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Tuesday 31 May 2011

Simplified Fresh

A typical spring in Hudson would be the very definition of" fresh ." But this April when I set out to complete my piece, there was not a bud or leaf in sight. Only grey skies and a faint promise of the blue scilla that would normally blanket the lawns and gardens with colour. (Thanks Linda for the early Elizabeth Barton tip as they were much in need.) I thought that a very reduced palette of stoney greys against a small quantity of any saturated colour would help make the seedlings in the spring light pop. Deciding to take a very minimalist outlook and a spontaneous approach to tequnique was a fresh fun way to work. The edges were left loose and frayed which I think adds an organic feel to the composition. A sample book of striped organza also came in handy. To give a possibility for soft backlighting the finished piece was mounted on plexiglass. It was sold at our vernissage to an artist who saw only the composition and no fields at all in there.
In the end I enjoyed having the challenge and found the camera a useful tool that I will use more while I am back to work to help keep the juices flowing. By contrast after a solid month of rain the enormous leaves and gigantic blooms have to be seen to be beleived. Michele

8 comments:

  1. The overlap of fabrics add to the many shades of muted colors and shapes. So many different layers of meaning and texture to your piece...I found myself studying it for a very long time. Love the simplicity!

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  2. A beautiful, accomplished composition, Michele. Fragments? Reminds me a little of the ice as it moves out in the spring, something that you can see from your house by the lake. The transparencies are magical.

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  3. Beautiful Michele. Glad to see it again. It sold so fast at the vernissage that we didn't have a chance to enjoy it.

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  4. I liked the light in your piece - definitely early spring with the ice still on the lake, yet the ground starting to produce.

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  5. this looks like spring to me - with a bit of winter still hanging in the air. love your use of different textures. a great piece michelle. congrats from martin as well.

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  6. Lovely piece,Michele. Being in the grip of possibly a true winter for a change in Durban and feeling cold I can see the fresh shoots trying their best to pop thru the ice.

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  7. Oh how I wish I could free up to achieve a piece as beautiful as this. It's one of those pieces of art which says something to every viewer and to me it says happy/hope for the future.

    An accomplished piece.

    Hilary

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  8. It's so calm Michelle. No wonder it was snatched up so quickly.

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