I like to go camping. At the end of September Greg and I went camping in the Indian Creek Campground in Philo, California. Mendocino County is one of our favorite destinations and since Paul Dimmick was closed for the season, Indian Creek was a clear choice for us.
While camping, I study nature. I take photographs that sometimes later lead into artworks inspired by them. On this trip my focus was on tree trunks and all the fascinating illusions I noticed on them. The bark and the moss and the wear and tear of nature create fantastic resemblances to faces and other forms of interest. As a matter of fact, all of nature could be perceived as one big ink blot test when viewed in terms of form taken out of context. These types of nature observations have had an enormous impact on my art and this time I have chosen to actually draw what I see, with a healthy amount of artistic freedom. At the time of writing this blog, I have completed one ink drawing based on one of the photos I took. This is a sort of a free hand and free association sketch and I am sharing both the photo and the drawing scan here in this blog so that you will get a more clear idea of what I am talking about.
While working on this ink drawing I became increasingly aware of how complex perceptions can be. The moment I shifted my focus I saw something new and different. I had to make choices on what to emphasize and what to leave be and even omit. This drawing is my very first one created from the chosen photo. At this point in my life I do not usually paint or draw from real life, except occasionally and mainly for practice. Fantasy and abstraction are where my interest lies, so my focus is on what the forms on the trunk brought up in my mind and this is what I chose to draw with some elaborations. I could have focused on just some small detail but chose not to. These type of works may arise later. I had fun making this drawing and I hope you will enjoy it as well. I am thinking of titling this "Wild Things 1" but also welcome your suggestions.
I will be blogging next in 3 to 4 weeks unless something compels me to do this earlier. Thank you for your interest in my writings and art! Please do leave comments if you wish to share your thoughts on my blog. If you are interested in purchasing my original art, contact me at HTiainen01@aol.com. If you are interested in buying my art printed on a variety of products and fabrics check out these venues: