last weekend was spent in a cabin in the woods at marsh lake
the first day was overcast, a day where the ground and sky were almost the same colour and the only colour in the landscape came from the hills and trees
.jpeg)
a windy day with ice crystals in the air, diffusing the light and softening the shapes
the next day the sun shone, the sky added a flash of blue and the edges of the landscape hardened
on both days we walked in the woods...
.jpeg)
the other day I started on some pencil studies of the photos, quick, mostly value-driven except where lines took over the image
here are the first two
the light through the trees was golden; pulsating rays that made one feel was the forest was breathing, in and out, in and out
on the way to the lake we had stopped at the used book store so to rummage through the northern books where i hit the jackpot
a 1985 publication mapping the yukon river from marsh lake to circle city... a history of the river from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s complete with pages and pages of hand-drawn maps accompanied by corresponding photographs and notes from yukon archives
the paper seemed to be of a good quality with a nice weight to it so the first thing was to try adding colour
i used graphitint pencils by derwent, testing a few soft colours... no bucking or texture change at all which pleased me immensely
next was to try tinting a few of the images - i was trying for a hand-tinted photo effect
below i used a yellow-green, just in the sunny areas
and then a pale cool grey
subtle
next a simple pocket fold, concertina-style - the paper folded beautifully, crisp edges, nice and sturdy so i made it into a small book
the cover is watercolour paper, painted like the freezing river
a couple of the pages tinted, still trying different colours though i discovered i prefer using only one colour in a book this size
from the leftover paper i cut a bookmark and tucked it into a pocket to see what that might look like
the plan now is to copy different lines from the "spell of the yukon" by robert service... this one will have
"and the rivers all run god knows where"
feels appropriate... as i think about maybe finally being in "flow" with my ideas, and though there is no clear direction to them it's comforting to take that line on as a metaphor of my own
no need to know where the ideas going. just letting them flow and watching the river run
4 comments:
I love what you're working on, Jillayne! The colors are perfect, and it really does feel like a moving river. My sister is the paper crafter in our family, and I've been enjoying watching her create. Thank you for sharing your process and your thoughts.
Happy Saturday, dear.
xoxo
Donna
After sending my email to you last night, wondering what you were up to in the cabin, these words and images came as a beautiful gift to me this morning on waking. I am seeking inspiration and this post is so nourishing. I am so pleased you found the publication and I love that you have had the courage to use, add to it and make it your own. But was it courage? Or did you welcome its arrival knowing just why it had come to you? There is a lovely chapter in the Rick Rubin book 'The Creative Act' headed 'Look for Clues' where he talks about the clues that surround us in everyday life that come to us when we need a solution or some inspiration. We just need to pause and notice and they present themselves in the most imaginative ways. I am a great believer in serendipity.
Well, the ideas are certainly going somewhere lovely!
Oddly enough, I was just last night watching The Nature of Things and part of the show was discussing the fact that forests breathe and the relationship they have to the earth and all beings.
Fortuitous find of that publication! I can see how it would inspire you.
Post a Comment