Friday, September 7, 2012

Desert Solitaire

It seems that over the recent weeks I have been pre-occupied with photography, but nonetheless I also was creative in some other ways. I created a few journals for my shop, am working on a canvas which I mainly hate (I put it aside for the time being) and also did a combination of photography and painting by creating this:


The photo was taken at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico two winters ago. It is a fascinating place (I wrote about it here) with endless white sand dunes, many soaptree yuccas and other desert plants that survive in these conditions and an unlimited sky. It was a photographer's paradise.
 
 
I was especially fascinated by the soaptree yuccas with their dried seed pods. They made a beautiful foreground to the sunset sky and just offered another dimension in the ever white sandy landscape. It wasn't enough for me to just look at the pictures on my computer. So I went through the photos and picked this one for my first canvas board - I hope there will be more to follow. The title came naturally - it's a book by Edward Abbey who worked as a seasonal park ranger in Arches when it was still a National Monument (nowadays it's a National Park as you probably all know). Very soon this mixed media painting will be available in my Etsy shop.

After I don't know how many weeks I'm finally able to link up to Paint Party Friday again. I also link this to Mandarin Orange Monday.

23 comments:

Mary C. Nasser said...

Carola,
I have always wanted to visit White Sands National Park in New Mexico!
Your mixed-media work about it is lovely! Wonderful combination of photography and patterns and text. Exquisite.
♥♥♥
Happy PPF!!
Mary
Mixed-Media Map Art

Maria Ontiveros said...

A gorgeous photo and beautiful canvas - the colors are so rich. I'm not much of a desert person but my sister is, and I am intrigued.
Rinda

Tracey FK said...

It is an amazing palette of colours... and the yuccas remind me of our native grass trees...xx

Faye said...

Such beautiful rich colors! Really gorgeous.

lorik said...

Beautiful. Love the integration of frame and picture. Lovely colour - just lovely. Would be perfect for Mandarin Orange Monday 39 this week:))

Giggles said...

Wonderful warmth of color! Very peaceful scene. Happy ppf!

Hugs Giggles

Elephant's Child said...

Wow. That is simply incredibly beautiful. Thank you.

windrock studio said...

Carola, this piece is absolutely gorgeous ~ I feel like I could just walk right into the scene!

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful mixed media piece ~ love the design, colors and textures ~ (A Creative Harbor)

Marji said...

I can see why you chose that photo. it is stunning. The colors are marvelous! Happy PPF

Kay L. Davies said...

This is SO beautiful, Carola. I love it, and now I want to visit White Sands, too.
K

Carolyn Dube said...

Wow! The painting with the photo is just stunning!

Natasha said...

Beautiful palette, love the sky. The frame around the photo is great!

Rosemary Aubut said...

Very well done! Love this!

Darla said...

Very nice! I think it is great that you are able to use your own photo in a mixed media piece.

Darla

Anne Manda said...

Wonderful piece, amazing photograph and it's like a window to another world! Beautiful colors, too. HPPF!

Lynn Cohen said...

You are so right. The place mesmerizes, the colors glow...it is gorgeous and looks stunning on your orange created background!

HPPF on Sunday!

Melisa said...

Lovely! It makes me want to go there and see it all for myself. I really like the dimension of the twig frame.

JKW said...

Everything goes together so perfectly. Great mixed media. Blessings, Janet PPF

lorik said...

It certainly is perfect for Mandarin Orange Monday:) Thank you for sharing it. Lovely image and processing.

Kateri said...

The light makes a desolate scene look warm and inviting. Just lovely!

vincibene said...

Very beautiful! I like the frames!

Seraphinas Phantasie said...

Sehr schöne warme Farben und ein harmonisches Bild. Viele Grüße Synnöve