The Gallery: Landscape 4
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Text and Artwork:
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First For Fall Photograph This photo was taken at the beginning of August. Not a breath of fall was in the warm summer air at all; even the nights had remained warm, still without that pre-fall cool down that we often get in the wee hours of the late summer. Nonetheless, here was a young tree, already making preparations. The splash of orange set in the midst of the bright young greens and the deep shadowed forest behind it were striking...hopefully this image allows you a sense of that. Too, although more difficult to see online, there is a nice interchange in the shapes and movements of the branches... sumac intermingling with maple and cottonwood; sturdy, hard tree trunks rising above the thin and fragile strands of grasses and wildflowers.
"First for Fall"...I almost titled it "Thirst for Fall".... lol, I'm still not sure which is really the best title for this photograph.
Crazy Quilt Photograph 8" x 10" Whenever there is a break in the forest canopy above, green things flourish in the sunlight that streams down, fighting for space and jostling each other in their need for that sunlight. I captured some of the wild denizens of the forest doing just that, and if you don't think plants fight like cats and dogs, well....go talk to a botanist, *grin*
The plants often create a crazy quilt of positive and negative shapes as they strive to pack as
many leaves in one space as possible, ergo the name. This particular quilt consists of wild grape and
wild roses. Both of these plants are tough, all-out fighters up here in my neck of the woods. :-)
Textures of the Forest Photograph 8" x 10" The forests hold many fascinating things, one of which is the absolute wealth of visual and tactile textures. From the purple scaled rugose-ness of pine cones as they hang out over nothingness, as can be seen on the right of the enlarged image, to smoother red of bark, to the jagged teeth of broken branches. From the prickly feathers of evergreen boughs to the soft and smooth textures of the deciduous leaves and their softly grey branches.
Oooo. Makes me want to pick up my backpack and head on out for a while, lol.
Woods Wedgie Photograph 8" x 10" Have you ever had a wedgie? I'm sure a lot of you have had that uncomfortable experience at one time in your life or another. Sometimes nature gives herself, or those who reside within her, a wedgie, too. In this case, a large portion of a short cliff face had eroded enough that it fell away, leaving the land and tree above it canted over to the side. I found the angles of the land, the sunlight hitting in sections and highlighting that diagonal thrust, very intriguing. Especially in conjunction with the more unusual upright of a section of cliff face which can be seen in the shadows behind the light pouring across the grass and tree. There is also a wide variety of subtle coloration in the grasses and wildflowers which please me.
I look forward to returning to this area to see what further changes nature makes. She always does seem to
have yet another trick up her sleeve. *happy smile*
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