Late November

"Late November" really is late - it was intended to be my submission for the October monthly challenge - but better late than never!

Here's the inspiration piece:

A Hedgehog in a Landscape, 1643-51, by Giovanna Garzoni.

One of the first women artists to practice the art of still life painting, Giovanna Garzoni pursued her career with intensity. Garzoni's paintings were so well liked that, according to one writer, she could sell her work "for whatever price she wished."

Garzoni's paintings depict plants with their roots and flowers, in the scientific tradition of Ligozzi, but she animates her compositions by adding insects, reptiles, and small fruits and nuts, each casting a faint shadow on the page. These vibrant paintings display a conscious yet subtle balance between scientific realism and decorative effect.

I drew my color palette for this piece from the painting: taupe, bronze, rust, copper - the colors of late fall.

The twisting beadwoven necklace base emulates the coils of the snail shell. The copper clasp shares the shape of the horse chestnuts.

I made the pendent in a winter pottery class a couple years ago, the seed pod shape seemed the perfect focal point for this piece.


Typically, we associate the blazing colors of autumn leaves with fall beauty, but when that showy season passes, the more subtle beauties of late fall remain - a beauty that relies upon texture and form. That's what I feel I've achieved with "Late November" - do you agree?

Available for purchase here.

Color Palette Blog Walk 2

I recently discovered a really interesting blog that focuses primarily on color and when Brandi invited people to participate in a color palette blog walk, I jumped at the chance!

We were challenged to consider what inspires us, photograph that inspiration and come up with an accompanying color palette.

So what inspires me?

Truthfully, everything!

But my biggest inspiration is my surroundings as a year round resident of Mackinac Island. It's easy to focus on the big, obvious things: Grand Hotel, Arch Rock, Round Island Lighthouse, etc. But for those who slow down and look a little closer, there's so much more, some man made, some natural. I decided to focus on the natural progression of change throughout the year, starting with winter:

Winter colors are subtle and well worn, like this lingering leave cradling the snow. The sky is our most changeable feature, sometimes a soft blue, sometimes brilliant blue and sometimes a sullen grey.

Spring brings pastels, soft pinks, blues, purples with small touches of bright yellow - all against that same subtle background of greys and beige. Even the greens are subdued, soft and in the background.

Summer comes in a absolute blaze of color - is there anything more stunning the blue of a morning glory? The mauve vines are the unexpected "pop" that really makes this palette work.

One palette is just not enough for summer, summer's colors become even more intense as the season progresses, preparing us for autumn.



Fall is my favorite time of year; I rejoice in being surrounded by the ever changing kaleidoscope colors of autumn in Northern Michigan - fiery bright at first, gradually muting until once again winter has arrived.

From my palettes, you may have figured out what my favorite color is: a bright, poison green. I use it frequently in my work, and wear it often, both in modern and period clothing.

A good example, an inspiration image:



The resulting mixed media piece:

The walk isn't over, stroll on over and visit the other participants for today:

Friday, March 4th

Rachel at Balanced Crafts

Wren at Each Day

Kelly at Mackin Art - You are here!

Kristy at Simply Shiny Blog