Creating Depth: Layers In Green

I recently returned from a wonderful vacation adventure in northern New England. We hiked, biked, kayaked and ended our week with a Sprint Triathlon... but that is a separate post on its own!

As we hiked in the mountains I was drawn to the many shades of green that the season has to offer. When I got back to the studio I used that imagery to experiment with creating layers of color for more depth.

Here are the results:

 

Mt. Willard, NH ~ inspiration photo
Don't you just LOVE those greens... just look at them!



I worked outside to take advantage of the sunshine. I laid ferns randomly across the surface of cotton fabric and began to paint over the ferns. 

Next I placed another layer of ferns on the fabric and applied more fabric paint.
I varied the greens just like in nature.

Here is the finished piece. The sun helped create some fun fern prints but as planned I didn't want the prints to be super distinctive. I only wanted a hint of the fern shape because the design was about the forest and not ferns. The vague fern prints provides an organic feel and suggestion of leaves and trees which was the goal of the design.

Here is a detail of "Mt. Willard". I'm happy with the varies shades of green
giving the fabric some depth and a little movement.

This inspiration photo is the view from Boulder Loop Trail in NH.
I hope someday to paint this color palette on my bedroom ceiling!

I took another yard of cotton outside to paint. I was going for the
lightest and brightest green coming through the tree tops. I laid leaves
across the fabric for a sun print and sprinkled salt across the surface.

Here are sun printed leaves before adding more layers of green. 

Once the paint dried I heat set the fabric. Because the paint was set the fabric
 didn't run when I added more layers of deeper greens. Remember this was an experiment to create depth so I just went for it. Lastly I sprinkled bronze throughout the surface just for added interest. I call this fabric, "Boulder Loop"!