Botanical Showgirls, revisited

I would appear I have compulsions other than drawing obsessively.  So, here are 2 versions of the beauties in altered states of being.  For the story on the showgirls, check the entries from December 29, 2011. 

Elephant Grove in multiples

I really love to shift the hues and try different filters on existing work.  It beats painting all the versions.  It gives me ideas for color use that I might not think of using and challenges my palette for future paintings.  I liked all for different reasons, and I could not choose a favorite, so here are all the options.  For the story of the Elephant Tree Grove, check my out entries from December 29, 2011.

Good Day, Limeshine

Here’s an altered kneeci bitt for you, different day, different sun. Today was a limeshine day.  There’s no telling what tomorrow will bring, for full story check December 29, 2011 blog entries.

A very, very Berry Spore, revisited

Well, I was playing around with my graphic software and decided to enhance another one of my drawings ( I didn’t feel like dragging the paints out)  I think it makes for a happier spore, and thus, happier berries to be born.  No sour puss here, just a very merry berry spore looking to sweeten someone’s life, enjoy.

flora-fauna orchid

Happy New Year!  I am looking forward to the new year and I hope everyone has a a fruitful year full of surprises! 

This microscopic orchid, like some orchids, anchors itself in the upper reaches of the canopies of tall, sturdy objects.  In the case of full-size orchids of this nature, they would choose an optimal spot on a tree where they would catch the right mixture of moisture and nutrients.  The microscopic orchid, though invisible to the naked eye, is no different from it’s larger cousin.  This teeny little orchid may perch itself on any number of objects.  They are known to reside upon houseplants (naturally), upper reaches of rooms in our homes and outside our home structures, and inside the cabs of our vehicles for the more adventurous individual.  The auto variety chooses a window view and spends it’s life taking in all the sites and nutrients from travel.  The microscopic orchid pictured above is the travelling kind and lives in our tangerine short bus (Honda Element) and I nearly missed her altogether, but for an ever-so-slight voice I once heard singing along to some music on low.  I was intrigued and started examining the upper portions of my cab to find the source of this lilting small voice and with a magnifying glass, I found this exquisite little creature and took her picture in my mind and drew what I saw:) This is an altered sketch filtered through features on Corel Graphics Suite.

Good Day Sunshine

Here is the sunshine of my mind.  It lights up all those strange little botanical imaginings that grow and crop up in my sketches and gives them the nutrients of fruition from concept to completion.  It, naturally, is a microscopic sun and changes colors at will, a very fickle sun, but consistent in its sunshine.  Sometimes I get art-burn, but there is no permanent damage.  She exists as pictured in my sketchbook, but tomorrow's sun will surely be different and surprising.

A Very Merry Microsopic Berry Spore

I am obsessed with all things microscopic and the idea that we live on a dust speck, think "Horton Hears a Who", has fascinated me since forever.  This teeny little organism is a berry spore, looking for a place in life to call her own blueberry, strawberry, or cranberry plant.  A berry spore within the plant will ensure that you are getting the very best-flavored berry, with pride.  She aims to please and stain all light-colored clothes (not intentional).  Most spores are happy-go-lucky, which is good, sour-puss spores make for very sour tasting berries.

An Elephant Water Sprite

Here's a rare glimpse into the world of the Elephant-styled water sprite.  This one lives within a waterfall and likes to mimic the body of water in which it lives.  This water sprite protects the underwater plantlife and aquatic creatures that live within the waterfall and the lagoon in which the waterfall splashes into.  On occasion, the water sprite will come across a human encountering it's domain.  If you cause any harm to it's domain, it will haunt the intruder until the danger retreats.  If you visit with no harmful intentions, you will benefit greatly from this encounter, sometimes healed of your afflictions as a form of thanksgiving from the sprite, which in reality is an angel, guardian of nature of its choice, some choose, forests, trees, gardens, etc..  They have been known to take up residence in cities and churches or church meditation gardens (they like the statues).  They are invisible unless they choose to show themselves to you, in your imagination, like the one above.

