Monday, May 07, 2012

Greetings from Woollus


So the sun is up in the sky - for just a little while I believe -  and even though my heart rejoices of this, I have started to have doubts of whether the summer will ever come up here. It seems like the rest of you live on Tellus and we, poor beggars, up here live on a different planet ... Woollus? We had some new snow last Sunday, and with snow I mean that we got almost 5 inches. Now I have reached the point, where I refuse to talk, think or take pictures of the ever present snow.



Or so I thought when I today pulled out my camera to take few pictures of Tina and Ruusu playing outside my window.... But there you have it, let it be the last time before next fall. I just read from somewhere that during the past 60 years, when records have been kept, there has never been so much snow in May up here. 



Flower Crazy workshop is coming to an end this Friday and last week we were making collages. I have been enjoying this work a lot, even though in the beginning I was very uncomfortable. 


You know my love of intricate ink work and now I was slapping pieces of paper on a cardboard and adding all sorts of touches with water color, pencil, ink and gesso... I first though that I was losing my voice altogether but somewhere in the process I begun to see the reason to do this.


I am very shy on using colors,  I always struggle and think for a long time before I dare to pick up any color and very often ruin the painting by trying to be more courageous with colors. But this technique totally works for me. I can pick random colors from paper piles and just without too much thought, glue them to the background and then start my work from there.


I made these three and while making the fourth one, I placed my flower diagonally on the page (this will be a book of flowers when done) and I did not see the problem quite yet. When the first layer was drying and I kept glancing at it, I realized that the composition was off and the flower was about to fall off the page, very disturbing.


At first I thought that I would toss away the page but since I have only limited number of pages in this material and size to use for this book (folder), I decided to try to salvage it. 


Thinking carefully I started to add more stems to it and at the same time, tried to keep the picture clean and uncluttered. When I thought I was done, I did the gesso work for the background.


But as you can see, I did not manage to improve the composition. There are elements that I like, so I am keeping it and it will be part of this folder of flowers.



I am not yet sure how to name my flower folder...I am thinking of ... Summer that never came... Flowers that never bloomed... Something along those lines.

Wool with you,
Lene

19 comments:

  1. Anonymous17:45

    Your flower collages are beautiful Lene! I can sympathize with the feelings that the snow will never leave - I remember one Easter in Ottawa when my little nephews played outside in their snowsuits on the giant snowdrifts while we pretended inside that it was Spring! I am sending you warm and sunny thoughts from Madison, Wisconsin

    http://bronwenreads.wordpress.com

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  2. No matter what you create it all seems to come together in a very unique look that I love :-)
    Hope the snow leaves soon!

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  3. I actually really like what you did to the leaning flower. To me the flower also has a feeling of being a bird, and that this flower-bird is popping it's head out of a forest of stems with a snowy background to say "hi there, spring is coming, energy is returning to the world--just look at me!"

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  4. Karen M18:37

    The flowers look like they are dancing about to me. Possibly, with impatience, as I sense you are, and rightly so. Here, on the east coast of Canada, we know what that means too. Sun to you.

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  5. If it's even slight consolation, Colorado mountains and foothills are covered withnsnow after a weekend storm. The city went from 85 degrees F to 51 today.

    Your artwork always appeals to me. Today's blog was a real treat.

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  6. Late bloomers?

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  7. I promise not to mention the word 's...' and just wanted to wish you a nice week!
    Your creativity is endless! Wow!
    Blessings,

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  8. Anonymous21:12

    I really like your leaning flower. It says to me "Where is the sun?" It should be the last entry in your book, so you can have a sequel of "Here is the sun!" It speaks eloquently of that longing to get on with it.

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  9. I also fully understand. I love snow and I love true summer. I moved from Poland, which has it all, to Ireland, which has mostly November rain. I cannot remember when the temperature was NOT around 10 C. I find it extremely depressing as most of the time there are flat clouds, no sunshine and the world seems two-dimentional. There is no snow either, mind that. Just as if the time stopped in a dull point of the weather.

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  10. Gail22:55

    I love how you used the photo of the woman as the center of the flower. I can relate to your feeling uncomfortable at first in the class. I was lucky many years ago when I was in high school in Manhatten when I was given the opportunity to participate in a painting class at the Museum of Modern Art. I never could paint anything representational and emotional rather than realistic.
    And the nude model didn't help!

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  11. Lene, I love your flowers. As for a name for your book, I liked the words in Jody's comment - snow leaves, how about that for a name, or perhaps - snow leaves and flowers bloom.

    Never mind, whatever you call, it will come from your own heart!

    All the best,
    Dawn

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  12. Great photos of the playing dogs. They obviously had a wonderful time. And your pictures are brilliant! Funnily enough my eyes read the three holes in the sides of the cards as little round balls. Only later did I realise they were holes!

    Lovely work as always.

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  13. Wow! These collages are terrific! I love them all!

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  14. Love them, but then I love all your designs. How about Summer Dreamings for the albumn?

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  15. It's hard for me to imagine being tired of snow -- but then we had a very mild winter this year.

    I love your collages. They are beautiful and so perfect for a May without real flowers!

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  16. Lene, your artwork is phantastic (as is your knitting and designing)! Keep up the good work!

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  17. Flowers Still to Bloom? This is the time to imply hope even when it feels that it will never happen.

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  18. Your creativity never ceases to amaze.

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  19. Such beautiful and poetic creations - I love them!
    I'm glad that I stumbled onto your blog today ^^

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