that looks similar, it is not a reproduction! Each is an original and they are each slightly different as I worked out different ideas about how to express this view of the forest in springtime. 18 x 24 inches, acrylic ink on 140lb hot press watercolor paper mounted on a cradled panel. The panel is about 3/4 inch thick. The sides are unpainted natural wood. You could hang it unframed if you like. The painting has been varnished with a UV-resistant matte varnish. It does not need to be framed behind glass. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put this painting behind glass. - [Looking up at Cherry Blossoms 2, 15x22](https://www.amystewart.com/product/looking-up-at-cherry-blossoms-2-15x22/): A view of cherry blossoms from below in springtime - [Looking up at Cherry Blossoms 1, 15x22](https://www.amystewart.com/product/looking-up-at-cherry-blossoms-1-15x22/): A view of cherry blossoms from below in springtime - [Springtime Forest 2, 15x22](https://www.amystewart.com/product/springtime-forest-2-15x22/): A vivid springtime forest scene in ink on paper - [Rome Street Scene, 6x9](https://www.amystewart.com/product/rome-street-scene-6x9/): An ink and watercolor painting of a street scene in Rome - [Venice Canal, 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/venice-canal-5x7/): An ink and watercolor painting of a Venetian canal scene - [George 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/george/): George is a chicken I met at a county fair. Some of my best chicken portrait subjects have come from the poultry section of the county fair, or from the chicken beauty contest held annually here in my hometown of Portland, OR. I think George definitely deserves a prize. 5 x 7 inches, pencil and gouache on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [TWO Puget Sound Seascapes, 4x6 Gouache Paintings](https://www.amystewart.com/product/puget-sound-seascapes/): Two gouache paintings of the seascape and landscape as seen from the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island - [Oxbow Regional Park 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/oxbow-regional-park-8x10-gouache-painting/): A gouache painting of the water and trees at Oxbow Regional Park in Portland, OR. - [Manhattan Skyline 9x12](https://www.amystewart.com/product/manhattan-skyline/): I've painted a lot of New York skylines over the years. Sometimes I get so detailed that I'm counting the windows in the buildings. But sometimes I try to stay as loose as possible and still try to capture the energy of the city--and these are always my favorites. This one is 9x12 inches, oil on a 3/8 inch thick panel. The sides are painted black and there is a groove on the back for a nail if you'd like to hang it unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Greenwich Village Nocturne 18x24](https://www.amystewart.com/product/greenwich-village-nocturne-18-24/): This Greenwich Village nocturne was such a joy to paint. I'm using new painting tools and really found it to be a very loose, free way to paint. To see a video where I explain the process and show the painting as it went through various stages, go here. 18 x 24 inches, oil on a cradled panel. The panel is about 3/4 inch thick. The sides are painting black. You could hang it unframed if you like. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Water Towers and Rooftops, New York City 18x24](https://www.amystewart.com/product/water-towers-rooftops-new-york-18x24/): This is my favorite kind of view of New York--rooftop level, where I can look out at the old water towers and the little odd structures that you sometimes find perched on the roofs of these buildings. 18 x 24 inches, oil on a cradled panel. The panel is about 3/4 inch thick. The sides are painting black. You could hang it unframed if you like. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Hebrides Landscape, Scotland 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/hebrides-landscape-scotland-5x7-copy/): I just can't get enough of these dramatic Scottish landscapes. The colors! How can those trees really be purple? But they are! This is painted with gouache, plus a few mixed-media accents in colored pencil, ink, and marker. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Scottish Highlands 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/scottish-highlands/): I've been a little obsessed with the Scottish Highlands lately. There's just something about all those greens that seem so restful. This painting measures 5 x 7 inches, pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Auckland Sunset 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/auckland-sunset-8x10-gouache-painting/): A gouache painting of the sun going down at the end of summer, when the geese are flying. - [Farmers Market, 5x7 ink and watercolor](https://www.amystewart.com/product/farmers-market-5x7/): A farm stand from a market in a French village. This is one of several drawings I made of this scene for a class I taught. This is a 5x7 ink and watercolor painting on a 7x10 sheet of hot press watercolor paper. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Blue Door, Blue Wall, Guanajuato, Mexico 6x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/blue-door-blue-wall-guanajuato-mexico/): So many blues! I love the challenge of getting three different blues into one painting, especially with my limited travel palette. This one's from Guanajuato, Mexico. 6 x 8 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Carved Red Door, Guanajuato, Mexico 6x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/carved-red-door-guanajuato-mexico/): A painting of a carved red door against a red and yellow wall in Guanajuato, Mexico. 6 x 8 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen, carefully wrapped, and shipped promptly in a rigid mailer. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any 6 x 8 frame. - [Cambo-Les-Bains 1 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/cambo-les-bains-1/): Cambo-les-Bains is a charming village in southwest France. I was there several years ago, driving from Bilbao to Bayonne. I loved the architecture and character of this village so much that I made three paintings of this street, all slightly different, and filmed a class on Skillshare about how to paint a village scene using these as examples. 5 x 7 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Cambo-Les-Bains 3 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/cambo-les-bains-3/): Cambo-les-Bains is a charming village in southwest France. I was there several years ago, driving from Bilbao to Bayonne. I loved the architecture and character of this village so much that I made three paintings of this street, all slightly different, and filmed a class on Skillshare about how to paint a village scene using these as examples. 5 x 7 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [San Francisco Hills 2 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-francisco-hills-2/): Another perspective on the hills of San Francisco. I painted a square version of this in oil, but I wanted another shot at it on paper, from a wider angle. 5 x 7 inches, ink, gouache, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Roman Afternoon 2 5x5](https://www.amystewart.com/product/roman-afternoon-2/): A Roman afternoon, painted in ink and watercolor. I love this water-soluble ink because it makes it look like the whole scene might just wash away. I also did an oil painting of this same scene. 5 x 5 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Broadway to the Woolworth Building 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/broadway-to-woolworth/): This is one of a few different paintings I made of this scene for a class I teach on Skillshare. I'm looking down Broadway toward the Woolworth Building. I liked this one a lot because I used ink and dip pen and tried to keep the paint very loose. It gives me this cool illustrator style I really enjoy. 5 x 7 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Postcards from Paris 4x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/postcards-from-paris/): Paris! Home of grand doors painted in fabulous colors and inviting cafes. Here are two handmade postcards of classis Parisians scenes. Keep one, send one to a friend. Meet up in Paris next year. The purple door is 4 x 6 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. I made it using an ink transfer process similar to a monotype. The red awning is on 4x6 postcard paper, complete with an address blank on the back. The image nearly fills the paper at roughly 4x5, ink and watercolor. