Kathy always gets the closest of closeups in nature and makes wonderful art from them. She suggested we all make art from patterns in nature for our challenge this month.
The Yellow Basket
by Denette Schweikert
11" X 14"
Kathy told me that this painting qualifies as patterns in nature but I don't know. I started this picture a long time ago and put it aside. I then found it, really changed it, and finished it. Now I'm happy about it. I shot the photo at a "pond tour" in Merritt Island.
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Dragonfly Wings
Watercolor, 11x14
I do my best thinking in the pool, so while I was trying to think of a pattern in nature for this challenge, a couple of dragonflies were flying around. I decided to do some layered dragonflies in fanciful colors. The blue one is an actual copy of a certain dragonfly's colors, believe it or not.
Carmen Beecher
https://www.etsy.com/shop/carmensart
https://www.carmenbeecher.com
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I was happily overwhelmed by the challenge this month. You can get so lost in really looking at nature and how beautiful even a bug can be. I went off in several directions until I came across some photos of viruses, yes viruses. I could not get over how beautiful these deadly things could be.
They also reminded me of patterns that I see on native dress in Africa, which incorporate so much of nature in their design. I will not tell you what these viruses are but just know as Billy Crystal would say, "It is better to look good than to feel good."
Several viruses collaged together
Donna Vines
Donnavinesart.blogspot.com
Donnavinesart.Etsy.com
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I took this photo at the New York Botanical Gardens as it seemed Mother Nature had outdone herself in the design. The leaves were so interesting they almost appeared to be a product in plastic made by a whimsical artist. Little did I know this would be the perfect prompt for the challenge.
Costus Stenopuynas costacea
southwestern Costa Rica
And my doodled design...if I had had colored pencils with me I would have enjoyed playing with the greens but rendering it only in black and white was fun.
Cindy Michaud
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Patterns in nature are probably my favorite inspiration. I'm so happy my fellow pieces were willing to play along. For this challenge I was thinking snails! (Okay, I think about snails a lot...patterns, spirals, beautiful colors...what's not to love. ) It was, however, a rough month with very little time for art and so I just did some doodling. Here are two snail inspired watercolor and inks.
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| Home and Garden |
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| Spirals |
Kathy Garvey
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One of the most intense times I have spent sketching nature was spent at Silver Springs on a Piece's retreat about four years ago. I was fascinated by the profusion of Angel Trumpets.
Interior View 2014
Tons of Trumpets 2014
A recent sketch
I change the challenge a bit from making a close-up pattern, to just making a pattern. The sketch with tons of Angel Trumpets made me think of the pattern of a cotton pinafore that was one of my favorites as a child. I took the form of the stem and added one blossom to each right sided angle (or is that angel)?. Now the pattern resembles the fabric these blossoms brought to mind. Not exactly what intended when I started this challenge, but it makes me happy.
Insects are really beautiful
Patterns in nature are a great inspiration for many artists. Dragonflies are especially interesting. I have painted dragonflies and had a couple in the file, but wanted to do something new and out of my imagination. I imagined a bee flying over a field and water. (Is there such a thing as a "bee's eye view?") It started as a watercolor (smaller print) and ended up as a mixed media. I just had fun with the patterns and a limited palette.
--Jean Thomas
ozworks22@cfl.rr.com
