Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Unexpected Inspiration

I played at my workbench yesterday, ripping magazines apart to create a collaged background. I started ripping from back to front since that's where a lot of articles finish (there's more black on white text there), so I missed part of an interesting article, but started paying attention in time to salvage this image.

The artist, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647 - 1717), was a naturalist and scientific illustrator. Her detailed observations into the life cycles of butterflies and other insects were significant contributions to the field of entomology.

I love the exquisite detail of her work (although I'm not particularly fond of bugs!) and decided to incorporate a few bits into my background. My original goal was a generic background that I could scan and print on fabric, but now the piece is morphing into something interesting on its own. I love those happy accidents!

1 comment:

  1. Hi Kathy,
    I am in your Joggles class, I like how you put this piece together.... can't wait to see a pic of your Journal.... thought I would check out your blog since there is no activity on the forum for our Journal class... I love the photo you showed below that you printed on the sheer material... I do a lot with paper and very little with fabric... sounds the opposite of you. have a GREAT day.

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