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Orvieto Hillside, 5x5](https://www.amystewart.com/product/orvieto-hillside-5x5/): A little gouache and colored pencil painting of Orvieto, an absolutely beautiful village in the Italian countryside. This painting measures 5 x 5 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 6 x 6 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Walking to Civita, 5x5](https://www.amystewart.com/product/walking-to-civita-5x5/): This is a mixed-media painting of the path people take to get to Civita, an ancient Italian village. No cars are permitted, so to get there you either walk or bicycle--although it would be a steep bike ride! I painted this using the same techniques I use to do an on-site street sketch, which means that you will see it all: stray pencil marks, colored pencil, paint marker, and gouache. Although I painted it from a photograph, it's meant to be loose, informal, and to capture the process of travel sketching. This painting measures 5 x 5 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 6x6 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [From the Train to Florence, 5x5](https://www.amystewart.com/product/from-the-train-to-florence-5x5/): This is a mixed-media painting based on a photo I took on the train from Orvieto to Florence. Trains offer the most glorious views of the Italian countryside, but they go by too fast to draw! This is gouache with just a bit of colored pencil and paint pen. This painting measures 5 x 5 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 6x6 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Piazza di San Cosimato, Rome 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/piazza-di-san-cosimato-rome-5x7/): Piazza di San Cosimato, which operates daily in Rome's Trastevere neighborhood, done from a photo but in the spirit of a street sketch--quick ink lines, loose structure, bright splashes of color - [Late Afternoon Cathedral, Amsterdam 9x12](https://www.amystewart.com/product/late-afternoon-cathedral-amsterdam-9x12/): Here's a slightly larger version of a sketch I made in Amsterdam of a woman walking past a cathedral in the gorgeous late afternoon light. This is painted with pencil, marker, and watercolor. The paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 9x12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Cannon Beach Surfer 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/cannon-beach-surfer-5x7/): A surfer wades into the Pacific on a cold but beautifully clear January day in Cannon Beach, OR. This is a 5x7 gouache painting on a 7x10 sheet of hot press watercolor paper. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [End of Summer 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/end-of-summer-8x10-gouache-painting/): A gouache painting of the sun going down at the end of summer, when the geese are flying. - [Langdon Lake, Oregon 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/langdon-lake-oregon-5x7/): From a tranquil day at Langdon Lake, Oregon This is a 5x7 gouache and colored pencil painting on a 7x10 sheet of hot press watercolor paper. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Piazza di San Cosimato Market, Rome 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/piazza-di-san-cosimato-market-rome-5x7/): Ready for a stroll around an Italian farmers market? I am! This is the market at the Piazza di San Cosimato, which operates daily in Rome's Trastevere neighborhood. This is painted with gouache, plus a few mixed-media accents in colored pencil, ink, and marker. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. (I've done another painting from this same scene, in watercolor and ink.) Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Amsterdam at Night 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/amsterdam-at-night-8x10-gouache-painting/): A gouache painting of the Sloten Windmill (Molen van Sloten) along a canal in Amsterdam, at night. - [Wellington Sunset 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/wellington-sunset-8x10-gouache-painting/): A sunset over the harbor in Wellington, New Zealand. This painting is gouache on an 8x10 board. - [Banks Peninsula Sheep 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/banks-peninsula-sheep-8x10-gouache-painting/): A classic pastoral New Zealand scene of rolling hills dotted with sheep, on the Banks Peninsula outside of Christchurch - [New Zealand Garden 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/new-zealand-garden-8x10-gouache-painting/): A view of Christchurch Botanical Garden. This painting comes from a recent trip I took to New Zealand. This is a gouache painting on board, lightly varnished, 8x10 inches. - [Tahitian Sunset 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/tahiti-sunset-8x10-gouache-painting/): A couple watches the sunset over the water in Tahiti. This painting comes from a recent trip I took to the island. This is a gouache painting on board, lightly varnished, 8x10 inches. - [Tahitian Palm Trees 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/tahititan-palm-trees-8x10-gouache-painting/): A sunset over the water in Tahiti, framed by palm trees. This painting comes from a recent trip I took to the island. This is a gouache painting on board, lightly varnished, 8x10 inches. - [Blackberry Smash 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/blackberry-smash/): A blackberry smash cocktail! This is my kind of still life. A smash is concocted from ice, fruit, mint or other herbs, whiskey or another spirit, and maybe a bit of fizzy water. The image measures 6 x 6 inches, pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Umbrian Stairs 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/umbrian-stairs/): A sun-drenched stairway in an Umbrian village in Italy, done mostly in a golden ink called Honey Burst that is the closest I've come to Italy in a bottle. 5 x 7 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Ladybird 1 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/ladybird-1/): Ladybird is a Buff Orpington that I raised from a day-old chick. She was always the friendliest of all our chickens: she would sit in your lap like a cat, and she never minded being picked up and carried around. This is one of two versions I painted for an online class on painting chicken portraits. 5 x 7 inches, pencil and gouache on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Portland Brewpub 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/portland-brewpub-8x10-gouache-painting-copy-2/): An early evening at the McMenamins Al's Den on Burnside, in Portland, OR. Gouache painting on board. - [Around the Corner in Guanajuato 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/around-the-corner-in-guanajuato/): Everywhere I turn in Guanajuato, Mexico, I see another fabulous color combination. I very deliberately let the watercolor flow and create interesting patterns with this one to recall the way the paint fades in the sunlight. And I splattered some ink around because it just seemed to fit the spirit of the moment. 8 x 10 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 9 x 12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen, carefully wrapped, and shipped promptly in a rigid mailer. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [A House in Langres 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/a-house-in-langres/): I've been twice to a little village in France called Langres to do research for a book. It's a gloriously out-of-the-way place that is not terribly interesting to tourists, which makes it very interesting to me. It was in Langres that I first started photographing and painting doorways, but somehow I never got around to painting this particular ancient, crumbling door. This one is done entirely with three colors of ink: black india ink, Diamine Honey Burst, and just a few drops of a very fancy ink called Emeraude de Chivor by Jacques Herbin. 