Lichen Flower

I'm not sure what this structure is called,  but it has a lot of character. 

Sketch

Here is a first sketch of the lichen to get a sense of its structure. The yellowish "radar dishes" seem like fertile ground for some ideas. This is a complicated little beast though.

This Week - Old Man's Beard Lichen

I believe this is a type of Usnea lichen called Old Man's Beard. I found it on the ground in the woods along a small deer path near the river. We have a lot of deer so those small paths are plentiful, though at one point I had to get on hands and knees to follow it under some serious thorn bushes.

Before finding it I first came upon a pretty good sized black snake taking advantage of the path for a little sun. We became aware of each other at the same time and as I took a step back, he thrashed himself off the path to my right. Now I know full well that a black snake is harmless, but try telling that to the primitive part of my brain which held me in place for a time.

I eventually found the snake a few feet off the path to my right. I also noticed a few blades of grass vibrating slightly. I took a step along the path and the vibrating increased. The dry grass made a credible rattle sound. Now I've never seen a rattle snake in the wild, but we all know that sound. I was impressed that this harmless black snake had the ability to make my primitive brain create enough doubt in my logical brain about turning my back on it. Eventually logic won out and I went on my way. All I can say is I'm glad the meeting didn't come while on my hands and knees.

I'm looking forward to exploring this alien like piece of lichen in my digital sketchbook this week.

Twisted tips

Infinite Painter has a nice paint texture function. I used it on these twisted needles with brush stylus.

Pine Needle Bullies

It's so unfair when five mean needles gang up on the lonely little one? Not pretty.

Pine Needles 1

The first drawing focuses on the top part where the needles come together,  the basal fascicle. That's right,  I figured out what it was called.

This Week - Pine Needles

I asked my wife to pick this week's object, and she certainly picked something I would not have selected myself. Pine needles have little form, are almost totally linear,  and utterly neutral in color. It's a good challenge and I'm glad I asked her to pick.

I had to put them in an old cigar box because the cat likes it when we bring the outside inside too... 

Outside/Inside

I'm dusting off this old space to start cataloging and sharing a new project that I hope will function as a driver for future works. I've recently had some enforced "down time" away from work due to surgery, and found myself sitting outside and walking in the woods more than I have in years. I used to paint pleine aire landscapes,  and at least part of the allure was being outside and thinking about and finding natural objects to examine. Even if I did not end up sketching or painting those objects I enjoyed thinking about how it would be done. There was a sense of exploration and discovery that was satisfying.

Over the years,  as I have become busier and my work more concept based, my trips outdoors have become fewer and farther between, and were more about a task and less about discovery. My enforced down time reminded me of the enjoyment in learning the instructor and outs of a natural object, so I have decided to approach my interest in the coexistence of nature and technology from the perspective of the found natural object.

Each week I am going to take a walk, and somewhere on that walk I will find an object that I will sketch several times throughout the week. The sketches will be done on my tablet using the Infinite Painter app, allowing me to easily save images and share them. Some of these images may find their way into my paintings.

These digital paintings will be posted in the same quality as I create them,  so feel free to download and save any that you like. Let me know if you print one, as that would feel like somehow spreading my finds digitally back into the world.

Enjoy!