Crown Jewels: A Rare Botanical Delight

This little gem is called  the Crown Jewels, it is also a microscopic organism that is nomadic in nature.  The Crown Jewels sort of migrate and take in the sights of the most beautiful blossoms and specimens of the plant kingdom, they might be small, but Crown Jewels are magnificent little creatures and considered royalty within the nano-culture.  They thrive best in botanical gardens, where other rare and beautiful specimens live together and treated like the treasures they are.  Crown Jewels are like visiting celebrities and live like rock stars, all are different, they pick up traits from the plants and gardens they live and migrate among.  No two Crown Jewels are alike and migratory patterns vary from individual to individual Crown Jewel. Their choice of travel is dependent of a variety hosts, such as gardeners, care-givers, birds, worms, etc.. They will piggy-back just about any viable transportation to their next destination, where they will be warmly invited to the next plant with a celebration of blooms upon their arrival, like I said, rock stars!

Elephant Tree Grove

Here's a strange and rare glimpse of the Elephant Tree  in a grove.  In reality, they are tiny, so the name Elephant Tree applies only because the second trunk that resembles that of an elephant's.  Otherwise, they are microscopic and are both a type of fungi and animal.  To observe these microorganisms is quite miraculous, if not impossible.  They are extremely loving in their family group, or rather, groves.  An Elephant Tree grove is self-sufficient and finds a spot in either a garden or an individual potted plant, like and orchid, African violet, and sometimes shamrocks.  They are attracted by strange and beautiful plants and will travel and live as nomads until they find a spot that will foster their grove where they will grow groovy colonies and assist the mother plant or their home of choice with the nutrients that only an microscopic and elegant Elephant Tree can provide to the host of their chosen grove.  The host, or mother plant will be abundant in blooms and growth as a result of the nutrients.  They are considered good luck, trunks-up or trunks-down, they are exceptional creatures.  This rare specimen exists as a painting in my sketchbook.

A Sea-Flower Family

This seaplant exists in the reef of my mind, none-the-less, it is a fascinating species, like coral and other animals parading around as plantlife in the sea, it is stationary.  The mother-plant is like the queen bee, the colony grows around her, and all the sea-blooms are her children and they share the nutrients as they are all connected.

More Botanical Delights

Here's a new little sketch, a little imaginary botanical drawing.  This is a underwater seaweed blossom from an imagined reef, of course.

Cutie-Pie

I really can not wait to start on this little cutie-pie.  I think I am moving her near the top of the list!!!  The thing I love about sketches is the energy, it's so frustrating to work on a painting and somehow leave the energy of the original sketch behind.  I will make sure not to allow that to happen with this sketch-to-painting transformation!

Newest Additions

This is one of my latest sketches, where ideas are born into paintings. We will see what comes of this little ditty.  I like it, I think I will develop this one.

It Takes a Forest....Well, despite our efforts of individuation and independence throughout our youth and early adulthood, we are ever so connected.  It's is nice to find the comfort in the familiarity of heritage in the family tree.  This is a sibling portrait of sorts.  The saplings have grown and started their own little forests, we will always be connected.

Botanical Imaginings:  A little ditty from my current sketch book.  She is a smaller and more shallow version of 'Submersion'.  In this scenario, the submerged self is less incumbered by deep roots or ties to the soil.  She is free to go about other gardens, check out new digs.  Her motto might be "what family tree?"

Alice in Blue:  I was intrigued with the color Alice Blue, and the gown everyone was singing about, "Alice Blue Gown" way back when.  It was the seed for this growth of independence in sketch.  Here, the character is in flight, part bird, part flower.  Again, no roots, she is away from the family tree that day.  But I notice she is quite bogged-down by her luggage of multiple eggs/seeds.  Maybe she will plant them in new gardens along the way.

What Big Eye-lids!   This is a tree sprite. She is part of the family tree that hasn't materialized as yet.  She is future growth and potential.  Trees have always been symbolically female when described in the mythological landscape.  They bear female attributes.  I think she has a maternal instinct with good intentions. She will probably bake some cookies and care for the seedlings.

   

 

This a Garden Dragon,  He is one of many dragon sketches I've drawn.  Dragons are symbolically guardians of treasure.  In this case, he is sleeping on the job!  He's been asleep so long that the garden has grown over top of him.  But, that's OK, there is no alarm.  In this garden, my family tree grows, and the jewels are safe.  He is more like a guardian angel, he's friendly.