8 x 10 inches, ink on paper. The paper itself measures 9 x 12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Soho Stroll, 2012 6x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/soho-stroll-2012/): I put the year in the title of this one because you can see One World Trade Center under construction in the distance. This was a particularly fun scene to paint because I layered watercolor, gouache, ink, and acrylic paint pen. That mixture makes for a really lively style, I think, that suits New York. 6 x 8 inches, ink, acrylic pen, gouache, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Porto Stroll 12x16](https://www.amystewart.com/product/porto-stroll/): That sky! Those lights! This is another one of those nights when the light is too good to pass up. I wander around Greenwich Village taking photographs, just hoping for those blown-out lights and reflections on the pavement that make for such good paintings. This, to me, is exactly what New York feels like at that hour. This is 12x16 inches, oil on a 3/8 inch thick hardboard panel. The sides are unfinished. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Clover Club 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/clover-club-5x7/): A very sophisticated little Clover Club cocktail. This painting measures 5 x 7 inches, colored pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Bouquet, Purple Vase 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/bouquet-purple-vase-5x7-copy/): A playful bouquet of imaginary flowers (there are no mint green lilies!) in a purple vase. This painting measures 5 x 7 inches, gouache, acrylic pen, and marker on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 6x9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Montmartre Cafes at Night 6x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/montmartre-cafes-at-night-6x8/): Another imaginary travel scene...how wonderful would it be to take a seat at one of these sidewalk cafes near Montmartre in Paris right now? This is a mixed media painting done in gouache, colored pencil, and marker, very much in the free, loose style that I would use if I was painting onsite. It's as close as I can get to a street sketch without actually being there! This painting measures 6x8 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 8 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Nuits-Saint-George, France, 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/nuits-st-george-france-5x7/): This is the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges, in Burgundy in eastern France. I visited this town when I was researching The Drunken Botanist because they make cassis there. It is, as you can see, an absolutely picture-perfect little village. I painted this one in ink and watercolor, with just a tiny bit of white paint pen here and there. This painting measures 5x7 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. (You can cut the paper to fit a frame, I've just left extra paper around the edge so you'll have flexibility) Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [LA Lights 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/la-lights-5x7/): I love some city lights off in the distance! This wouldn't be southern California without a plane up in the sky, coming in for a landing at LAX. I almost called this painting "Airplane" because I'm pretty sure it's the best airplane I've ever painted--just three dots, way off in the distance. This is painted with gouache. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Mission Dolores Park, San Francisco 18x24](https://www.amystewart.com/product/mission-dolores-park-san-francisco-18x24/): A gorgeous spring afternoon in Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco. I love this spot because you get a sense of what's happening on the ground--people in the park, Victorian buildings fronting the street--but you also see the pastel-hued city skyline fading off into the distance. 18 x 24 inches, oil on a cradled panel. The panel is about 3/4 inch thick. The sides are unpainted natural wood. You could hang it unframed if you like. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Cook Inlet, Alaska 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/cook-inlet-alaska-8x10/): It's been ten years since I was in Alaska, but I was happy to run across some photos from that trip that I could paint from. This is the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet, near Anchorage. This is painted with gouache and colored pencil. The image is 8x10 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 9x12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Amsterdam Street Corner 9x12](https://www.amystewart.com/product/amsterdam-street-corner-9x12/): Here's a slightly larger version of a sketch I made in Amsterdam. It's just an ordinary street alongside a canal, with people out for an evening stroll. This is painted with pencil, marker, and watercolor. The paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 9x12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $30 for shipping to Canada. Sorry, due to increased regulations, I'm no longer shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Amsterdam Sunset 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/amsterdam-sunset-8x10-gouache-painting/): A sunset over the water in Amsterdam. Gouache painting on board. - [Piazza di Santa Rufina, Trastevere, Rome, 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/piazza-santa-rufina-5x7/): This is the Piazza di Santa Rufina, which is really just a little side street lined with cafes in the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome, Italy. That tower is the back of the Santa Maria church, just around the corner. I got a little carried away with the ink drawing of the cobblestones and wandered off the edge of the painting. If you mat and frame the painting, it will be covered up, but I'm showing it here just so you'll know what it looks like. The painting itself measures 5x7, but it's more like 5x7.75 if you include that little bit of ink that escaped. This is watercolor and ink, drawn with a dip pen. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Taos Sunset 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/taos-sunset-6x6/): I've spent a lot of time in New Mexico over the years, and I only wish I'd managed to capture more beautiful sunsets! This one's from Taos, taken in the fall when the colors are so rich and deep. This is painted with gouache. The image is 6x6 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 8x8 inches. There's a small scuff mark about 1 inch long alongside the edge of the painting in the upper right, made from peeling masking tape away. It won't show when the painting is framed or matted. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Night Sky 8x10 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/night-sky-8x10-gouache-painting-copy/): A painting of the night sky filled with stars. Gouache painting on board. - [Costa Rica Sunset 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/costa-rica-sunset-5x7/): A sunset over Costa Rica--with palm trees, of course. This is painted with gouache and ink. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Oregon Beach Surfer 5x7 Gouache Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/oregon-beach-surfer-5x7/): Don't tell anyone, but Oregon has endless stretches of beautiful, unspoiled beaches. You'll always see a few intrepid surfers in their wetsuits, taking the plunge into the chilly Pacific. I'll sit on the sand and sketch, thanks very much! I painted two versions of this image, one in oil and one in gouache. They are similar but not identical due to the differences in materials. This is painted with gouache. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Oregon Beach Surfer 5x7 Oil Painting](https://www.amystewart.com/product/oregon-beach-surfer-5x7-oil-painting/): Don't tell anyone, but Oregon has endless stretches of beautiful, unspoiled beaches. You'll always see a few intrepid surfers in their wetsuits, taking the plunge into the chilly Pacific. I'll sit on the sand and sketch, thanks very much! I painted two versions of this image, one in oil and one in gouache. They are similar but not identical due to the differences in materials. This is painted with oil on a 5x7 gessoboard. The board is 1/8 inch thick and the painting has been lightly varnished. