Archive for July, 2015
Playing With My Food
My garden has not only been a source of sustenance lately, but also a source of inspiration. An abundance of squash and cucumbers and turnips has had me thinking of ways to capture the harvest in more ways than just canning, pickling, and freezing. The patty pan squash have provided a lot of entertainment. They hide under the leaves and become gargantuan. Too big to eat, I have had to find other uses.
They have become movie stars.
Click on this little link below for dancing squash.
Bohemian models.
Patriotic Patty Pans
Serving dishes.
And lots of fun to share with my friends.
“He who shares the joy in what he’s grown spreads joy abroad and doubles his own“.
Combining Media Digitally
Someone asked me a couple of days ago where I get my ideas. I said that sometimes they just happen organically. I don’t always set out with a concrete idea of what I want a piece to look like. I just start with some elements and play around with them and at some point, after a few happy accidents, I decide that I like the way it looks.
I was playing around with dyeing some fabric and paper with natural dyes like beet juice and wine. It looked….okay. I wasn’t thrilled. I decided to stamp some shapes on it with my handmade stamps and ink. I’m liking it a little better. I photographed it and then started playing with it digitally in some Ipad apps like DistressedFX.
I liked this look! Then I used a photo of a tree and it’s reflectinon as a custom texture on top of the fabric and paper. I’m liking it even better. I saved it and reopened it and added birds. Kind of dreamy.
I had this vintage photo that I got from my family photos. I don’t know who this couple is, but they look so sweet together. I opened it in DistressedFX also and added a texture and then again and added the tree and birds.
Then I layered it on top of the fabric/paper photo in my Procreate App, that allows me to open a layer over a background and control the opacity and hue and size.
It feels done! I saved it as it is and then I decided to try another photo on the top of it next. I love the result of the next one, but I like the one with the people better. It feels like it has a story. Maybe someday I will find out who they are.
