“Neglected Landscape 1, Lake St. Clair.”
Coloured pencil & ink on cold pressed w/c paper.
When out in the great outdoors, how much time do you spend looking at the ground you’re walking on?
Our landscapes are precious, even more so these days as ‘development’ continues to swallow large areas of land. It’s all about the mighty dollar, but the ‘cost’ to our planet is becoming more of a concern than ever. There are many who simply love spending time in the landscape simply for ‘rest and revival’, others for sporting pursuits, exploration, discovery and artists who interpret what they see and feel about particular subjects.
“Forest Floor 1, Lake Barrington.”
When we walk through a forest for example, we are often in awe of what we see in front and above us, but what about below our feet? We usually look at the ground to see what we’re walking on and what to avoid and rarely take the time to stop and look down. Admittedly, these areas are often lacking in detail and anyway, we’re more focused on where we’re heading to, not what we’re walking on.
“Forest Floor 2, Lake Barrington.”
I’ve been fortunate to witness some stunning landscapes, even overwhelming at times, but I’ve come to appreciate the ‘boring bits’ as well to the extent that I find many forest floors for example, extremely interesting, hence the beginning of a series of drawings of ‘neglected landscapes’. A lot of what we walk on is not as boring to look at as one may think! The island state of Tasmania where I live, offers such a diverse menu when it comes to landscapes and I have more than enough ingredients to keep me busy for as long as I’m motivated.
“Forest Floor 3, Lake Barrington.”
The southern area of Lake St. Clair and an area of forest near Lake Barrington are the first of my subjects. Leaves, sticks, bark and stones of various sizes ‘in situ’, hold much interest for me, as does the natural decay of objects on the ground.
“Forest Floor 4, Lake Barrington.”
Drawings 2 – 5 are coloured pencil and ink on A3 size water colour paper.
Beauty can be found not only when we look out or up, but often to our surprise, down.
Richard
artkleko's Weblog 
Amazing work Richard —— I can’t believe the patience you must have to do such mind boggling studies of nature!! Wow!!
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This is what isolation can allow, Linda!
I’m with you Richard, I spend more time looking down than up when i’m walking in the bush. That’s how I find my favourite subject matter. The infinite variety of leaves, even from one species of tree offers endless opportunities for drawings, not to mention all the other little wonders down there!
It’s nice to know that I have a fellow ground stalker, Anna!