Wasted

I feel like I have wasted today. I have barely done anything. I had it designated as a photography day, but it was dull and drizzly outside. It was probably an opportunity wasted, as I could have had some beautiful photo's of water droplets on moss to further inform some of my textures and patterns. And everything always looks greener on a damp day. Hmph, oh well, I shall have to do something else now, a few hours of super creativity and inspiration are in order.
Speaking of which, this was the latest addition to my wall last night; the photography of Daniel Freytag. Particularly these images:


Highland


Forest


Edge


Edge


I'm looking forward to spring. Mild and damp.

Habu...I Love You

I wish I had use for, and could afford to buy yarns from Habu (habu textiles)
They look so beautiful.


bamboo


kenaf


fishnet yarn


handspun tassar silk


indigo dyed organzine silk


kasuri cotton



-sigh-

It's a good job I like green...

Because that's what colour I shall be surrounded by for the next few months.
I organised my wall today, so that I can see all my photographs and inspirations, I'll probably add to it and change it though.



I also did a small amount of drawing...
(the photo's look a bit strange because I took them as it was getting dark, and without a light on)


mossy wall


moss texture

And finally, it was the first nice sunset I have seen this year, I've always been fascinated by clouds.

When you prepare for the worst, the best is sometimes overwhelming...

I have just recieved the best news of the year (so far).
Over the christmas break I discovered an MA course in Applied Arts in Gothenburg. Though the entry requirements said that I would need at least 90 credits of my BA to be in textiles/crafts.
I was having trouble, as I'd selected to do a 40 credit dissertation option, over the usual 20 credit option, which meant the textiles would only be worth 80 credits.
After a long, arduous month of emailing tutors and having small talks with them, it's finally been decided that I can switch modules back to the 20 credit, and have 100 credits of textiles. I am overjoyed to say the least.


...just because I'm super happy.

If you don't look, you won't see

I went for a short walk in the arboretum this afternoon, taking photo's for my new project. I have since decided that moss is one of the most beautiful things, and no-one ever seems to pay it attention unless they're scraping it off the wall. Which, by the way, I think is a dreadful shame.




detail of first photo...as soon as I saw it on the computer screen, I fell in love with the shapes













I also noticed the first tiny green buds beginning to grow on a tree...this made me smile...aside from the deep, dark depths of winter, I love March and October...they always smell so fresh and rainy. Speaking of which, I dreamt about the smell of rain last night...hmm odd as it is rainy today.

Brooks Shane Salzwedel

Beautiful and eerie mixed media pieces by Brooks Shane Salzwedel


single conifer (2009)


look tower (2009)


witch's broom (2008)


antenna alaska (2008)

These are becoming one of the main inspirations for the mood of my new project; the strange, lonely and eerie feeling that these images give.

Candice Tripp - Our Horrible Mistake

I loved this because it reminded me of the octopus/sea monster drawings that I did over the summer. I meant to turn one into a proper painting but never had time. A project for post-graduation perhaps.

*found via tfail
**Candice Tripp

Nicholas Alan Cope - Photography

So in order to have an equal amount of posts for days in the month (so that I average at a post a day)...I'm getting a headstart and posting a few interesting people that I have come across today whilst researching for my project (these that I am posting, curiously, aren't related to my project theme)

These photographs by Nicholas Alan Cope are beautiful. They are from his Still Life I set and the Landscape set. These were the two sets that caught my eye.

Still Life I:










the smokey qualities of the photographs make me feel so intrigued. the patterns and subtle colour/tonal differences are wonderful and so detailed


Landscape:










i love how the contrast is so high that the plants almost look like x-rays. and how these textures and shapes contrast so heavily with the above photographs.


*found on but does it float?

We went for a walk...

It was such a lovely afternoon.




winter sunshine low over the motorway


in love with the shapes and perspective


my lovely taking a photo of me taking a photo under the scary bridge


this tree had lots of seed-pods hanging onto it


this photo reminds me of those lovely photos of mid usa- golden fields and blue skies

I promise

That after next week I'll be more active with this blog.
I have to finish my dissertation, I've gone from being just over 5,000 words in total to now being 6,347 in the first three chapters. -sigh-
It's going to be a long day.

Though I have been procrastinating rather terribly, here's a self portrait that I did on Tuesday...


self portrait with graphite

Hoof Shoes - Iris Schieferstein

I just fell in love with these art pieces by German artist Iris Schieferstein.



Vegas Girl 2009

I think they just so....haunting. And surreal. But really beautiful as well, in a fantastical sort of way. Of couse I'd be tempted to wear them, but I doubt they were made for me galloping around in them.

Some of her other works (which are equally as mysterious and strange)...



She Imagined... 2004


Hotel Eden 2006


Temptation 2009


-found via
Creative Opulence
and
Frosh&Portmann (this second has some other interesting artists...I'll be back with more.)

Procrastination

I've been procrastinating on making another post. I'm not sure why, I've become a little lazy this week.
I've been knitting, writing and reading like mad though. My dissertation doesn't need too much adding to it, but I want to make it so much better than it was.
Once I've knitted this next pair of socks, I shall probably make a post of all the pairs so far, I can't get enough at the minute!

For now, my three favourite photo's of the month so far
(I've made it a new 'thing' to take one really nice photo everyday, to really put my camera into use, instead of just being vain and taking photographs of myself)



Condensation on the window


More condensation


I really liked the way that the condensation warped and bent the image behind it. The patterns and texture of it really intrigued me. I particularly liked the way that in each individual drop of condensation, there was the same pattern or piece of image, bent and twisted slightly.



Fairy lights


This is an old one. I took this just after christmas. The colours were what drew me to take a photo of this. The warmth of the lights, with the bluey-purple of the sky. It was just winter in a photograph.