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting can be hung unframed, or you could frame it without glass in a simple floater frame. - [Fall Pumpkins on the Porch 5x5](https://www.amystewart.com/product/fall-pumpkins-on-porch-5x5/): A mixed-media still life of pumpkins on a porch. I've painted this scene a few times in different media as a demo for a class. This one has the most mixed media, with acrylic paint pen, gouache, colored pencil, and marker. This painting measures 5 x 5 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring roughly 6x6 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [At the Empire State Building 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/at-the-empire-state-building/): I painted this from a photograph my father took in the seventies. It was a Kodachrome slide and the colors had started to change a little by the time we rescued it and converted it to digital. I decided to keep a little of that Kodachrome weirdness in the colors. It was such a revelation to me to see Manhattan in its old dingy state, the buildings so grimy. This is Fifth Avenue, and that's the bottom of the Empire State Building on the right. This is 8 x 10 inches, oil on a 3/4 inch thick cradled panel. The sides are painted black and it would be easy to hang it unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail or FedEx Ground. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Downtown Nocturne, New York City 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/downtown-nocturne-new-york-city/): That sky! Those lights! This is another one of those nights when the light is too good to pass up. I wander around Greenwich Village taking photographs, just hoping for those blown-out lights and reflections on the pavement that make for such good paintings. This, to me, is exactly what New York feels like at that hour. This is 8 x 10 inches, oil on a 3/4 inch thick cradled panel. The sides are painted black and it would be easy to hang it unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail or FedEx Ground. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Greenwich Village Nocture, Study 8x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/greenwich-village-nocture-study-8x8/): A small study for a larger painting of Greenwich Village at night. This one's all about the headlights on the pavement and that beautiful dark sky. 8x8 inches, oil on a cradled panel. The panel is about 3/4 inch thick. The sides are painting black. You could hang it unframed if you like. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by USPS Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Fortune Teller 8x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/fortune-teller/): This little psychic parlor in Greenwich Village looks like it has all the answers. 8 x 8 inches, oil on cradled board. The cradle is 5/8 inch deep, with sides painted black.. You can hang it framed or unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Guanajuato Rooftops 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/guanajuato-rooftops/): A view of a hillside in Guanajuato, Mexico, where the colorful houses seem to sit right on top of each other. I am fascinated by how these shapes fit together and I love to paint the water towers, called tinacos, and the satellite dishes. They are just part of the rooftop landscape in that city. 8 x 10 inches, oil on cradled board. The cradle is 5/8 inch deep, with sides painted black.. You can hang it framed or unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Little Green House, Guanajuato 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/little-green-house-guanajuato/): I've painted a lot of different views of the hillsides in Guanajuato, Mexico, where the colorful houses seem to sit right on top of each other. I'm sure I'll paint many more. But I'm kind of obsessed with this tiny green building in the middle of this painting. It's a perfect little abstract geometric painting all by itself. 8 x 10 inches, oil on cradled board. The cradle is 5/8 inch deep, with sides painted black.. You can hang it framed or unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Paris in a Red Coat 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/paris-in-a-red-coat/): A painting of a woman in a red coat walking across the street on a Paris afternoon. 8 x 10, oil on board. The board is 3/8 inch deep and unfinished on the sides, which might mean that there are some paint splatters on the sides. It's been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Haight Street, San Francisco 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/haight-street-san-francisco/): A loose, impressionistic painting of Haight Street on a glorious fall day. That's Booksmith on the right with the green signs, a fantastic bookstore that I visit anytime I'm in the neighborhood. 8 x 10 inches, oil on cradled board. The cradle is 5/8 inch deep, with sides of light unfinished wood, which means that there might be some paint splatters on the sides. You can hang it framed or unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [San Francisco Afternoon 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-francisco-afternoon/): A loose, impressionistic painting of San Francisco late in the afternoon. I'm not allowed to drive in San Francisco anymore because I always want to take pictures like this through the windshield. So you can be assured that I was in the passenger seat this time! 8 x 10 inches, oil on cradled board. The cradle is 5/8 inch deep, with sides of light unfinished wood, which means that there might be some paint splatters on the sides. You can hang it framed or unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [San Francisco Cable Car 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-francisco-cable-car/): A quintessential San Francisco scene, from a photograph taken by my friend Chris Fore. I knew right away I had to paint it because it captures everything about San Francisco: the golden California light, the pastel-colored cityscape, the streetcar, the tracks, even some palm trees for good measure! 8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas-covered panel. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Roman Afternoon 1 8x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/roman-afternoon-1/): A sunny afternoon among Rome's grand architecture. I did this one in oil, and then did another version in watercolor and ink. 8 x 8 inches, oil on 5/8 inch deep panel. The sides are black, and there's a notch on the back so you can hang it unframed if you wish. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Orvieto Stroll 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/orvieto-stroll/): Out for a stroll, maybe searching for a lunch spot, in Orvieto, a beautiful Italian village just north of Rome. 8 x 10 inches, oil on cradled board. The cradle is 5/8 inch deep, with sides of light unfinished wood, which means that there might be some paint splatters on the sides. You can hang it framed or unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Guanajuato Afternoon 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/guanajuato-afternoon/): A sunny late afternoon in Guanajuato, Mexico. 8 x 10 inches, oil on cradled board. The cradle is 5/8 inch deep, with sides painted black.. You can hang it framed or unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [San Miguel Door 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-miguel-door/): Sometimes the combination of angles and colors in these doorways create a little abstract geometric puzzle to solve. This one's San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Three Generations, Langres, France 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/three-generations-langres-france/): I don't often make people the primary subject in my paintings, but I took this photo years ago in Langres, a small village in France, and I've been looking at it ever since. The charm of it is irresistible--is this older woman whispering in the young woman's ear, or is she kissing her? Either way, it's just such a lovely, sentimental moment between three generations. