"The Pine Cone"

($60.00......6" x 6"....300 lb HP mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)

"Form, texture, and memories reside in the pine cone." I've always had a fascination for pine cones. They have a compelling form and texture and they bring back memories of pine trees, camp, Christmas, fall, etc. They're wonderful!

This entire piece is about texture. The drawing of the pine cone was done with a pointed pen with a simple line drawing interpretation. My desire was to have a lot of rich brown color and a lot of texture. I naturally turned to walnut ink for the brown which you can see in the stained rice papers from top to bottom.

The text fragments are a few more selections from a very old copy of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's book of poetry. Many of the odd textural shapes were created by deconstruction...adhering the paper and then pulling it off. Even in the lettering, my desire was to have a very textural feel that integrated with the background texture. 

The placement of the pine cone at the bottom edge of a shape created by revealing the black gesso in the background was a natural way of creating an edge to edge shape. A few more darks in and around the pine cone completed that edge to edge look. 

Also notice how the text fragments create recurring shapes throughout. Texture is compelling, adds richness to a piece, and is worth exploring. Layering, staining, deconstructing, and drawing are all ways to add texture. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.