Nature has all the elements of design: line, shape, color, texture..."Nature contains the elements, in color and form, of all pictures, as the keyboard contains the notes of all music. But the artist is born to pick and choose... as the musician gathers his notes, and forms his chords, until he brings forth from chaos, glorious harmony. --- James Abbot McNeill Whistler
Line: Look at nature's calligraphy... Red winged black bird egg
NATURE'S COLLAGE: The bird used bits of newspaper and old found papers...Rooted nature clings to nothing to be a new thing....
TEXTURE: These bird eggs were collected from one nest. The one spirit, silent, beats in every breath its name....
COLOR: Lingam rocks are found in a sacred river in India. They are believed to be filled with spiritual healing power. Look at the beautiful subdued, earth colors.
SHAPES, TEXTURE, LINE: Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to learn to understand art more and more. --- Vincent Van Gogh
SHAPES AND TEXTURE: Seed pods and remnants of plants... within my hands, what's lost is found....
THE READY MADE NEST: Some birds may use human-made materials to build their nests.The age-old story repeats itself..
Below is an etching by Yoshio Imamura. He incorporates nature into his work in beautiful, subtle ways. You can see more of his work here."The beautiful is in nature, and it is encountered under the most diverse forms of reality. Once it is found it belongs to art, or rather to the artist who discovers it." --- Gustave Courbet
Some of the images in this blog post came from the book EGG & NEST by Rosamond Purcell.It is a beautiful picture book that captures the intricacy of birds' nests, and the aesthetic perfection of birds' eggs. You can find the book at Amazon.com.
"The Artist has been the element of nature, and the arbiter of nature; he who has sat on a cloud and viewed it from afar, but at the same time has identified himself as one of nature's parts. The true artist views nature from his own time."
---- David Smith, (1906-1965)
64 comments:
What a nice post you've "hatched!"
You show me the most wonderful pictures, always. Nature is, indeed, a wonderful art teacher, and I applaud your choices in showing the elements. And of course your work at the top is phenomenal.
Mother Nature's artistic eye is magical, as well as inspiring. Your piece reflects what her eye views, beautifully
what a beautiful post - I too take much of my inspiration from nature - your photos and quotes from others express it so well. I have enjoyed Purcell's other books so will definitely seek this one out - thanks!
Your posts ARE works of art. Thank you for the elegance, beauty, and deep thoughts. Very meditative.
I think you captured the spirit of nature.I have always had a connection with the breeze,but as a artist I have yet to capture that sensation of warmth and blessing.Im working on it..it will come to me one day,floating by me leaving traces of inspiration.Warmest Regards,Cat
Beautiful images, and fabulous thoughts. Nature is the ultimate. I adore your blog Donna. It is always a treat. Thank you.
Oh I so enjoyed the journey with you today..thank you
I often leave on the grass cut up items and string and watch as the robins collect them and create nests...I feel like a collaborator
"Having examined the appearance of the thing one seizes upon its essence" Ching Hao
joy
I echo Leslie...I adore your posts and am always so happy to come over to visit, breathing in the beauty that you discover and share with the world.
The quotes that you collect are so excellent and your collages are profoundly elegant, always.
Thank you.
I love that I always find something new and surprising in your blogs, wonderful art, thoughts, books and information. I look forward to each post.
I love the bird's collage nest!
This book, 'Egg & Nest', is a favorite of mine. You are so beautiful, Donna.
Your
Work
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good
creations
as always, gorgeous post! i love the piece you have shared as well as everything else. it's so difficult to imagine that those eggs and those stones just "hatched" and formed that way. they are so intricate and beautiful and look as if they were created so deliberately. for some reason it reminds me of a night i had last week. my husband and i were sitting on the porch and looking at the clouds and i said "it really looks like someone 'messed up' a painting right there". he knew what i meant as the clouds were so perfect and fluffy everywhere else and those looked smeared and unnatural. your eggs and stones look unnatural too, but in the most gorgeous of ways!
a beautiful post... thanks
Hi Donna
you have a great talent in assemblage, not only in your collage, but in the way that you gather and piece together the contents of your posts. Coming here I know that I am always going to see something beautiful, something inspiring and that I will learn something new...
I loved the works by Yoshio Imamura and went looking further. I can see why you admire his work.
thank you Donna
Happy days
what a beautiful post...lots to learn..I'm so glad we have time to learn forever and ever and ever.
liefs
yvette
Aahhh .... a feeling of coming home. Nature has such a calming effect on me. Such beauty in this post, thanks Donna. The bird nest with the printed paper scraps makes me smile and the exquisite eggs .... nature's calligraphy. Off to see more of Yoshio Imamura's work.
Donna, this is truly, truly beautiful and the first birds eggs have inspired me for a calligraphy. Thank you ever so much. We have had the luck of seeing many little birds hatch as a wee couple made their next under my daughter's bedroom window.
Nests are truly such amazing examples of nature's genius at work.
sigh. such beauty. thank you.
Hi Donna,
Again, what a fabulous collage and wonderful pictures/texts, thank you!
Regina, SXM
I love your piece with the beautiful nest and text. It just makes me say "mmmmmmmmmmmm". I will be on the lookout for this wonderful book.
Thanks for such a lovely post! As usual.
Every time I visit your blog, you inspire me, Donna. I absolutely adore your posts! Love the nature pics you have shared and your work at the top is really brilliant!
Most beautiful post as always, the colors of nature, so subtle and the texture, your way of putting them all together is marvelous.
I don't know if I've ever left a comment here before, but I LOVE to come to your blog and just lust over all the textures. Very inspiring. Thank you.
nature is the best! lovely post and I echo others when I say I am always inspired by your thoughtful posts.
