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Some cattails I just got through painting... (Original Post) bif Nov 2020 OP
Seriously, that's right up my alley soothsayer Nov 2020 #1
Lovely. You are very talented. OregonBlue Nov 2020 #2
Thanks. You'd never guess I'm a writer by trade! bif Nov 2020 #4
I come from a family of artists and most of them have had to have day jobs in order OregonBlue Nov 2020 #10
So beautiful, and what an interesting perspective! LiberalLoner Nov 2020 #3
Very nice Chainfire Nov 2020 #5
This may be my favorite! Keep those cards and letters coming in! Karadeniz Nov 2020 #6
I once took some cattails home after a boating vacation lunatica Nov 2020 #7
That's a great story! bif Nov 2020 #8
That old saying, it's in the eye of the beholder lunatica Nov 2020 #9
As a transplant from NY state to South Carolina Star-Thrower Nov 2020 #11
Lovely... electric_blue68 Nov 2020 #12

OregonBlue

(7,744 posts)
2. Lovely. You are very talented.
Tue Nov 17, 2020, 05:40 PM
Nov 2020

you might want to change the sentence managed a quick shot which LED to this painting instead of let.

OregonBlue

(7,744 posts)
10. I come from a family of artists and most of them have had to have day jobs in order
Wed Nov 18, 2020, 03:32 PM
Nov 2020

to put food on the table. Some have been lucky enough to sell enough of their work to paint full time but that's rare. You are very talented.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
7. I once took some cattails home after a boating vacation
Wed Nov 18, 2020, 01:12 AM
Nov 2020

They make very nice natural decorations standing in a vase. They lasted a long time until one day someone brushed up against them which caused them to turn their seeds inside out. We all stood there watching in fascination as the seeds exploded silently into something akin to cottony puffs which in nature are picked up by the smallest breeze to be deposited elsewhere. The chain reaction was hypnotic.

Your depiction shows them after this transformation, after the wind has carried the seeds away, with just a few stubborn fuzzy seeds still clinging. It’s a moment depicting action that has already happened. It brings to mind the passage of time.

I like your perspective of viewing the cattails from below, with them all pointing upwards at some point in the sky above. It gives the scene a kind of sublime cathedral feeling. The sky covers most of the canvas and the way you painted it as overcast yet you can see the glow of the Sun is beautiful and gives it a moody feeling. It feels like the day is ending and the sun is fading and the cattails are already in shadow after they’ve shed their seeds. The ending of the day.

bif

(22,558 posts)
8. That's a great story!
Wed Nov 18, 2020, 08:42 AM
Nov 2020

Actually, the cattails hadn't shed their seeds but were starting to fluff out. It's hard to tell because they were backlit, They were still mostly brown and were in the middle of turning to seeds.

As always, thanks for your observations and encouragement Lunatica and everyone else!

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
9. That old saying, it's in the eye of the beholder
Wed Nov 18, 2020, 12:31 PM
Nov 2020

applies perfectly here doesn’t it? That’s one of the surprises of looking at someone’s art. We all apply our own interpretation which adds so much. Even after telling me the cattails were just beginning to shed their seeds I still see them as having finished. It’s pretty interesting to get an idea of what others see in our paintings. So much of what we do is a mystery even to ourselves. It really has a sublime feel to it. It feels like you’re experiencing it in a close and intimate way rather than merely looking at it. Though your blurb describes the difficulty of your trek.

You just never know where you’re going to encounter the sublime do you? I’m grateful you did though.

Star-Thrower

(309 posts)
11. As a transplant from NY state to South Carolina
Thu Nov 19, 2020, 09:18 PM
Nov 2020

I miss the cattails as South Carolina is thumbs down on cattails but mostly those have been debunked! A good sign! "Many homeowners find cattails to be undesirable because they grow tall, obstruct views, and spread rapidly. For this reason, you may choose to eliminate cattails; however, cattails provide excellent erosion control and absorb nutrients efficiently." https://www.clemson.edu/extension/water/stormwater-ponds/problem-solving/aquatic-weeds/shoreline-emergent-plants/index.html

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