Blog

It was time to prepare seeds for the spring planting.  So many were old but I laid them out to sprout with no success.  I’d been recycling the packages in collage work which led me to wonder if I could use the inert seeds somehow.  

As a lover of archeology I watch a lot of documentaries on the digging of ancient sites around the world.  Recently I watched British Time Team group dig up a burial grave hosting a basket with food offerings to the deceased that still held seeds from thousands of years ago.  

Ah ha!  Imagine finding a strange artifact that held seeds from centuries before?  I’m going with aliens rooting around planet earth digging up stuff - it’s open to interpretation.  What a great way to use the seeds and create an unusual texture all in one.  

These aliens are going to need some reference, right?  What would I want them (or anyone) to know about life as lived in the past.  I am an avid believer that everything has a purpose and can be better applied than sitting in a landfill.   So what do I have that can add character to both this image and contribute to my alien’s wonder? 

Adding old seeds to some gesso, I applied the mixture across and around the blank canvas.  I was going for an earthy twilight so I poured acrylic paint and let it settle on the seeds.  A bit of old music sheet scraps and some cotton paper for interest.  

Next was a bit of digging through the bits and bobs made over time and sitting patiently waiting for their chance.  I found an old collage created using a repurposed Christmas card with a page from Webster’s dictionary pasted on.  Over this was the image of trees from a photo I took that had been printed on paper towel.  Also found a scrape of echo printed fabric, and the gold foil food seal pulled off a newly opened peanut butter jar.  Last was a rusty nail to hold it all together.  As a last detail I used hemp cord to stitch design into the image, creating even more texture.  

While there are some pieces that require thoughtful preparation of design and structure, these small 10”x10” canvas are, by design play.  There is no initial intention or commitment to outcome.  Doing these pieces is interesting, sometimes frustrating but always fun.  I think this one is worth sharing - I hope you enjoy.