Today’s Art: a calligraphic treatment of Lavender using marker, ink and watercolor on paper.
Art Supplies: Tim Holtz Distress stain, Tsukineko Walnut ink, Faber-Castell Gel Crayons, Zig calligraphy marker on kraft sketchbook paper
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Lavender is a Zone 5 perennial requiring full sun for growth. Cutting off first-year blooms strengthens the plant. Flowers, which are harvested as tight buds, hold their scent for several years.
The medicinal uses of Lavender include relieving muscle spasms, nervousness and headaches. It is a mental relaxant that lifts the spirits and “comforts the braine” according to 16th century herbalist William Turner. It relieves the itch of bug-bites. Lavender also destroys a wide range of bacterial infections including staph, pneumonia, vaginal infections and some strains of the flu virus; is also a potent anti-fungal.