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Sunlit San Francisco 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/sunlit-san-franciso/): A gorgeous sunny afternoon in San Francisco. The city is known for its fog, of course, but when the sun comes out, the light is absolutely magical. I always grab my camera and go rushing around to take as many pictures for painting as I can! I filmed a time-lapse video of myself painting this one. To watch the video, go here. 6 x 6 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Skyscrapers at Night 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/skyscrapers-at-night/): Another New York nocturne! I love this moment in the early evening when the lights come up in Manhattan, and I have a million pictures like this one. Still, every time I'm in New York, I'm running around snapping pictures for future paintings. I filmed a time-lapse video of myself painting this one. To watch the video, go here. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [San Francisco Hills 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-francisco-hills/): An iconic view of San Francisco's hills on a sunny afternoon. 6 x 6 inches, oil on canvas-textured cradled panel. The sides are light wood and unpainted and measure 3/4 inch deep. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. It could be hung framed or unframed, and can also sit upright on a shelf. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Orvieto Solitude 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/orvieto-solitude/): I'm calling this one Orvieto Solitude because there were actually a couple of other people in the photograph. But I put this guy in and I just liked the sense of him walking alone on a quiet afternoon. Yes, you could say that social distancing is affecting my art! 6 x 6 inches, oil on gesso panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Outside Hugo's Studio 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/outside-hugos-studio/): I took a monoprint workshop from Hugo Anaya in Guanajuato, Mexico. Outside the entrance to his studio were these three buildings in a brilliant color palette. I abstracted this a bit--I took out a stone wall so I could take the color further--but it really is magical, right at the end of this little lane. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Chiesa di San’tAndrea, Orvieto 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/chiesa-sant-andrea-orvieto/): The Chiesa di San’tAndrea is one of many small churches in Orvieto, a village in Italy just north of Rome. This is in the central plaza where they sometimes hold concerts in the evening. Every church in Orvieto is worth a look. We were there for twelve days and I'm pretty sure we found another one to visit every day. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Rue Boillot, Langres, France 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/rue-boillot-langres-france/): I visited the village of Langres, France twice as research for one of my novels. It's an absolutely beautiful ancient hilltop village with a Roman wall around it. There's not a great deal there to attract tourists, which is exactly what I loved about it. I could stay there for a month and never get bored, especially if I had my paints with me. 6 x 6 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Brooklyn Sunset 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/brooklyn-sunset/): I love a vibrant sky and lots of wet, reflective pavement! Every city has its own color palette, and these warm, red and pink tones are uniquely Brooklyn's. 6 x 6 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Via Arenula, Rome, 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/via-arenula-rome-5x7/): A city street scene in Rome, along the Via Arenula, which is the street that takes you into the busy part of town if you're coming across the Ponte Garibaldi from the Trastevere neighborhood. Although I painted this one from a photo, I tried as much as possible to keep the spirit of a street sketch--quick ink lines, loose structure, bright splashes of color, a few highlights with a white paint pen. This is very much what I would've done on-site if I'd been standing on the street, leaning against a lamppost with my sketchbook. This is watercolor and ink, drawn with a dip pen. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [La Rotonde, Paris 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/la-rotonde-paris/): La Rotonde is a restaurant in Paris' 9th Arrondissement, not far from Montmartre. We didn't eat there, but I sure did like that awning in that beautiful Paris light. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Red Door 21, Guanajuato, Mexico 6x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/red-door-21/): This is perhaps the most glorious peeling paint I've ever seen, and I love all the different ways the door is coming apart. I found this one in Guanajuato, Mexico. 6 x 8 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Green Door, Orange Wall, Guanajuato, Mexico 6x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/green-door-orange-wall-guanajuato-mexico/): I think this door in Guanajuato, Mexico has been painted about twelve different colors over the years--and every layer is coming back to life at once. 6 x 8 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Cocktail Bouquet 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/cocktail-bouquet/): An extremely festive rum punch, brimming with flowers. This painting measures 6 x 6 inches, colored pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Santo Cafe, Guanajuato 4x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/santo-cafe-guanajuato/): The Santo Cafe is a little cafe on a tiny bridge in Guanajuato, Mexico. There are only three or four tables on the bridge so you're lucky if you can get one. It's a dreamy spot to sit and people-watch. I like it so much that I've painted it twice and I will probably paint it again. 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Blondie 5x5](https://www.amystewart.com/product/blondie/): Blondie is a chicken I met at a county fair. Some of my best chicken portrait subjects have come from the poultry section of the county fair, or from the chicken beauty contest held annually here in my hometown of Portland, OR. Blondie looks a little frazzled in this portrait, but then again, beauty contests are exhausting. 5 x 5 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Penguin 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/penguin-6x6/): It is impossible to watch Penguin Town and not want to paint one of these charming creatures! This is the African penguin, Pheniscus demersus, that turns up in Simon's Town, near Cape Town, South Africa, every year. This is painted with gouache, ink, and colored pencil. The image is 6x6 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 8x8 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Cat in Havana 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/cat-in-havana-5x7/): I took a picture of this cat in Havana, Cuba. I'm not sure if he was happy to pose for me or merely resigned to it. Anyway, I thought he was quite a regal cat so I've painted his portrait in gouache and colored pencil. This painting measures 5x7 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 8.5 x 11 inches. (You can cut the paper to fit a frame, I've just left extra paper around the edge so you'll have flexibility) Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [16th & Mission, San Francisco, 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/16th-mission-san-francisco-6x6/): I love these ordinary moments in San Francisco, just walking around the city in the evening when everyone is just out living their lives. This is 16th & Mission. This is painted with gouache, ink, and colored pencil. The image is 6x6 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 8x8 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Palm Springs Sunset 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/palm-springs-sunset-6x6/): I try very hard not to be awake to see this, but: the sunrise from my studio window, which in the middle of the summer happens at 4:45. That's the Fremont bridge on the horizon. This is painted with gouache and ink. The image is 6x6 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 8x8 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Havana Street Scene, Cuba 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/havana-street-scene-cuba/): This is just a quiet moment in Havana, Cuba in the late afternoon--and there aren't many quiet moments in Havana! 