Garden transitions can be dramatic as it refers to seasonal changes. There isn’t a greater example for me than from Autumn into Winter. There are many environmentally diverse changes in the outdoor garden, especially in the northeastern part of the United States. I live in New York and the biggest transitional change for me is the reduction in daytime or light hours.
Besides the reduction in light hour there are temperature changes, color changes, texture differences, sound differences, weather changes as the natural animal kingdom adapt to the season change. For today I will be focusing on the light in the landscape. To kickstart the motivation I challenge everyone to get up early enough 5 days in a row to see how the sky reflects the morning sunrise. 25 -45 minutes of observation starting before the sunrise and then tracking the color changes the sky goes through as it advances into the new light hours. 15 minutes before the sunrise and 15 minutes after the sunrise should begin building your perspective. I do suggest doing it 5 days in a row and shooting some pictures, making notes with times and or doing both.
Photographers pride themselves on understanding light and how their instruments, their cameras, capture the light. My instruments, slice and dice into the natural and manmade landscape to pick up the light reflecting natures gifts casting shadows that can be danced on and celebrated. For me this is where much of my inspiration, vision and work demonstrate returns. The Autumn landscape with it’s, at times, screaming colors supported by brilliant orange and red skies set the artist and the patron of the arts into a frenzy. The Artist manages limitations in time and challenged by the constant unknown of what may show up. The patron deals with the wait and see. The patron experiences the same seasonal transitions and differs from the artists creative mind inso they see only the creation. The discovery, the process, the layering and then the creating are all the love and burden of the artist. I hope to give you a clearer insight into this artists discovery. I begin here because it will be the easiest for everyone to relate to.
The Discovery: The process of searching. Searching for that which has be seen and experience by other and then repeated and experiencing it for myself or going blind into the unknown not knowing what may be discovered. Based on which path I take there is always a baseline of expectations. I will learn something new, I will build new experiences, I will build something new or expand on an existing project. These expectations are a great motivation. When working with and creating into outdoor environments there are many elements to be aware of. Standing silent in review of the space I am working is always my first order of business. Looking around is simply the icing on the cake and will be what is enhanced. But the surrounding sounds and smells always get my creative juices flowing so I take time in the beginning to allow the environment a chance to introduce itself. Now the work begins.
I sculpt ornamental trees, shape evergreens, create pathways for easy movement and observation. How I collect data, measure light and its effect on the landscape/hardscape become my barometers for the evolution of garden spaces. If I am to understand an environment, not my own, I need to live in that space long enough to understand how it is impacted by all the elements I have already written about. Light is probably the most important. Look out the window, walk around and look through the bare trees or stand behind an evergreen and experience how the light travels into, through and around. These are my first experience in understanding what and how I will adapt and shape the ornamental world that surrounds us. Good luck on your adventure in light throughout the landscape.
Find It – Cherish It – Share It Today – Tomorrow – Always
Peace