It’s that time of year again when the bamboo tries to take over everything in sight, and I try again to forgive my neighbor for talking me into to letting her plant it. It has now invaded my other neighbor’s yard and I know she hates me for it. Having my son here to cut it back is super, as I can no longer do it. I worry that there will come a time when he will not be able to. He is not as diligent about it as I was, so now it seems to be getting out of hand. Add to that the heat and threat of tornadoes, I feel like the little dog in the Travelers Insurance® commercial. Worry, worry, worry has become my mantra. In fact, I did call my insurance company to see if my coverage was enough.
My escape is Photoshop and my current fascination with Citra Solv®. I wish I could pour it on the bamboo and dissolve it like the ink in National Geographic® magazines. The best I can do is to combine my dissolved ink images with a photo I took of the bamboo.
Oh Eva, bamboo has a mind of its own and doesn't have any respect for anyone's property lines! Eva, you may need to look on the bright side......consider harvesting it to make wind chimes or bamboo flooring! You could get rich! :)
ReplyDeleteI love bamboo but in pots only...good luck on this ongoing threat. I also love this photoshop piece, the colors are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHi Carole. Yep, I've made a few things with it. Didn't get rich and flooring is a little out of my range. I use to give it to the zoo for the Pandas, but they don't really like the kind I have. :O(
ReplyDeleteHi Mary Ann. I love it too that's why I naively agreed to let her plant it. Her new husband dug theirs all up and put in a barrier which only aggravates it on my side.Thanks for the kudos about my art.
ReplyDeleteVery neat! I thought that is what i saw. Cant wait to see more. best wishes
ReplyDeleteI absolutely think this is fabulous! I happen to love bamboo but I never grew it or lived near it, and the added dimension of the citra solv really makes this collage have so much interest and depth. Recently an internet artist friend of mine told me she thought using a photograph and adding an element to it (like encaustic paint, or in your case citra solv) did not seem like "real" art to her. I know one of my past comments led you to collaging with watercolor recently, but do you think using photographs makes an art piece less valid? less original? less important?! I DON'T!
ReplyDelete> Melanie, thanks for commenting.:O)
ReplyDelete> Robin,you pose an interesting question. First of all photography is an art form and photos are the one of most used elements in collage. However, there are some people who think photography and computer art in any form is not art. They are comparing nuts to peaches. Is it a traditional painting? No, but it is a form of art. Ask her if she ever heard of Andy Warhol or Robert Rauschenberg :O)
you are the BEST!
ReplyDeleteAwe shucks, thanks Robin. As an artist who made a living selling my abstract paintings, (yes, I can draw and paint realistically), I've had to defend my art from those who had a narrow view and understanding about art. You just have to remember all the awards you have won and the customers who love what you do. They are the only opinions that count.
ReplyDeleteGreat mixed media piece! I didn't know bamboo was so aggressive ! It is beautiful though :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandrine! I didn't know it was so aggressive either (8o|
ReplyDeleteBamboo! We planted some once upon a time in Maryland. It was beautiful and it spread; could grow a foot a day. We had someone take it out--a handsome, muscular guy who worked on the docks in Baltimore; that made growing the bamboo worth the hassle. Beautiful art.
ReplyDeleteHi Hallie. I wish I had a strong backed man to dig out mine, but it has grown too far for that now. It is under my deck and all over the small back yard! Thanks for the kudos.
ReplyDeleteSuch a stunning piece Eva, wish I could enlarge and enjoy it to its core.. I have a bamboo at home and I have spent hours looking at it!Such a lovely subject to paint.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Padmaja :O)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mark!:O)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I like your art--especially this piece. But I wouldn't want my husband to hear that because years ago he planted bamboo. It was taking over the whole yard, the neighbor's yard & getting worse. To make a long story short, my husband nearly died. He used a poison to get rid of it--but it was a poison that is to be sold to farmers & contractors who are licensed to use it (it's called CrossBow--very dangerous!) Anyway, we ended up paying someone with a front loader to dig it up & haul it away. Hope you can get rid of it too! It's a shame it's so beautiful, yet destructive!
ReplyDeleteYes, the poison only seems to hurt the pocket and the one who uses it. It really doesn't faze the bamboo.Because of my deck and patios a front loader is out of the question. As long as my neighbor has it it would be a waste of money. We'll just have to keep cutting it back.
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