365 Day 226

landscape, schmandscape...so far

Believe me, I am totally aware that I don't really "get" landscapes and have no experience with trying to actually create a landscape in any media -- aside from taking an occasional snapshot of something that looked pretty at the time (and those are mostly lost to time and long misplaced negatives, etc.)

Well...the Northville Art House has a call out for art for their upcoming landscape show. You know I (at least) want to give it a go...whether I end up submitting anything or not.
So today I became the intrepid landscape hunter. I had a notion that I could possibly take some photographs and then either manipulate them somehow -- or use elements of them -- to make a landscape (or three). I had a few specific areas in mind. The only problem was that it was just about to rain when I started out this morning. Overcast and slightly sprinkly, but I still voyaged out. At least it wasn't 100 degrees and humid and super sunny.



Pretty needless to say, it has been a wash today. The shots were not really what I had in mind. I think because I have no real clue what a landscape is about, I am having trouble achieving something I even mildly like. Here are some of the photos I took (I actually shot over 40 pics) and you can see how some of them were used in the various failed attempts.







#1 -- taken for the pond and ground and little trees













#2 -- taken for sighting down the fence and the path










#3 -- taken for the clouds














#4 -- one of my front yard trees













#5 -- taken for the hills












#6 -- my street, taken for the downhill angle and perspective(s)






Now for the failed attempts so far:

a collage mock up made with elements from #1, #3 and #4









a tracing (for a linocut block carving) traced over elements from #2 and #4










a traced then erased and
hand drawn/manipulated and
then transferred to a linocut block
using elements of #5 and #6







My biggest problem is that what I have feebly come up with (so far) is not even mildly interesting to me visually. And when I try and add something else to the imagery, the picture becomes more about the object that I added in, rather than focusing on the landscape. Like...I added in other trees (and was pretty happy with the picture) but it became more about the new trees. I added in a few little hand drawn houses, but they were the main element you noticed. I kind of understand that there can be other things or people or whatever in the picture, but I am not familiar enough -- or comfortable enough -- or something enough (confident?) -- (yet) -- to understand how to construct a landscape. And maybe that is part of my problem with this. Perhaps you don't "construct" a landscape...you either just "feel" it and photograph it or draw or paint it or collage it or something...but you "feel" it to begin with.

I am not entirely done yet. I will keep brainstorming about this. It really isn't what I do, but I still want to give it a try. I don't want to force it too much because then it won't be something I am happy with and therefore it won't work...you know? I am capable of coming to a point and saying "nope...not right for me at this time." But I still want to pursue it...for a little while longer. (triple Capricorn thing kicks in)