January first in California fools the eye. I imagine people watching the Rose Parade see the spectacular blue skies and the craggy San Gabriel Mountains that fringe the Los Angeles Basin and are inspired to move to California. Blue skies or not, mornings in January can be cold, cold enough to do not much more than grab the paper and run back inside. I just have time to look over the ground to find January's small textures. Textures are the music in artwork. They create rhythm, patterns, and repetition that guide our eyes across the various parts of a piece of art or photography.
Sights and Sounds of Winter Texture
The scrunch of snow
Bare trees reflected in a puddle of water
The one-note whistle of a bird high in a bare tree
The crackle of dry leaves.
The screech of a hawk staring down, feathers ruffled
The caw of a crow
Frozen sap from a dead tree
The rush of a swollen creek
The clatter of thin ice sheets splattered on the ground
The constant high-pitched whine of leaf or snow blowers
The flutter of chickadee wings
The sparkle of ice crystals hanging in the 20 degrees below zero air
on a sunny day (in Utah)
The water foam around rocks as the rain-swollen creek cascades down
The snow tucked into cold corners
Lime green moss reaching around rock walls in California winter
A beautiful reminder to stop and look around.
ReplyDeleteThe new show at the Danville Town Gallery "Threads of Change" is a symphony of texture and color. The work is astonishing for its skill and creativity. I recommend a visit.
thank you, Pat, for the head's up about the Danville Town Gallery's exhibit.
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