elements of style

slowly moving forward with the wildflowers, but I don't think I have given the whole story behind it

let me rectify that now...

last year whilst in the Yukon from the end of January to mid-April I began thinking about working with the wildflowers I had picked the previous summer

as I did some random searching online I learned that Martha Black, a prominent figure in Yukon history had been an avid collector of wildflowers in the Yukon and had worked with them for much of her life

at one point her, and her husband George worked on a project together -as she gathered wildflowers from Dawson City and the surrounding area George photographed them and together they published a small book

"Yukon Wildflowers"

It's a charming book with the photographs, written descriptions, and the background of each page is watercolour paintings of Miles Canyon, near Whitehorse

I managed to locate a copy of it and it's on it's way to me... cannot wait

As well, when I was in the Yukon this past November I visited the museum and they had a dress of Martha's from almost 100 years ago as well as a few of her pressed flower works, mounted on paper with a watercolored background

the plant's colours have faded over the years but the composition remains, the painted shadows along the leaves and stems a beautiful addition

Martha's work has inspired me greatly but it is not my intention to copy it...  for mine I'm thinking of time passing, colours fading, lives lived and what remains

how that will translate into my work I have no idea but for now it's looking like this

the small photo in the above image is an off-colour print of her dress which is quite white with grey and beige beadwork and white embroidery

today, i'm using golden brown silk along with dark blue silk chiffon layered on another piece of the brown... I like the way the brown comes through in the light

(the photo has a blue cast to it and that's my inspiration)

stitching the neckline detail on the brown rather than beading it though I'm sure beadwork will end up in the mix before too long - not sure what if anything I'll put on the blue folds - I rather like them as they are

thoughts on the project as a whole are still loose, perhaps even a bit vague

I'm not ready to choose one path just yet - I'd rather meander here and there, keeping an eye out for what may be, much as Martha may have done as she wandered the hills and valleys of the Klondike searching for wildflowers

seems fitting