Today's Picture to Ponder Photo
a Red Hibiscus mounted on a discarded Palm Leaf - a digital composition using two photographs
Today's hibiscus has been asking me to be featured in Picture to Ponder
for several weeks now and something just wasn't right for me in using
the complete photo.
The palm leaf background was standing up in a basket by the curb awaiting removal by the trash collectors. It
caught my eye in a recent early evening neighborhood walk. The
wide-open spread of it, as well as where it was sitting, was what
appealed and intrigued me. I grabbed the camera out of the bag on my
shoulder and took a few photos.
When it came to selecting the
photo for today's issue of Picture to Ponder, both called out to me. I,
thus, decided it would be a good opportunity for me to play and have
some fun seeing if they could be combined. Voila!
I actually love the completed combination. I'm not quite sure why and it's sufficient for me to simply enjoy it.
Note for those interested: Though I did use Photoshop Elements to
isolate the hibiscus, I did nothing to alter the color. The blueish
cast to the leaf probably was, in part I'm sure, due to the lighting at
dusk.
For those interested in the photographs from which today's photo is derived, can see them on Hibiscus and Leaf, where I have them all, including the leaves in the plastic bin.
Self-Reflecting Queries
The
whole process that led up today's photo and what is likely to come out
of it is an example of the way I create, building things (drawing,
writing, painting, photographing) without specific plans. Out of this
something totally new often emerges, such as my photo/drawing art on naturesplayground.com.
For me, in addition to a featured photo for today's issue, I see the
possibility of creating more pages similar to Hibiscus and Leaf, to add
visuals for those who have been clamoring for lessons in learning to
see the way I do.
I have talked, in past issues, about identifying our own styles and,
for those of us who might think ours are "wrong," becoming accepting of
them and working from there. I find making plans challenging. Giving
myself permission for that allows new ideas to burst forth at random
times and lets me have fun, as I did yesterday and today, creating the
photo and the web page.
Are there places in your life where you are struggling with your mode
of operation? If so, is there an area in which you can give yourself
permission to try something different, or simply be okay with it and
then move from that point? I invite you to take it on.
Lastly,
relating to today's photo, I invite you to look around and find
something that you see and enjoy regularly and visually put it or a
portion of it on another object.
You might also play with the placement in words. My mind is once again
jumping with thoughts of what might be if I placed the hibiscus, in
words, in other settings.
You choose the object. Then smile and have fun with it.
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This is very fun Sheila and very well done. I would love to see you try it with more of an asymmetrical crop though.
Your writing is great, yes trying something different will wake up your creativity for sure. As an artist I think it is very worthwhile to try working in a media that you are unfamiliar with or even bad at sometimes. Too often we just keep doing what we are good at. I am trying new things this summer and do not know what the heck I am doing ...it feels great.
Posted by: Becca | July 26, 2007 at 10:23 AM
Thanks, Becca. I appreciate the acknowledgment. I, in fact, did try the hibiscus in asymmetrical positions and I preferred the overall feeling I got from the centered image.
I did allow myself to play some more and I added four different layouts on the Hibiscus and Leaf page on my site- http://www.sheilafinkelstein.com/hibiscusandleaf.html
Comments are welcome from anyone viewing this.
So what new things are you doing? Are they up on your ArtDogBlog - http://artdogblog.blogspot.com/?
Posted by: Sheila Finkelstein | July 26, 2007 at 02:23 PM
The "disembodied" flower unnerves me, which says more about me than the photo. However, the color and texture of the palm leaf background is fantastic. I get a sense of upward motion, almost a "swoosh."
Posted by: Mary | July 27, 2007 at 09:58 AM