chipping away

still messing around with ice, this time using paper and cloth

trying to capture light and shadow, sparkle, cracks, roughness 

ice

I began with cmc collage as it's what I know best

an interesting surface for added stitching, good enough, but I want something different, something more abstract

a challenging idea that is pushing me into the unknown

it's been baby steps all the way

I found a piece I had made a couple of years ago while working on something inspired by cattails

close, could work, but not still not quite 

I question the three rows, the vertical strip-effect

although...

 branches laid along those straight lines did look rather interesting so I haven't ruled this format out entirely 

next was to take the essence of the "three rows" piece and break that visual up a bit

this time adding in some of the paper I painted

I still need to add more painted paper to the bottom but this is promising

next is to re-do it in a horizontal format

the crinkled silk is a favourite - it hearkens back to the grooves of the branches in the ice, and the branches themselves, when they are all frosted white, sparkling in the sun

lightweight Japanese papers with thicker fibres trapped in the paper

taking a break from the ice the other day, I began to paint paper I can use for wood

dark brown, light gold, stumbled texture, scratches of white... trying to capture the essence of the branch forms, partially,  or sometimes even completely, embedded in the ice, the exposed areas stripped of bark, bare wood exposed, frosted white

there is such a vulnerability in that, the effects of exposure on what is extending from the surface of the ice while at the same time you can't help but notice the wood trapped below that looks as it did when it fell

it's haunting and beautiful

and not so very easy to capture in paint, paper and cloth

but I am determined to try