England

Work in progress – Snowy wood scene

Nancy Power3 Comments

I’m currently working on a series of reduction prints of woodland scenes, taking advantage of the recent snow we have had. It’s all gone now, so no sledging for us at the moment. Boo hoo!!

Also, I am printing these from dark to light instead of light to dark, something I have never tried before but I thought it would work for these images. I’m pretty pleased with the results so far, it has worked as I had hoped, giving a grainer texture to the snow and the trees. There are a few more colours to go but I thought I would show where I am at the moment!

(apologies for the quality of my iPhone photos!)

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First colour, solid black.

 

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Second colour, dark grey.

 

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Third colour, lighter grey. Well, actually it’s pretty much the same colour as the second, but the layering makes it look a lot lighter.

 

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Fourth colour, white. I may do another layer of the white so as to make the snow pop out a bit more once I have printed the blue for the sky.

its all another learning curve though as I had trained my brain to think about colours from lightest to darkest, now it’s the other way around so I am having to really concentrate and make sure I don’t cut out the wrong bits!!

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Letters

Nancy Power6 Comments

We came across this delightful plant centre today. No frills, no cafe, no toilets, no gift shop – just plants and compost. Really good plants at that and all at very good prices. It’s a lovely family run place called Shirley’s. Shirley herself is an incredibly fit and healthy woman with the clearest eyes and skin I have seen on anyone for a long time.

I just love all these signs, made out of anything that will take some text. I mean, why throw away an old cupboard door when you can use it for a sign?

I especially love the rusted up old ice cream cart – ice creams haven’t been 6 pence for years!

For more fantastic entries for this challenge, have a look at these:

http://redstuffdan.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/weekly-photo-challenge-letters/

http://redstuffdan.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/weekly-photo-challenge-letters-graffiti-circa-1764/

http://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/weekly-photo-challenge-letters/

Weekly Photo Challenge: Threshold

Nancy Power10 Comments

I thought I would interpret this week’s challenge from the perspective of early life forms beginning to emerge.

Here is a baby newt that my husband found in our garden – this little thing on the threshold of a hopefully happy life in our pond:

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Spring has finally sprung and so has the Magnolia Stellata. These delicate flowers are getting blown about by the wind at the moment and don’t like a late frost, but thankfully they keep on producing more buds, all rolled up like the whitest parasol waiting to unfurl:

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See more entires for this challenge here: WPC: Threshold

Weekly Photo Challenge: Grand

Nancy Power1 Comment

What a great challenge this week. ‘Grand’ comes in many guises….

This is Thoresby Hall in Nottinghamshire – terribly ornate as well as grand. You can stay here or dine – depending on how ‘grand’ your wallet is, of course.

The Palais des Papes in Avignon – imposingly grand and frankly pretty huge. The hall is amazing – apparently, when it was in full use, the ceiling was dark midnight blue and painted with thousands of gold stars. It was an awesome sight to imagine.

The very lovely Portmeirion in Wales – one of the most bonkers but glorious places I have ever seen. Made up of salvaged architectural pieces from all over Europe and fashioned into such a delightful and colourful little village. I didn’t want to leave.