wordplay: bloom

round 2.  and this one was hard for me, harder than round 1.  it might be because i was so pleased with my first project, or because the word - "bloom" - it's so straightforward and strong that it intimidated me.  it might be that the incredible print jen sent with the word screams bloom.  or that when i took this photograph last month i thought that could really be it for bloom.  i struggled some.

there were pages and pages of notes.  ideas about monotypes (which i've been wanting to try) and carving stamps and the gocco.  ideas about studying a single flower over the course of a month, about simplifying the blooming flower into its most basic form, about creating a chart of wildflowers, about a series.  there was the thought of pressing flowers, and there was an idea for handmade paper with flowers in the pulp.  there were so many ideas.  but in the end, it was always about the line, the mark, the gesture of bloom. 

 

and i kept coming back to the idea of a series, and a chart, and peonies.

in the middle, there were poppies and ranunculus.  there were elaborate drawings with india ink and oil pastel.  there were different kinds of paper.  there were lots of peonies.  and i kept coming back to the series, the chart, and the flowers.  so here it is: peony in bloom::a study.  

 

i studied a single bunch of peonies in bloom over a number of days.  and when the rest of the flowers had died, this single bud began to open.  or so i thought.  it began to open, and it sat like that for days and days.  it's still sitting, in a jar on the kitchen windowsill, looking very much like it does here.  peony in bloom.

i used a variety of media - charcoal, ink, marker, oil pastel, colored pencil - all on velum, which is mounted on a heavy paper stock.  i had thought, initially, that the velum would be pinned or taped to the paper, making each piece of the semi-translucent velum behave like a specimen in and of itself.  but that pinning/taping didn't work.  so the piece and my thinking evolved in tandem.

 

i was aiming for something in between field journal and specimen chart, between science fair project and science lab; something resembling early-stage gestural drawings, something oversized, and raw, kitschy, maybe.  i'm not sure i've quite captured it.  i think i could have further developed the idea.  i adore each of these studies individually, but i'm not sure i'm crazy about their final presentation.  (you can see more detail photos here.)

in hindsight, i do wish i had studied a single blooming plant for 7 days - or for 30 - and charted that.  i can see now that's where i was really going with this.  but that's in hindsight.  i learned a lot in the process of creating this piece.  i learned how much i need to write my thoughts out as i go along, how useful it is for me to talk things through with another person - just hearing my own thinking out loud is so helpful to me.

and i wonder.  will i keep this piece intact, or will i take the pieces apart and enjoy them independently?  will i always use pins in my wordplay pieces?  will there always be a linen covered board?  i wonder.  (i feel like i ought to say next, "tune in next week to find out!"  like on tv when we were kids, you know?)

i'll open blair's envelope with word #3 later today and share that here soon.  but now i'm off to check out erin and tracy's creations.  i can't wait to see what they've come up with!

Comments

[Tracy]

Wow. This is really interesting. It is a place that I would never have thought of going, but I love it. The thoughtfulness of it. I really like your preliminary idea brainstorm too. I feel like I should have done more of that this time.

[tonya]

What a beautiful interpretation of bloom! I love the left-brain-meets-right-brain aspect and the use of different media. Another job well done!!

[erin]

i love your approach, emily. it is so different from what i did, but equally as wonderful! i like that you used different media, too. the field journal aspect really appeals to me - the idea of taking something and bringing it to its basic form. lovely!

[Amy]

I am so slow to things, what a wonderful idea, this exchange of words. Your study is lovely, don't you love the process and where the mind and creativity takes us?!

[ani]

i think one of the things i love most about the wordplay project is hearing about the process. so good.

i'm a fan of field journaling, so you know i like this.

[cloth.paper.string]

how perfect is it that you have both a real peony suspended in bloom alongside the peonies you've suspended in the variouus mediums? i love it!

and too, the field notebook nature of the work. it's so enlightening and inspiring to really study things, isn't it?

[TD wool design]

i can only imagine the process and the journey along the way. each step revealing some different result.
so very enjoyable. thank you again for the sharing!

[lisa s]

so fantastic. great project
peonies are some of my favorite flowers [ranunculus too!]

[Grace]

all i can say is that peonies are almost my favorite flower. it's hard to decide between peonies and tulips. tulips do edge past a little bit, but really, a peony bud just on the cusp of opening is about the most beautiful thing in the world.

when we left for our trip, our peonies were in full bloom. now they're spent. sigh.

[amisha]

oh emily... it is perfect.
i love that you share so much of your process here... learning how you came to the final piece is fascinating.
and i've been so taken with peonies this month too. they are a totally new flower to me (no peonies in the deep south!) and so, so beautiful.
xox

[leslie]

i love it. very very cool.
and can i tell you how talented you are to whip those up with a sharpie. oh my!
i really think that you captured the life of a bloom perfectly!

[Tilly]

Oh, I just adore peonies and I love this photo.