8 x 10 inches, oil on board. The board is 3/8 inch deep and unfinished on the sides, which means that there might be some paint splatters on the sides. It's been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Lunch in Trinidad, Cuba 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/lunch-in-trinidad-cuba-5x7/): One of so many tiny, family-run businesses in the beautiful town of Trinidad, Cuba. This is painted with gouache, ink, and colored pencil. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings will have minor scuffs, blemishes, or marks around the edges. This won't be visible when the painting is framed, and is just part of the art-making process. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Bay Bridge Sunset 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/bay-bridge-sunset-5x7/): Another California sunset--the Bay Bridge this time. The Golden Gate gets all the love, but every time I'm around the Bay Bridge I see something fabulous to paint. This is painted with gouache. The image is 5x7 and the paper is 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Dahlia Bouquet 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/dahlia-bouquet/): A summer bouquet of dahlias and roses in a ceramic jug. The image measures 5 x 7 inches, pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Amsterdam Canal Houses, 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/amsterdam-canal-houses-5x7/): I took this photo years ago in Amsterdam, thinking it would make a great painting, but it just never worked in oil. Now I've gone back to it and realized that it really wanted to be an ink and watercolor painting. It's funny how some mediums just fit some subjects better. I love these old canal houses, and the boat docked alongside and overgrown with weeds. This painting measures 5x7 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Dinner in Trastevere 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/dinner-in-trastevere-5x7/): Raise your hand if you'd like to be eating dinner right here! This is a sidewalk cafe in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome, Italy. It's on the Via dell'Arco di San Calisto. Maybe you've been there! Although I made this one from a photo, I tried to keep the spirit of a street sketch: you'll see pencil marks, pen, colored pencil, and gouache, all in the spirit of something done on-site to quickly capture the moment. This painting measures 5 x 7 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Trastevere Bar 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/trastevere-bar-6x6/): This little corner bar in Rome's Trastevere neighborhood is waiting for you to come along and take a seat. It's a good vantage point from which to sketch--I wish I was there right now! This is gouache, colored pencil, and paint pen on paper. This painting measures 6 x 6 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Minori, Italy 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/minori-italy-5x7/): A painting of Minori, Italy, on the Amalfi coast. We took the ferry from Positano down to Salerno and stopped briefly at two tiny villages, Minori and Majori. I drew this one in my sketchbook at the time, and here's a slightly more refined, but still sketchy, version in gouache, colored pencil, marker, and paint pen. This painting measures 5x7 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Fruit Stand, Cambo-les-Bains, France, 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/fruit-stand-cambo-les-bains-5x7/): I've painted this scene in oil before, but I love the bold, graphic quality of real ink, drawn with a dip pen, and watercolor! So here it is, my very favorite way to paint a produce stand. This is in the village of Cambo-les-Bains, in southwestern France. This painting measures 5x7 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Abigail 2 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/abigail-2/): Abigail is a Golden-Laced Wyandotte. She was part of the first flock of chickens I raised. It's amazing how their personalities are already formed right out of the egg: as a day-old chick, she was already the shy one, and she remained that way all her life. But she was also the most elegant, with beautiful gold and black feathers that looked like they belonged on Fifth Avenue. This is one of two versions I painted for an online class on painting chicken portraits. 5 x 7 inches, ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Blue Victorian, San Francisco 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/blue-victorian-san-francisco/): A lovely example of San Francisco's classic architecture, from a sunny day spent walking around the city looking for scenes to paint! It's a good way to spend an afternoon. 8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas-covered panel. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Cafe Sketch, Rome, Italy 6x6](https://www.amystewart.com/product/cafe-sketch-rome-italy-6x6/): This is a mixed-media painting of sidewalk cafes in Rome. I painted this using the same techniques I use to do an on-site street sketch, which means that you will see it all: stray pencil marks, colored pencil, paint marker, and gouache. Although I painted it from a photograph, it's meant to be loose, informal, and to capture the process of street sketching. This painting measures 6 x 6 inches. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 9x9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [San Diego Sunset 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-diego-sunset-8x10/): The perfect San Diego vacation sunset, framed by a row of palm trees. This is from a photo I took at La Jolla Cove a few years ago. This painting measures 8 x 10 inches, gouache and ink on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 9x12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Was it in Tahaiti? 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/was-it-in-tahiti/): I've never been to Tahiti, but so many people asked me to paint it that I thought I'd give it a try. I'd be happy to try it in person sometime! This painting measures 5 x 7 inches, pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Costa Rica Beach 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/costa-rica-beach/): By popular request: Costa Rica! Another beachy place I've never visited, but I'm ready! This painting measures 5 x 7 inches, pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Cafe in Rome 8x10](https://www.amystewart.com/product/cafe-in-rome/): A string of cafes in Rome getting ready to open for the day. This is one of a series of paintings I'm doing entirely with ink--in this case, black India ink and golden Diamine Honey Burst. These two colors together are surprisingly faithful to the colors of Italy. 8 x 10 inches, ink on paper. The paper itself measures 9 x 12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Aperol Spritz with Straw 5x7](https://www.amystewart.com/product/aperol-spritz-straw-5x7/): My favorite cocktail, any time of year! All the better if there's a fancy striped straw. This painting measures 5 x 7 inches, pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Manhattan Sunrise 12x16](https://www.amystewart.com/product/manhattan-sunrise/): I don't ever happen to see a Manhattan sunrise unless I happen to have the misfortune to be leaving the city, and I have to head to the airport at some pre-dawn hour. When that happens, I tend to snap photos from the back of the cab all the way out of the city. Those empty streets! That otherworldly light! It's almost glorious enough to wake up for even when I don't have to go to the airport. Almost. This is 12x16 inches, oil on a 3/8 inch thick hardboard panel. The sides are unfinished. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail or FedEx Ground. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Manhattan Cocktail](https://www.amystewart.com/product/manhattan-cocktail/): Is there a more elegant cocktail than a Manhattan? I don't think so. This painting measures 5 x 7 inches, pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper is high-quality 140 lb watercolor paper measuring 7x10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pencil. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Civita in Honeyburst 5x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/civita-honeyburst/): This is one of two paintings of the same scene in Civita, a tiny hilltop Italian village that is absolutely made for painting and sketching. This one's painted almost entirely with Diamine Honeyburst, and I used just a bit of watercolor for the plants and the sky. 5 x 8 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [New York Water Towers 8x8](https://www.amystewart.com/product/new-york-water-towers/): I spend a lot of time in New York looking up at rooflines and water towers. 