Photoworks Archives - Page 13 of 51

by Marja-Leena

a moth and Nordic art

found on the floor of my studio
like another on the windowsill
and in my office window

Not really related but sometimes rather winglike, mythical and mysterious:

Eyes as Big as Plates, an ongoing collaborative venture between Riitta Ikonen (Finland) and Karoline Hjorth (Norway). I love how their photographs are set in the natural environment and seem to reference ancient Nordic folk stories. The link above goes to a blog about their photo projects and exhibitions in each of their birth countries and now developing in New York City. Their models are volunteer seniors. Here’s the first post. Enjoy!

(Many thanks to Leslee of Third House Party for sending this to me – she knows me well!)

Added March 15th: I keep going back to look at this amazing photo of a moth at Jude Hill’s Spirit Cloth. Be sure to click to view larger. The wing edges look like frayed edges of cloth, just like the pieces of worn cloth she stitches. Her work is just lovely and meditative as is her site – a place of peace and calm.

Added March 26th: Writer and poet Marly Youmans has written a marvellous post about ‘Eyes as Big as Plates’, referencing her own book The Foliate Head and Andy Goldsworthy. I was stunned to open her blog this morning and see the image of one of the “Eyes”, this time on the cover of Kiasma magazine. Kiasma is the modern art museum in Helsinki. Go look!

March 11, 2013 in Nature, Other artists, Photography, Photoworks by Marja-Leena 16 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

a fungi find

In the corner of our backyard is an area that I call our woodland garden with its tree-sized rhododendrons, camellia and other shrubs. It’s a delight for children to hide and run under. A few days ago as we worked outside, our younger granddaughter was in there and called me over with great excitement. She spotted these amazing shell-like fungi marching up one upright branch of a shrub. I was excited too! Being in the shade as it is, I had to wait patiently for a brighter day to try to capture some photos, and that was this morning. The images still needed much adjusting but I’m quite pleased with these ones. Aren’t they beautiful creations? Now it really is a woodland garden.

They reminded me of these somewhat similar frilly ones on a fallen tree branch.

March 8, 2013 in Home, Nature, Photoworks by Marja-Leena 15 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

hand studies (3)

As I mentioned in hand studies (2), I’m playing with the idea of a series of hands other than my own. Our twelve year old granddaughter was an eager and willing model at the scanner. We did a number of them of which these two are some of the favourites.

February 4, 2013 in Being an Artist, Human, Photoworks by Marja-Leena 6 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

hand studies (2)

Granddaughter Niamh’s hands

These are two of the several photos I took the day I had the idea to use an image of both our granddaughters’ hands for our Christmas 2012 card. I might play with these some more for the possible new series of variations on hands, as I wrote before. Hmmm, I may have to find and coax the other granddaughter, daughters, husband, friends to willingly model their hands for me in the pursuit of my art so I don’t have to use my own all the time.

January 29, 2013 in Being an Artist, Human, Photoworks by Marja-Leena 2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

nests

Now and then I try to do some housekeeping of my too numerous files on this computer as well as the archives of this blog. In my recent rounds, I came across some more photos of one of the wasp nests as seen in Hand with Wasp Nests, so I have placed them in their new home here.

The lower image reveals the amazing underside with an odd cap on top, presumably the sticky patch that enabled it to be attached to the wood frame of a skylight in our solarium. You may have seen the original photo of its face.

I also came across a post with closeup images of the broken nest which I think are worth a revisit, especially for newer readers. I had used one of them in Hand with Wasp Nests, and the other almost whole one in Hand with Nest. (Confusingly similar titles, I know.)

January 27, 2013 in Being an Artist, Nature, Photoworks by Marja-Leena 5 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

hand studies

While I continue to work on my Hands series, I am also thinking of possibilities to follow, whether they will be variations on the same theme or something else, I don’t know yet. Anyway, I did some playing with hand scans again with an exploration of tones other than the natural. Here they are in my online ‘sketchbook’ as food for thought…

I seem to revisit hands in my work (and in blog posts such as here) many times and of course hands have been a subject for artists since cave art days. One that I recently learned about thanks to a mention by a fellow artist is Gary Schneider and his fascinating photo series called Handbook 2012. Made by hands’ sweat and heat interacting with film emulsion, these [are] unusual portraits of friends and family…(via Aperture). His work is otherworldy, stunning and thought-provoking.

And I love the thought of my hand images being self-portraits!

January 24, 2013 in Being an Artist, Human, Other artists, Photoworks by Marja-Leena 16 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

underfoot, again

On our New Year’s Eve day walk I took many photos, posting some of trees against water and sky, where I was looking up and out a great deal.

To view the ones above, I’m looking down, something commenters have teased me about a lot in the past. No wonder, for I’ve taken numerous “underfoot” photos. The first may have been ones of the studio floor, then some on roads near home, and many others. Most memorable were the ones taken in London in 2009. A few of the former showed up in my print works, but many of the latter emerged in the London Underfoot series. I wonder what this new year will bring?

January 2, 2013 in Being an Artist, Canada and BC, Photoworks, Urban by Marja-Leena 9 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

scrunched 3

On this rainy Boxing Day afternoon, I am enjoying some quiet time in the middle of the holiday fun. The younger generations are enjoying playing board games while I wander off to play with some of the discarded wrapping papers and chocolate box liners.

These ‘scrunches’ seem to be turning into a series – here’s the first, and the second.

Hope you are enjoying some quiet post-holiday time too. Like me, are you avoiding all the crazy Boxing Day sales? If we’d been more energetic, we should have gone up the mountain for some play in the snow. I’m sure we’ll do it on another day!

Added January 1st, 2013: For Marly (see her comment below). Happy New Year!

December 26, 2012 in Being an Artist, Culture, Photoworks, Textures by Marja-Leena 6 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

urban textures 3

More man made textures and colours from the same area as urban textures 2/.

Below is another man made object from the same spot. A different character altogether. It is much smaller and lighter and seemingly less permanent. But is it really? A question of permanence and impermanence.