Brainstorm – Nature’s Larder
I initially planned to use a range of grasses, that I had collected at a farm, for my Nature’s Larder. As I was brainstorming, my thoughts turned to the vegetable garden in my backyard and some interesting curly squash that were growing, along with other herbs & vegetables, so I decided to use those. I loved how brainstorming led me down a different path!
The gourds have been the source of many a laugh due to their curly form and size. Other vegetables and herbs in the garden include spring onions, chillies, basil and mint. Each of these have their own particular appearance in terms of surface, form, size, texture and colour which will create visual variance. I am often drawn to the natural aspect of the environment and can envisage these objects sitting on an earthen or green textured background. I have several papers and fabrics in mind that would fit this theme. I would like to showcase the items in my Nature’s Larder.
I was disappointed with all of the above arrangements. The backgrounds did not add anything to the objects in terms of texture and did not showcase the objects. I took these photos inside in dull light which did not allow the texture of the paper or fabric to show up. My initial attempt at bunching the objects did not emphasise their form, perhaps because they were all different. The gourd tended to dominate the other objects. I preferred the horizontal linear arrangement as it better displayed the variety of forms. I thought the spread out arrangement was alright but not cohesive enough.
I was most pleased with this arrangement on this background. The darker background emphasises the contrast and variety of form, size, scale and colour and gives a richness to the objects. The fabric itself has a vertical linear texture which is complementary. I like how the light hits the eggplant and chillies which highlights their surface features. Again it was difficult to get a true interpretration in the dull light.
I decided to take these photos outside with brighter natural light and I used my tablet. I had been concerned that the colour was dominating my impressions and so edited the photos to black and white. I still prefer the grouping on the corded cotton background as it displays the objects clearly and defines their individual features. I like the starkness and clarity of the objects. The texture of the Japanese fabric, which incorporates paper fibre, is much clearer in these photographs and adds a pulp like element which complements the vegetables and herbs. I loved the rich jacquard fabric as a background colour and I think it really enhances the spring onion and eggplant, however, I think it loses that richness in black and white. The shiny surfaces of the chillies, eggplant and basil are evident but the mint tends to get lost. Although the gourd is dominating, it provides a contrast within the group.
Viv Exploring Wonderland 