8 x 8 inches, oil on cradled board. The cradle is 5/8 inch deep, with sides painted black.. You can hang it framed or unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [San Miguel from Calle Aldama](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-miguel-from-calle-aldama/): This is probably the most famous view in San Miguel de Allende, looking at the back of its beautiful church from Calle Aldama. Everyone stops to take this picture. I am no exception. I've painted it many times and I'm sure I will paint it again. I filmed a time-lapse video of myself painting this one. To watch the video, go here. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Pumpkins on the Porch](https://www.amystewart.com/product/pumpkins-on-the-porch/): It was so considerate of my neighbors to set up this charming still life! I liked it so much that I painted it in oil, then did a few versions on paper in watercolor and gouache, and I taught a still life class based on it. Thanks, neighbors, for all the inspiration! 6 x 6 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Flowers in Civita 1](https://www.amystewart.com/product/flowers-in-civita-1/): This is one of three paintings I did of the same scene in Civita, a tiny hilltop village in Italy. I created an online class on how to paint this particular scene, so the three versions were created as part of the process of making the class. It was good to spend so much time (mentally, anyway) in Civita! 5 x 5 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches and can be cut down to fit any size frame. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Park Sign, Manhattan](https://www.amystewart.com/product/park-sign-manhattan/): These are my favorite moments in Manhattan: that evening hour right after the sun sets, when the lights come up and the sky turns a dozen different shades of blue before it fades to black. If it's rained earlier in the day, all the better, because the reflections are glorious. This is 8 x 10 inches, oil on a 3/4 inch thick cradled panel. The sides are painted black and it would be easy to hang it unframed. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail or FedEx Ground. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [First Morning in Paris](https://www.amystewart.com/product/first-morning-in-paris/): We arrived in Paris in the afternoon, seriously jet-lagged, and struggled to stay awake until nighttime. The next morning, we were awake far earlier than we would normally be, but we'd had plenty of sleep and couldn't wait to explore the neighborhood we'd only barely seen the day before. We walked out of our apartment and here we were, in Paris' first light. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Soho in the Rain](https://www.amystewart.com/product/soho-in-the-rain/): This is a small version of a scene in Soho on a rainy day. I did a larger version which is quite different...I'm still noodling around with that one...but I like the way this little one turned out, all blue and grey with just a hint of red. (That umbrella was actually blue in the photo, but the painting needed a red umbrella!) 6 x 6 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Wooden Door 41, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico](https://www.amystewart.com/product/wooden-door-41-san-miguel/): A painting of a wooden door against a glorious peach-colored wall in Guanajuato, Mexico. I usually look for very colorful, painted doors and skip past the unpainted wooden doors, but the geometry of this one appealed to me so much that I couldn't resist. 8 x 10 inches, ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper. The paper itself measures 9 x 12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Yellow Wall, San Miguel](https://www.amystewart.com/product/yellow-wall-san-miguel/): A classic San Miguel doorway--yellow wall, blue door, a bit of bougainvillea peeking out from a courtyard in the back. This is San Miguel de Allende, Mexico--a beautiful town I hope to get back to soon! 5 x 7 inches, oil on birch panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick and the surface is a little rough from the natural texture of the wood. That's on purpose! The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [A Letter from Guanajuato](https://www.amystewart.com/product/letter-from-guanajuato/): I never did mail a letter from Guanajuato, Mexico, but at least I did paint the post office. 6 x 8 inches, ink, gouache, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 7 x 10 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Carrer de Meer, Barcelona](https://www.amystewart.com/product/carrer-de-meer-barcelona/): Carrer de Meer is a narrow street in Barcelona leading to the Playa de la Barceloneta. There's something so urban and also storybook-ish about Barcelona that it was easy to forget that it is also a beach town. Barcelona can do both! Barcelona can do many things. 6 x 6 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Calle Truco, Guanajuato](https://www.amystewart.com/product/calle-truco-guanajuato/): Everyone who comes to Guanajuato knows this street, because it leads right to the university (thus all the students with backpacks). Also, on one side is Truco 7, a beloved restaurant, and on the other side is Estacion Gelato, also delicious. The image measures 8 x 10 inches, pencil, acrylic pen, and gouache on paper. The paper itself measures 9x12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [San Miguel Nocturne](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-miguel-nocturne/): I've painted this scene before in watercolor and ink, but never in oil. This is a view of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, from the rooftop of the Rosewood Hotel. They have a lovely bar up there, this gorgeous view, and if if gets a bit chilly late in the evening, the waiters walk around and hand everybody blankets. 6 x 6 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Postcard from Portland](https://www.amystewart.com/product/postcard-from-portland/): A rain-stained postcard from my beautiful hometown of Portland, Oregon. This postcard was one of the demos I created for my Skillshare class on hand-lettering. 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [The View from My Studio, Portland](https://www.amystewart.com/product/view-from-my-studio/): A painting of the view from my studio in Portland, OR just after sunset on a winter afternoon. My studio sits up high above the trees, which means that my view is filled with sky. 8 x 10 inches, oil on board. The board is 3/8 inch deep and unfinished on the sides, which might mean that there are some paint splatters on the sides. It's been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Paris Market in the Rain](https://www.amystewart.com/product/paris-market-rain/): I took this picture in Paris years ago. The photo itself was blurry, but I decided to use that to my advantage and paint a a blurry, rainy night with lots of reflections and glowing lights from the market stalls. 6 x 6 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Pink VW Bug](https://www.amystewart.com/product/pink-vw-bug/): I've never really painted cars as a subject, but this VW bug was posing so perfectly, in such beautiful light, that I just had to. That pink! And that classic blue California license plate! 6 x 6 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Broadway Rush](https://www.amystewart.com/product/broadway-rush/): I spend a lot of time in New York waiting for the light to change so I can walk back and forth through the crosswalk, taking pictures straight down the avenues. In this case, I was walking and snapping pictures at the same time and all the lights from the cars blurred together. I loved the way it looked and decided to go ahead and paint it that way. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Magnolia 'JC Williams'](https://www.amystewart.com/product/magnolia-jc-williams/): This magnolia is one of the first trees that greets me as I walk into Portland's Washington Park near my house. On this day in early March, it had just burst into magnificent bloom. I ran home for the biggest watercolor paper I had because I wanted to paint it life-size. As I stood under the tree and painted this flower, dozens of people walked up to take pictures and admire it. It was like hanging out with a celebrity. 