A Walk In The Park



Twisted Bark Stems



Following on from the visit to Dolphinholme, I thought I would like to create a picture using found leaves, berries and twigs.  On a cold and dry day, I went for a walk through our local park down by the riverside.

I took several photographs whilst there, it was a lovely morning with the sun just rising and a fine dew on the leaves and trees.

Wild Mushroom Patch

Foam on the River



Sunlight on the Web



Thistles



Autumn Foliage



As I walked through the park I collected various fallen leaves, twigs and berries and bought them home with me.

At home I washed them, dried them and sealed them with a coat of PVA glue to prevent further decay, and to allow me to work with them without them crumbling.

I'd collected some lovely coloured leaves and berries, reds and rich browns.  Some in the stages of turning and some just about to decay completely.

After painting a wash over some paper, I then ripped it up and arranged it on a fresh piece of paper.  I added strips of various other papers.  Some of the papers had a wonderful 'bark' type texture which made for great tree trunks.  

I added blue paper and blue washed paper for the sky with a splash of yellow for the sun.  I then arranged my leaves and  of course added a large beetle, before stitching  over the whole picture on the sewing machine.

Stitched Collage

Back Stitching Effect

Turning the painting over, you can see the great effect achieved by free machine stitching to the front.  The outlines show the images very clearly and makes for an interesting picture on its own.

3D Bug



I was struck by the effect created  on the beetle, which after being stitched, took on a very  3D effect.  It really does appear to be above the paper. 

I added many different layers to the picture, incorporating papers, little pictures, threads, stitching and of course leaves.

Tree, Beetle and Leaf Back Detail

I'm pleased and surprised how my painting turned out.  At first I wasn't quite sure about the papers being stuck on, it didn't appear to be creating the effect I'd hoped for. However, once I applied the leaves and stitched the whole thing, it seemed to bring it all together, and the addition of the beetle made a huge difference, I think it really makes the picture with its 3D effect.