Beautiful and inspiring post.
great post! I love nature and I love art. both together is the best!
I just love your posts! Lovely artwork,,,inspiration and wonderful quotes....thank you so much!
Amazingly beautiful and the black bird eggs, simply amazing!
Cheers!
wonderful chewy post, rich in texture as always and the nests are just wonderful, just working on my May pages and this was the same theme! your piece is just wonderful love the way the large circles triangulate the focal point! awesome!
I just finished up an assemblage box using wasps nests. You are certainly right, nature is our best art teacher. Loved your thoughts and beautiful pictures along with your gorgeous collage which illustrated your post perfectly. A real treat!
This is a great post friend. I love your way of drawing parallels between good design and nature with beautiful photography and salient, inspiring quotations! Thanks for the feast for the eyes.
What a feast for the eyes. I have often thought that no body creates like nature itself. Your choice of photos just deepens that belief.
Terrific post as usual...great selections from the natural world.
i adore coming here!
and just today, i had to remove a wild branched wreath from the front door, a robin was building it's nest in the middle.
i'll send a picture of it to you, before i find a place for it that's safe.
love that collage of yours on top, the nest, so symbolic!
Nature never disappoints...perfect in line, shape and texture! My spirit is always well fed here at your site...wonderful collage...just wonderful!
I've just discovered your site, Donna. Beautiful and fascinating! I love your fearless approach, which, of course, is the only way to create art. I look forward to following your work and writing.
Thank you for drawing my eye to the beautiful mark making of Nature. A reminder of art's origins. The way you marry the images with artists' words is exquisite--food for soul.
You are such a fascinating woman to me Donna, the choices you make for your blog, your gatherings your words and stories are always so intruiging...
Thank you,
XOXOrly
beautiful post of natural colours, It's so fascinating to see what birds use to make nests.
Your nesting instinct is strong, Donna. : )
j'adore tout !! le nid dans la boite..
Donna--You've done it again: introduced me to another book I just might HAVE to buy. I still am in awe with the last one you recommended to me (and at such a good cost too, I might add!). I used to have a huge collection of bird's nests but they started attracting different "bugs" in the rotting process and I had to throw them away. This book would have been the solution though: photograph them!
Nature really is an unending life long symphony which plays different music all along the way. Gorgeous egg shots and the thoughts behind your post of nature. I've seen those indian stones before and as many times as I've seen them- and in all different sizes, it is so hard to believe that they are not man made. Beautiful writing- and as always, such a treat to visit.
gorgeous finds and observations...
the sun is setting over the mountains I can see out my window, I've never sat on a cloud but I sure like to imagine watching this sunset now from one, although this chair is doing pretty well...
Hope it's a gorgeous morning or evening where you are,
xo
Your photographs and explanations are clear and beautiful, and they have helped me understand why I obsessively collect sticks, stones, pods and nests.
There is so much beauty here. Your piece revealed a character to me that I imagined as calm, wise, and friendly. Together that made for a peaceful experience.
The eggs and rocks are incredible. What an inspiration!
Hi Donna! Oh wow! This post speaks my language! I love it, your collage is stunning,I love your colours and patterns and the perfect nest in the centre!The photos are beautiful...all those nests and eggs = HEAVEN!! and your quotes. Such a perfect post!
Thanks for letting me know about this post for mentioning the book...I hope I can get my hands on a copy!
Bliss! :)
Amazing post, I love all your work and the colours you use !
Oh Donna, I am completely captivated by this post "nature's best work" Nature is so much a part of my life right now, in my gardens, in the fields and mountains and the skies. I have never seen red-winged black bird eggs before, though their nest are everywhere along the river. How beautiful they are. And the magical stones. And a new artist to research. Have a wonderful day. roxann
Nice eye opener. Thanks for the vicarious intro to this marvelous book, too. -J
thanks for your words, thanks for you being you!
What can I say that all your other followers haven't said, except "ditto"? Your posts are always food for the soul. The bird eggs and stones are spectacular! Truly works of art.Of course your collage is a winner too. That goes without saying!
what etched inks of some unspeakable writing on those eggs?
i always remember reading C.S.Lewis who wrote something about nature holding all the metaphor we ever need for life; if we would just look. At twenty the idea seemed tight, but as i age it is so true, and more than ample for inquiry.
thanks for being.
Hello,
I am an fine art and art history student who just happened to stumble upon your blog. I really enjoy it and all the materials you employ. As an art student, we are constant exchanging artists to look at because you can never stop taking in visual content as an artist! I am not sure if you have looked at Judy Pfaff's work (judypfaff.org), but I immediately thought of her work while glance through yours. I think you would certainly find her work inspirational!
I find your blog very interesting. You seem to see every natures gift preciously. Good job!
Mother Nature is the master artist, isn't she? Lovely post, as always, Donna.
Beautiful post, beautiful blog.
I'm delighted to find you!
Judith
If I compare your way of working with the one of the nature,would I be faraway from what I feel every time I look at your work,at your blog-posts,the whole picture? No,I would be very close to that warm,welcome feeling of being a part of such a wonderful creating process,I really wish I could work with same kind of discipline and knowing what Im doing!! Thank you for another beautiful,inspirational post Donna! Hugs!
the tin can nest is my favorite...
I am working on a project that is nest like now.
perfect timimg,
as always
Wonderful thoughts, quotes and images... nature is so inspiring, we have only to see what is here.
Very Beautiful!
One of my favorites posts from you - love the echoes.
What a beautiful blog do you have !!
Nests and stones and eggs ,o, I love them too
Love from the Netherlands ♥RINI♥
I am a new fan !
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