Sunday, December 21, 2008

Garden inspired art

This is some of the work I've created that was inspired by various aspects of gardens. These works exist in various private collections and I can no longer visit the real thing. Photos often do little justice to your work when you are interested in textures and layers of information.

Growth Spurts (8 x8 in. ) acrylic paint and mediums, paper on canvas - 2006

This is the first work I created that explored the growth and decay of plants within one work. I strive to create that "I can smell it" feel.




Growth (6 x 6in.) monotype, acrylic, paper on board - 2007

This piece began life as a monotype that didn't quite work out the way I wanted. I inked the plate and then laid two leaves on top of it and rolled it with a my trusty 85 pound roller a handy friend made for me. Part of the image did not come out because the leaves were too thick. It lay in the drawer for over a year and I took it out one day and added acrylic paint in washes and fibrous paper to it and created this composition. I think speaks well of the organic happenings in every garden. I was pleased with the variety in textures I achieved.

Origins (16 x 16 in ) paper, acrylic paint and mediums on canvas

My challenge in this work was to try and represent the many stages of growth and decay that are present in the life cycle of a flower and still have a fairly representational image. I love the textural variety and the fact that "nature" seems to be taking over the beauty of the captured image.

I've spent the last several days poking around to see how gardens have inspired other artists both past and present. Certainly there is a vast array of work out there. I'm beginning to compile a list of websites that provide the greatest variety of garden inspired art. I'm especially interested in ones that have pushed the boundaries a little. I'll be adding to this list as I find new sites.

I decided to start with the first gardens I ever visited - The Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Their website contains a list of the exhibitions that they have hosted. The work ranges from botanical art to sculpture and installations. It was a pleasant find for me.

4 comments:

p said...

I quite like the colors in the monotype and the one below it...that yellow rose (?) ..that work has a very 1920's real life feel to it. i'm not a flower person but i have to say these are interesting and well done!

M said...

Your are fast on the responses self taught artist. I hardly had it posted and was shocked to see a response.

I fully realize that flowers are not everyone's cup of tea, but I am interested in more that the beauty of flowers and often use this imagery as metaphors for other things. A flower's brief moment of beauty is on the road to its decay - a reminder for all who spend too much time on the superficial.

What interests me about your work is its beauty. I find each element you use so precious in itself and then you combine them to create something truly exquisite.

Lynda Lehmann said...

wow, such gorgeous and tactile work! i'll have to visit again soon to see more of it!

Unknown said...

Hi Margaret. Thanks so much for your comment on my blog post about image transfers (http://www.eyeconart.net/blog/?p=855) I'm amazed at how fast someone can find a post on a blog, since I had just posted this entry. It's a testament to how well blog technology works with search engines!

Anyway, I checked out your gel transfers here on your site. Very cool! Mind if I post a couple of these on my blog? I particularly like "Waiting", "Growth Spurt", and "Growth". Perhaps you could explain a little about your own process, for the benefit of my readers?