Field Notes

Art and images copyright 2009 by Cynthia Mooney

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

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

Field Notes: Common Merganser

I LOVED this project and may take off on a tangent of my own using this idea!

Very hard to narrow it down to one creature. We have 2 large beaver dams near here on Johnson Creek and I've been beaver spotting a lot lately. So I thought about featuring them, then there's the wonderful Great Blue Heron I see regularly. The more rare Belted Kingfisher and Little Green Heron, Lesser Scaup with the lavender blue beak and the funny Hooded Merganser couple flating the Brookside Pond.

So many candidates up for this local art election . . .

And the winner is . . . The Mergus Merganser


So I finally settled on this wonderful creature who I've never glimpsed in real life, but hope to one day. . . . and so many more to study and drawn.

Technique: Traced the different images onto tissue paper, glued to canvas board with gel medium, over painted with acrylic paint, gesso, pen and ink, water soluble oil pastels.

What Fun!

Suzie
www.suziewolfer.com

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Suzie Wolfer

I Was Observing and Taking Notes on the Natural Wonders of the Desert...

When I saw that the theme for the month of October is 'Field Notes', I immediately thought about the small notebook that I used to sketch the incredible forms and textures of the cactuses and succulents at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.
The sketches were done on October 6, 2006 at the same time I was attending the weekend visual journaling workshop in Tempe, AZ. Each time when I went to Phoenix, I made a point of visiting that botanical garden. I had to content with taking pictures early in the morning, as it can get very hot later during the summer days. But because I was there during the cooler month of October, I was able to stay there longer and do the sketches right on the spot.
The photographs of the cactus were taken last summer of 2008, and I converted them into black and white. I later colored them with a mixture of acrylics and glaze medium. The "trees" at the top of the board are duplicated three times from one sketch that I did on the other page in the small book. These trees are not palm trees but I believe they're Joshua trees.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by &rew Borloz

Northern Flicker

This months theme was definitely a challenge for me. I researched the theme with the information Tracie sent out and knew I would be going completely out of my comfort zone. I draw with my students all of the time, but to do a complete piece without all of my funky colors and design? The thought caused heart palpitations! But I dove in yesterday and here is my study of a little Northern Flicker using acrylics, pen & ink and colored pencil. I hope it fulfills the requirements of the theme. I was already so far out of my box, I couldn't travel any further.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Traci Donahue

Field Notes from the Columbia River Gorge

I spent last weekend at Menucha, a beautiful retreat in the Columbia River Gorge. The weather was perfect - Indian Summer in all its glory. The deciduous trees were aflame with yellows and reds and the grounds covered with chestnuts, pine cones and leaves. I saw squirrels, deer and rambunctious Steller's Jays. Many flocks of geese flew their "v"s overhead, migrating to warmer climes before the first hard freeze. As I wandered the grounds, I sketched what I found and determined the species and name. The view of Crown Point is looking east down the river. This is a pen and ink sketch highlighted with watercolor. Enjoy!

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Jan Harris

Notes of the Empty Nest

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Marylin Huskamp

The birds of the forest are calling for thee,
And the shades and the glades are lonely;
Summer is there with her blossoms fair,
And you are absent only,
No bird that nests in the green-wood tree,
But sighs to greet you and kiss you,
all the violets yearn for your safe return,
But most of all I miss you.
Harry B. Smith


This piece helped me realize that when the young ones leave the nest it is NOT an ending but a beginning. There is evidence left as their tiny feathers stay safely in the nest but they have flown to new heights and experiences.

The tiny creatures begin an new adventure filled with excitement and exploration.

Perhaps they will someday return.

This is constructed of fiber fusion and paint.

Copyright: Marylin Huskamp 2008