Hidey-holes, shiny stuff and crumbliness

So, my stroll in the park was rather productive - lots of photos, a few lungfulls of fresh air and a big bag of bark, seed pods and twiggy things for my collection. Hurrah! I also found some intriguing little nooks inhabited by unseen creepy crawlies which gave me all sorts of ideas for artwork. Now all I have to do is figure out how to actually make these visions swimming around in my head!

I love the way this bark seems to flow, like molten lava or candle wax. I could probably achieve a similar effect using wax, come to think of it, or layer upon layer of thick wet paint (but the necessary drying time would probably drive me insane).

Mmmm... craggy! I'd love to create something similar, packed with different textures and with those splashes of foreign-looking silver accentuated so it looks like the tree is bleeding precious metal instead of sap.








More lovely layers, more silvery glints (dried snail slime, I believe) and what looks like dark sap oozing down in an eerie waterfall. I love the metallic glints - how best to achieve this? Something as simple of metallic paint? Silver leaf?








Ah, a hidey nook! And what's that in there? I've no bloody clue, but don't you want to find out? This is what I love - any piece of art that makes you want to get in there and root around.

Aaagh! A monster! Run away! Oh, phew, it's just a root. Silly me. Still, though, doesn't he look scary? Like some monster from the deep that's crawled out to devour mankind with his fearsome tentacles.









Some pesky kids had clearly lit a fire on a wooden bench. I really wish they could appreciate what they'd created - look at those textures! I wonder if I could get that heated metal sheen using acrylics... Who knew vandalism could be so pretty!

Welcome to creepy spider corner. I think it belongs to a spider, anyhow. I hope so... He's left a trail of debris in front of his door. Is it to welcome people in or to ward them off? Somehow the red smear on the ground nearby makes me think he doesn't much like visitors...





Nobody's home. He left the door open, though, and look - he's made a little carpet for himself out of... what is that, wood grains? I wish I could have shrunk myself to get a better look inside.









Ok, rust effects. How the hell do I do that, then? This feels like the opposite of what I'm trying to create - attractiveness hiding a rotting core beneath. I might try to incorporate it, though. Sometimes rust can be a lot prettier than paint.






I love this stone column. Imagine how many thousands of children must have swung themselves around it before it became so worn and bent. It reminds me of bamboo. And what are those holes from? Hopefully not bullet holes - this really isn't that kind of town. Unless kids these days really don't like museums.

Not really my style photo-wise but I couldn't resist the vivid red against the wood grain. I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to colour, you see. Maybe this little art adventure I'm embarking on is the start of a new, more colourful me? I'll be dying my hair purple before you know it!






And finally, just a silly photo from a moment that made me smile. I was attempting to get a photo of some beautifully flowing pond weed in a stream when a large, extremely happy-looking labrador splashed up to me, hopped out onto the pavement and seemed to grin with doggy joy as he bounded past me to play on the grass. He'd clearly enjoyed his swim! These are his drippy footprints - fun in the stream, then off to the next adventure. We should all live like dogs do.

Em x