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Saturday, April 14, 2012

Magic of the Day.....Ferns

I have recently fallen in love with the photographs of Karl Blossfeldt (1865-1932). In the 1920's he became very famous for his exquisite botanical images. He was a sculptor by trade, not a photographer nor a botanist. I am so inspired by the clarity of his vision and the depth of his passion. 
I have acquired the book Working Collages,  edited by Ann and Jurgen Wilde.  Each page is a delight. It is a collection of never before seen collages of his botanical photographs. What I love most about his work is that he able to express the sacred and most basic essence of each plant. 
My grandmother who was a botanist, specialized in ferns. She collected specimens in the woods of West Virginia. I have inherited her love for these ancient and magnificent plants.

Today I took these photographs in the afternoon light. 




This is a sun print that I made from a beautiful fern outside my office. Every year, I take samples of plants that are growing around me and I make these really beautiful sun prints from paper  that you place in the sun. They are then rinsed off in water and dried flat. Normally the paper for sun prints is blue but I altered the image in photoshop to make it green. The images are crisp and beautiful. 






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