This image is made from 2 photographs. One being a surface reflection of flowing water, and the other, remains of a seagull.
The seagull caught my eye because as it was lying in the water at the river’s edge, the wings were moving with the rhythmic lapping of the water, as though somehow, there was still a touch of life.
© Karen McRae, 2013
Taking things apart.
Above are the two separate images I had combined in the previous post. The duck is cropped to make it less central. It still feels very familiar to me this particular bird-in-flight form.
It twigged a memory of watching the herons in flight during the last days of Autumn, just before migration. It is such a different form.
[Thank you to everyone who joined in the discussion for the last post. It was very interesting!]
© Karen McRae, 2013
There has been quite a lot of painting happening here the last couple of months. Brushstrokes and thin layers, glazing and blending.
Trying to find the essence of a seascape in a slow build.
The subdued colours of a day with a low sky.
A sky that settles like a whisper in your cupped hands.
A world painted by fog.
This is not the sea but there is a sense of it here in this river. An essence. There was a sea here once. It has left pieces of itself behind.
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© Karen McRae, 2013
fog. flight. and true fables.
© Karen McRae, 2013
An image from a photographic series layering the ephemeral (withering flora) and the enduring (ancient fossils). This image is an in-camera double exposure. You may recognize the form of the orchid from the previous post.
© Karen McRae, 2013
Dessicated orchids, still in bloom.
© Karen McRae, 2013
A sugar-coated day never lasts long. The ices are responsive to the day.
© Karen McRae, 2012
While I was sleeping…
A close-up of Winter’s first dust.
© Karen McRae, 2012
The days seem intermediary. Frosted only at the edges. The autumn colours have faded – to sepia – to grey – to misty blues.
But for some reason these are colours I can sink into. Literally.
There have been a few times when I thought my boots might be lodged permanently in the clay bottom of the creek. But so far I’ve managed each time to wrestle myself out on to solid ground. When your mind is absorbed in one thing, you may not notice that your feet are being absorbed by another…
Each of these images is an in-camera double exposure. Layers of light and shadow on a rippling surface.
© Karen McRae, 2012
Smoke and Water, Elena Caravela & Karen McRae
Swimming Underwater, Elena Caravela & Karen McRae
A few weeks ago when I was editing images of water reflections, a couple of the images brought to mind the work of another artist. It’s hard to describe what specifically sparked this association but I’ll try to explain.
Partly, it was me looking at these images and already seeing things in the reflections – drawings on water. – my own perceptions. I thought these could be a starting point for something, or someone, and that someone turned out to be artist (and fellow WordPress blogger), Elena Caravela. Elena is a wonderfully accomplished multidisciplinary artist/author who does work that includes children’s book illustrations, drawing, watercolour and oil painting. I admire her work enormously.
It was something about her magical drawings that sparked the idea to suggest a collaboration with the photographs as a starting point. I sent her an email asking if she would like to work with me on a project and I was delighted that she agreed! In truth, Elena did most of the work on this project.
What I thought might be interesting is that I already had ideas about what I could see in these images and I wondered what Elena might see and how she might develop them. The drawings above are the final result with Elena interpreting them in her own wonderful way. Click on each image to see them a little larger and experience all the enchanting details.
Here is what Elena had to say about the process:
“I did not want to interfere with the images too much. I knew right away that I wanted to maintain much of the structure and color. In fact I did not introduce any new color, and used only what I found within the images. I worked digitally in layers directly over Karen’s work, not touching the original but taking my cues from it.”
“Each photograph presents its own special charm. After turning it on its side, the negative space in the “frog” piece spoke to me immediately of dreamy water creatures in motion and rippling below the surface. The “figure” piece was quite the opposite. It was its fluid line and dynamic composition that captured my attention. The swirls appeared to me as smokey figures frozen in perilous escape. The smoke alternately dissipates and collects, providing just enough presence to tell its story.”
Below are the images as I sent them to Elena:
What do you see?
Since this work is entirely digitally based I thought it might be fun to throw a few random words into this particular artist statement generator (I love that such a thing exists!) and see what would happen – An artist statement about nothing and everything:
“Caravela/McRae’s work investigates the nuances of modulations through the use of slow motion and close-ups which emphasize the Symbiotic nature of digital media. Caravela/McRae explores abstract and shaping scenery as motifs to describe the idea of infinite space. Using water loops, non-linear narratives, and allegorical images as patterns, Caravela/McRae creates meditative environments which suggest the expansion of space…“
Elena’s website and blog. Please check out her amazing work.
A huge thank you to Elena for all the work she put into this! I love what has developed.
© Elena Caravela & Karen McRae, 2012
