Mexican Field Notes

We returned from a wonderful trip to Oaxaca, Mexico a couple of weeks ago. We visited weavers and a candle maker in Teotitlán del Valle. The artisans used natural dyes to color their yarns and wax. This process fascinated me. Using different lengths of time in a dye bat varied the color concentration. The color green differed depending if the moss came from the bark of a tree or a rock. For many years, cochineal insects provided the color red. I loved the use of natural resources to make the colors they needed.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Paula McNamee

Fauna - Happy Giraffe

Art and images copyright 2008 by Traci Donahue

Field Notes - A Kansas Autumn

Don't let the date inscribed at the top of the artwork deceive you. This piece was indeed created to meet the Field Notes challenge. Last month was very busy for me, with a 13 day trip away from home tucked into the last two weeks of October.

I had actually started on this challenge back in September, but abandoned my first attempt after I became quite dissatisfied with the direction the art was going. Now midway through October, I was faced with beginning again, which made me both disheartened and anxious.

However, my absence from home gave me time to let ideas simmer on the back burner of my thoughts. So when I returned, I had a clear vision for my second try and was eager to start again.

Inspiration for this artwork comes from a 1967 Reader's Digest Illustrations that was reminiscent of a Kansas Fall... I truly longed to capture the essence of my favorite season of the year.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Field Notes

"Strange Sighting"

Sketched from memory of a fleeting glance.

When I approached, the object proved to be

only a fallen pod.

I must have imagined the movement of a tiny

leg and wing.

--At Menucha, Oct. 25, 2008

--J.C.S.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Judi Stack

Field Notes

After much ado (about nothing it seems) I have finally been able to finish and post the piece for October!! Field notes was a very enjoyable piece for me. It's a combination of several of my favorite techniques and I really enjoyed making this one come to life. I started with dying a piece of hotpress watercolor paper with some walnut ink with just a touch of Ranger's Denim ink. This was then adhereed to the surface of my canvas. Then, working with some printmaking sessions I came up with a fern print that made me happy and applied this on the right hand side. Using a bird mask I based in my bird and then added some detail by hand with charcoal, china marker and inks. Finally, using a white pastel pencil I wrote about the "mysteries of vegatable life". All in all I really enjoyed this one very much. It was light hearted and flowed well....until I got to the posting part. A nonworking scanner in PA and a camera in Nantucket were my first obstacles to overcome...once I was able to get back to Nantucket today, it became a breeze!! So much for modern technology!!

Hope you enjoy!!

bee

Art and images copyright 2008 by Bee Shay

Field Notes, My Version

My primary working media is/are beads so this theme was quite a challenge for me. I don't sketch or draw, but when I take my walks I do carry my camera. I have a goodly collection of photos of all things nature and use both my camera and computer as my "sketchbook". Here is my interpretation of Field Notes.

Since we don't have the horses anymore, the flowers and grasses have taken over the pastures. At the peak of flowering in late spring or early summer, the colors are so beautiful. Daisies are my favorite flower and they have spread throughout, changing the pasture into a meadow. The fungus was a great find, it lasted for over a year and now is on the way to the great fungi heaven.

Sorry for the fuzziness, I scanned this piece and the small bits are somwehat 3D. As all things, this looks better in real life.

Z'anne

Art and images copyright 2008 by Z'anne Bakke