8 x 10 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 9 x 12 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Many of these paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That's just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You'll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any 8 x 10 frame. - [Porto Views](https://www.amystewart.com/product/porto-views/): Another view of the lovely town of Porto, in Portugal, which I visited a few years ago when the Urban Sketchers Symposium was held there. About 800 artists attended. There was an artist sketching on every corner! The paper is 4 x 6 inches and the painting fills (or very nearly fills) the paper. Some of these are done on actual watercolor postcard paper, which means that the back might have three lines for an address and a little box where you'd put a stamp. Mail it or keep it for yourself, that's up to you. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Two Montreal Doors](https://www.amystewart.com/product/two-montreal-doors/): Not one, but two charming doors in the beautiful city of Montreal! 4 x 6 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Walking Through Porto](https://www.amystewart.com/product/walking-through-porto/): I was in the Portuguese city of Porto a few years ago for the Urban Sketchers symposium. This town is a sketcher's delight. I'm honestly surprised there isn't another artist in this painting, sketching the same scene I was. 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [San Miguel Arrow](https://www.amystewart.com/product/san-miguel-arrow/): This is a very typical door design for San Miguel de Allende--I know because I've drawn so many of them! But what I really love about this one is the arrow. 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Sabroso Taqueria, San Miguel](https://www.amystewart.com/product/sabroso-taqueria/): If you ever go to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, do not miss a chance to sit up on Sabroso Taqueria's rooftop. I have many happy memories of this spot, and the tacos really are sabrosos. 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Parroquia de Basílica, Guanajuato](https://www.amystewart.com/product/parroquia-guanajuato/): The Parroquia de Basílica is the main church in the center of Guanajuato, Mexico. Civic life revolves around this lovely old building and there are great views to paint from every angle. 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Storefronts in San Miguel](https://www.amystewart.com/product/storefronts-san-miguel/): This is a little string of shops in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Italian Door with Clothesline](https://www.amystewart.com/product/italian-door-with-clothesline/): A painting of a clothesline hanging above a door in Orvieto, Italy. I don't know what I loved more about this doorway--the clothesline, or the shadow the clothesline cast across the door. 4 x 6 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Nantucket Cottage](https://www.amystewart.com/product/nantucket-cottage/): A few years ago I managed to finagle a book tour that took me to Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard. There are a bazillion adorable cottages to paint, and this is one of them. 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Paris in Ink](https://www.amystewart.com/product/paris-in-ink/): A very inky version of a Paris street scene from an afternoon I spent there a couple of years ago. We weren't staying in Paris, we were only flying out of Paris. But it seemed wrong to turn up in Paris only to go to the airport. So we added one day to our trip and spent that entire glorious day walking around with no agenda at all. The perfect day! 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [The Bells Are Ringing in San Miguel](https://www.amystewart.com/product/bells-ringing-in-san-miguel/): A late afternoon view of the bell tower in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 4 x 6 inches, ink, and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 5 x 7 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Abigail 1](https://www.amystewart.com/product/abigail-1/): Abigail is a Golden-Laced Wyandotte. She was part of the first flock of chickens I raised. It's amazing how their personalities are already formed right out of the egg: as a day-old chick, she was already the shy one, and she remained that way all her life. But she was also the most elegant, with beautiful gold and black feathers that looked like they belonged on Fifth Avenue. This is one of two versions I painted for an online class on painting chicken portraits. 5 x 7 inches, ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Ladybird 2](https://www.amystewart.com/product/ladybird-2/): Ladybird is a Buff Orpington that I raised from a day-old chick. She was always the friendliest of all our chickens: she would sit in your lap like a cat, and she never minded being picked up and carried around. This is one of two versions I painted for an online class on painting chicken portraits. 5 x 7 inches, ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [Flowers in Civita 3](https://www.amystewart.com/product/flowers-in-civita-3/): This is one of three paintings I did of the same scene in Civita, a tiny hilltop village in Italy. I created an online class on how to paint this particular scene, so the three versions were created as part of the process of making the class. It was good to spend so much time (mentally, anyway) in Civita! 5 x 5 inches, ink and watercolor on paper. The paper itself measures 6 x 9 inches and can be cut down to fit any size frame. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: This painting is ready to be framed behind glass in any standard frame. - [The Light in Rome](https://www.amystewart.com/product/light-in-rome/): What can I tell you--the light in Rome is just dazzling, even when you're just walking down a narrow little alley. Maybe especially then. 5 x 7 inches, oil on Ampersand gessoboard panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Roman Piazza](https://www.amystewart.com/product/roman-piazza/): I have a confession: this piazza in Rome was not nearly this quiet! I got this far and decided I liked the sense of tranquility, so I left everyone else out. Be gone, tourists! 6 x 6 inches, oil on gesso panel. The panel is about 1/8 inch thick. The painting has been varnished with a light satin varnish. Paintings are signed on the back in marker. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priority Mail. You’ll be charged only $4.95 for shipping within the United States, and $35 for shipping worldwide. FRAMING: I recommend framing in a simple floater frame such as this one from Ampersand. It comes with risers so that the frame can accommodate many different panel depths. These are sold by Blick and many other frame shops. You do not need to put an oil painting behind glass. - [Two Views of San Miguel](https://www.amystewart.com/product/two-views-san-miguel/): A pair of handpainted postcards from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. One is a view from a hilly neighborhood street with an iconic green taxi in the foreground. The other was done from the rooftop of the Rosewood Hotel, which offers fabulous views of the town as the sun goes down and the lights come up. The wind picks up as well, and it can get surprisingly chilly at night, so the waiters walk around handing out blankets. So we all sit under the stars, drinking our cocktails, wrapped in blankets. The paper is 4 x 6 inches and the painting fills (or very nearly fills) the paper. Some of these are done on actual watercolor postcard paper, which means that the back might have three lines for an address and a little box where you'd put a stamp. Mail it or keep it for yourself, that's up to you. Paintings are signed on the back in pen. Some of my paintings are done on-site, which means that the paper may have slight scuffs or very minor blemishes around the edges or on the back. That’s just part of the process of working outdoors. SHIPPING: Please be sure to choose a shipping address where a package may be safely delivered! I will carefully wrap and ship your painting by US Priorit