Sunday, November 3, 2024

Photographic play

I still struggle to find my way in to making when I am at the cottage; I find it hard to settle and to fix on something and follow it through. The most recent visit made it a bit harder of course with the focus on the exhibition and its associated activities; as well as the fact that one of my art 'studio' desks was used in the exhibition almost halving my space available for 7 weeks!

So I find myself thinking about making a lot, thinking about what next, writing words, playing with photographs and thinking about courses I would like to undertake. In a way, it is a time of quiet pondering rather than creating and I think I can be at peace with that.

I have written some words about the way I feel at the cottage; the ways in which I move and observe more slowly; the way I think and see more deeply. I have plans for the words!

I have also written words about some of the landscape that makes my heart sing, and some of the features that make me smile.

I have plans for them too.

And somehow in amongst it all is the idea of playing with photographic imagery and blending things that go with words. They might be collaged; they might be softened and used as backgrounds, they may yet get more done to them; but I have enjoyed playing with the Snapseed app on my phone to create some layers.

Here are some of them - it can be a bit hit and miss, but most of these I find interesting, and full of possibilities.

I love the seed heads.


I have words about power poles rolling around in my head. The way they are vertical in an utterly horizontal landscape...


Ahhh the chaffinches!





A strange combo of birds, sea  and flowers.


A sheep placed into a rushing by image.


This last one is more of a miss than a hit I think...


But I shall keep trying to work with the images and the words and see where I land.