Monday, January 4, 2010

Nature Experiments and a little bit of photography.


Unopened Fennel flower.

I am in such a FANTASTIC space right now that I hope these pixels turn into little bubbles of enthusiasim and POP all over you!


Spider's nest in the the weeds.

I resolved to participate more on the NING art groups that I belong to and this month's challenge could have been written just for me- to create mixed media paintings from natural and organic substances. Flower dyes, tree bark pigments, vegetable dyes...you get the idea.Everything about this is perfect...except for the painting bit, which as I have mentioned previously is not really 'good' with me right now but I've decided to feel the fear and do it anyway!  I have to get over this painting slump and what more exciting and inspiring way could I find that with the real colours of nature?

I was thinking about the next part I want to do for Lisa J's Pulp Redux book this morning when thoughts of the Ning swap entered my mind and suddenly I had a huge brain wave. Here's a sneak peak of where I am heading....


This nest was gifted to me by Mother Nature just in time for Christmas. It was the most wonderful nest and there's a bit of story to go with it which I will share later. Sadly, when I said 'was' the most wonderful nest I mean this nest has since 'passed on' and is no longer intact. It was dismantled by a cat and left in tatters on the front step. Stink one!
I kept it's pieces because I didn't have the heart to just throw it in the compost and now I am so glad I didn't! Here's what I did...


I took it apart and soaked it in hot water, sieved it and let it settle. It's now a nest coloured dye!Wahoo!
I didn't even see that brain wave coming!
I've been playing around with the dye and I will be sharing a bit more about that on another post too.


All that remains of the nest's remains....washed, chopped and dried nest pieces ready for inclusion in some paper making. I can't wait!
 I was actually sad to pull this nest apart even though it was well thrashed by the cat (not my cat I hope!!) who could no doubt smell the remains of the eggs I found inside. It was still a thing of beauty but it was disentegrating quickly outside and I am quite pleased it has this new life. It was quite an intimate thing pulling apart a nest with my hands, letting the nest dye run over my fingers and feeling the soft textures of it as I readied the bits for paper making. No wonder I am inspired!

We are camping for a few days tomorrow, I have some little bags ready for the nature gifts I hope to find while were there. I will *see* you all when I get back!

11 comments:

John M. Mora said...

Enjoy your camping trip. This looks most promising....

Lisa said...

Gorgeous photos!!!You are just bursting with ideas and your creativity is contagious! What a fabulous post..LOVE your idea of recycling the nest bits into paper!Hope you find more treasures on your camping trip.

Caterina Giglio said...

just beautiful photos and I love what you did with the nest!

Mick said...

I love the photograph of the fennel plant. So, fennel, what is it used for?

layers said...

an example of the cycle of life-- transformations and renewal.

Kim Palmer said...

Beutiful fennel pic Lisa! Love the recycling thats going on here. What fabulous ideas you have! Can't wait to see what you do with the dye. Recycling the nest pieces into paper is a great idea!

Anonymous said...

i am in love with your photos, lisa! you should sell prints. i would buy both of these!

and that is so sad about the nest but omg, you are beyond brilliant, lady! what a fantastic idea! i am so excited that you have dye and paper making materials AND the memory of the nest intact. that is fantastic! it reminds me of so many amazing little bits of nature i have that i only wish i could send you -- they would love fantastic in paper and i haven't made paper in years. if only there were a way to avoid customs...

Anonymous said...

and omg, i meant to say that i LOVE your new header! i was all excited about it, then saw your photos, then your nest... and i got side tracked. your blog is lookin' gorgeous, lady!

Maya said...

Oh wow, that first shot is breathtaking!

Mandy said...

What an incredible idea for a project. Lovely photos too I especially like the fennel flower. Great in black and white.

ArtPropelled said...

Shades of nest .... a lucky concoction! I hope you show us the results of the paper making too. I think it's going to be beautiful paper!