When I gather natural supplies for my artwork, two things matter most to me, and they may be helpful for you to keep in mind too as you gather supplies in this height of summer...
1: Obtaining all supplies ethically, and in a way that respects, further aids and caretakes the surrounding environment. You can take natural materials and still help the land.
When harvesting plants, for example, pay attention to what you can prune or move to support new growth, and take no more than 1/3 of the growing population to support regrowth in future seasons.
2: The energy of the materials themselves. This is often a large portion of my creative process, all of my nature found materials are gathered with respect and have a particular significance which I think can be felt in the final piece.
While I could paint any stone, this art project called for river stones specifically from the mountain pass my parents raised me in as they're being transformed into a gift for them.
©2020 Newsletter of Fern Axelson Art (formerly known as StriderCreations)