Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Starlings


Art by 23 degrees from Lorado Taft's Recording Angel - click to enlarge

I happened upon this sculpture by Lorado Taft and was struck not just by how beautiful she was but stunned by the scale of the cast—she must be 12 ft. high.

This Recording Angel sits on a hillside of a cemetery overlooking a pond and surrounded by trees, but that day I also captured a starling migration, which I felt had to go into this digital study (although barely noticeable)

19 comments:

I need some coffee said...

I love it! I am so glad to see you doing some fine art. Can't wait to see more. :)

Anonymous said...

I really like it, I love the colors. It could put me to sleep looking at it, it is so beautiful Daddy.

Anonymous said...

Awesome Dad.

Anonymous said...

rreray rood , woof

Anonymous said...

snort snort, wrood

Anonymous said...

yaa! yaa! yaa! good!

kirsten said...

Oh my. Breathtaking. The image is incredibly striking & moving.

I know you are an artist; I love seeing it on display here.

Awesome!!

23 degrees said...

You guys crack me up! Thanks for stopping in to peek at this digital sketch. I think it may be a good jumping-off point for some other ideas, nonetheless it was a pleasure to make (hats off to Lorado Taft!)

Fluff and Love: you get an extra frisbee toss tomorrow!

Kirsten, thanks for stopping in, and for your kind comments. After being inspired by your last post I realized that I had shot a large flower garden for a project and went hunting for the images—only to run into photos I made of this cast. A few hours later this sketch was born.

bluemountainmama said...

gorgeous and evocative image.... when you say 'digital' sketch, i'm not sure what that means.

and, how nice....that your dogs read your blog! :)

Llama Momma said...

Finally read these comments, and now I'm chuckling and my kids are wondering what is so funny. I tried to explain, and now they really want to meet your blog-commenting dog. :-)

23 degrees said...

BMM, thanks for your comments and for stopping by! I shot the images digitally and "paint" into them with Photoshop, layering, adding texture, color, etc.This is a quick 2-3 hr. "sketch".

Yes, I have a rare frisbee/reading dog!

LM, she has a hard time typing, but may be visiting YOUR blog soon! Thanks for stopping in.

Llama Momma said...

White fluff is welcome at my blog anytime! ;-)

L.L. Barkat said...

Really stunning. Now, you must tell me where the starlings are and why you felt they must be included.

23 degrees said...

Laura, the starlings are in the background, barely visible in this textured sketch, they may be more evident as the art works itself out.

Starling, what a great name, yes? Maybe the angel could be called a starling too?

Migrating birds are amazing, the way they fly...rise and fall all in unison, power line to field.

The sketch is kind of a diary of that day for me, made with images captured on the journey.

L.L. Barkat said...

A presence more than a sight. That thought is going to go with me.

Halfmom, AKA, Susan said...

sketch or photgraph or whatever - it is startling in its beauty and simplicity - thanks for sharing it!

L.L. Barkat said...

Just tapping at the window.

(If this needs explanation, you can find it in the comment section of Charity's most recent post.

23 degrees said...

Susan, thanks for your comment, I appreciate you stopping by!

Laura, thanks for tapping at the window. Been struggling.

23 degrees said...

Craver, I appreciate the tag, have just been buried with deadlines, etc. but thanks for stopping in, bro!