Today was definitely my kind of day. It was sunny, crisp and clean with a slight cooling breeze making its way through downtown almost timidly (as much as any breeze is capable of being timid). I finally finished off an old 36 shot roll of 35mm film today. My absolute favorite thing about film, especially 36 shot rolls, is that usually, by the time I have used every shot on the roll, I can no longer remember the shots that the roll might contain. So, when the film is finally pulled from the sink and taken off the reel, the shots it contains are remembered anew. This is the reason I remain (mostly) loyal to film photography-there is nothing that makes hard work more rewarding than a little wait and a lot of mystery.
Although I was hoping to come to you today with some form of magnificent breakthrough, I present instead a sort of steady, slow progression towards something different. Maybe it’s better this way; I have time to steer myself calmly towards new ventures. For now, I will press on with the skill and direction I currently posses.
Today’s word is a lovely one. I thought immediately of long afternoons spent in my mother’s herb garden as a child. I would pinch and clip and pluck until I had gathered a make-shift “kangaroo pouch” (made with my t-shirt) full of flowers and herbs. Trotting back into the house, I would make a strange, often overpowering brew. My favorite flower, though, was always...
lav-en-der n. An aromatic plant having spikes of pale violet flowers; light purple in color. lavender adj.
In order to convey the softness and relaxation that I associate with lavender, I decided to use watered-down paints on heavyweight backing board.
I first sketched the stalk from memory, and then looked up images of lavender to make sure I’d drawn the buds correctly. I painted a color similar to that used on the stalk as a background and used a yellow background to make the lavender stalk stand out. Before I painted on the yellow, I smudged pencil around the outside of the stalk to dirty up the color a bit. I wanted the colors, even the yellow, to remain muted and calm.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post; have a great weekend and thanks for reading!
Xx
-r
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