Inspired by The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

by Edith Holden

Edith Holden's book, The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady is my all time favorite book and it inspired me to become a botanical artist many year's ago. Currently I live with my little family in our renovated RV on Vancouver Island. We are staying in a beautiful forested area right now and then will move to a new spot near a river in May 2024. It's my goal to create some watercolor paintings to show the changes in nature for each month this year. Usually I work a full-time day job and create my paintings on the weekends. Now I am on maternity leave with our sweet little son. He was born in October 2023, and he keeps me very busy, so we will see how well I can keep up with this project!

My Island Home

living close to nature on Vancouver Island

Living on Vancouver Island has profoundly inspired my journey as a botanical artist. The island's unique coastal eco-system, teeming with a variety of flora, offers an endless palette of colors and plants to study. The abundance of wildflowers, from the delicate pink fawn lilies to the rich chocolate lilies, captivated me and fueled my passion for capturing their intricate beauty on paper. Each walk through the island’s lush rainforests, marshes, beaches, and meadows has introduced me to new plant species, each with its own story and charm. The rich biodiversity and the ever-changing seasonal landscapes of Vancouver Island not only provided me with a constant source of inspiration but also deepened my appreciation for the natural world, compelling me to translate this beauty into my art. (Image: Calypso bulbosa or Fairy Slipper Orchid by Laura Watson).

My Materials

what I'm using to create my paintings

The materials I use are artist quality watercolor paints, kolinsky sable round brushes, and a 6 x 6 inch sketchbook by Speedball with Fluid 140lb cold pressed paper in it. I have modified this sketcbook to also include papers by Arches and Daler Rowney. Check out my video below for more info on my process.

How I Create My Country Diary

click here to take a glimpse at my process

January 2024

Our winter here started of unseasonably warm. The cold weather finally came the second week of January, with temperatures below 0 C and snow. My January title page features hazelnut catkins, snowberry, and black huckleberry.

January Country Diary Update

have a look at my reference material and illustrations

January Page 2

Beautyberry, this illustration took the longest with all the tiny berries. The color almost makes them look fake, but you can see it is accurate to the reference photo shown below. The cold weather came the second week of January and the hellebore wilted from the cold (top right). My favorite illustration from January is the variegated ivy (bottom right).

January Notes

1. Clear and cold day, walked with family at Island View Beach in Victoria.

8. Baby boy turns 3 months old today. Very cold temps - 9 C.

15. Collected plants while on my walk today to create the January title page for my country diary.

16. Woke up to snow! More snow is forecasted, the forest looks so beautiful.

17. Snowed all day today, I took baby boy for his first walk in the snow, along the way I found some variegated ivy.

18. The rain came and made a mess of the snow. We stayed inside all day today. 

24. Heavy rain all day again and forecasted for the next week - very gloomy out. I finished my beauty berry painting today for  page 2. It is much warmer out now, if this continues we will have an early spring.

31. January was warm and very cold with lots of rain. I am yearning for spring to arrive. Winter with a tiny baby is challenging. We are staying here at the seaside resort until May 1st. I have been enjoying being back in Nanaimo and going to the marsh more often.

Below: Beautyberry, My baby boy out for his first snowy walk, hellebore wilted from the cold, black huckleberry, baby boy  in his stroller, and hazelnut catkin.

February 2024

February flew by, the weather gradually warmed though we still have cold days, there is a flicker of hope for spring. Baby Boy started teething and my painting time became scarce! I manged to paint most of these illustrations at my mom's house while she took him out for some walks in his stroller, which allowed me some free time. I hope you enjoy these new illustrations based on things I found out on my February narture walks.

February Country Diary Update

Check out my sketchbook tour video for February

February Page 2

Just a simple cluster of crocuses that I found blooming mid February. There were lots of little overlaps to take into account while painting this.

February Notes

5. So far February has been much dryer and sunnier than January.

7. Found some more variegated Ivy with a different leaf shape while out on my walk.

9. Snowdrops are up more, I found some with a more yellow green leaf color compared to the classic blue-grey leaf often seen. I thought they might be snowlfakes and not snowdrops. However once fully opened I looked at the flowers and they are snowdrops.

11. Primroses are startinf to come out aroudn the resort in all the little side gardens, mostyl light yellow and purple flowers.

14. Young leaves are coming out on the saskatoon berry bushes and a few flowers on the highest branches that catch the most sun.

17. I walked the woodland trail for the first time today with baby boy, as walking was the only way to get him to nap. I can imagine in a few more weeks how many lovely woodland flowers will be coming out. From the looks of the area there will likely be trilliums and calypso orchids.

24. February continues to be mild and warm and not too much rain. I am behind on painting this month as my sweet boy has decided to stop day time napping unless he is in motion in the car or the stroller. This month I hope to list the coommon and latin names of the plants that I have painted.

29. Today is a special day as it is a leap year, we usually do not have a 29th day in February.  I am looking forward to spring and having many wildflowers to inspire me to paint.

Below:  (my reference photos and baby boy) - Primrose, varigated Ivy, crocuses, snowdrop, Baby Boy in February, and  the view from our home overlooking the sea. 

March

March was a month of mixed emotions, the beginning of spring, so many wonderful flowers to discover, but also the lose of my cat Luna who went missing.

April

April was a busy month, moving out of our RV and into a house nearby. It was so lovely to have more space again. The wild meadows above our home were full of wildflowers, a mix of common and rare species.

May

May had lovely weather and I was able to get our more with Kai. I found a lovely coralroot in the woods one day while walking and I began to visit the marsh more as well.

June

June was such a lovely month at the Marsh. I began to walk there almost daily and enjoyed watching nature unfold. Some highlights were the wild roses, the yellow rises, the buttercups and geraniums to mention a few

July

July is the month when summer transitions from lush green meadows full of wildflowers, to a drier landscape with more berry blossoms and dried grasses.

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