Martha Moran: Strawberry Fields Forever! (and Citrus too!)

I have always loved the Agriculture Show at the Santa Paula Museum, but I could never think of any subject that was in my wheelhouse -- that felt like something I would love to make -- not just to enter a show....until I came up with the idea of building a two-sided altar with the strawberry fields of the coastal plains on one side and the citrus groves of the inland valleys on the other.  The idea sat in my head a long while... and then took the whole summer to actually complete!  What got me finally working on it was cutting some Howlite, a white stone which is most famously used to make fake Turquoise (it dyes beautifully) and for anyone interested, comes from a place called TICK CANYON.  It looks just like fluffy clouds! You can see my "Citrus & Strawberry Fields Forever at the Studio Tour -- and I hope at the Santa Paula Museum Ag Show!