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| Pretty Weed - Holly Carter |
In order to create a logo image, my design background taught me to first find inspiration. I searched my own photos as well as photos on the web for the subjects that I believe inspire my work. Of course, I am enthralled with all things nature, mother nature is a wondrous beauty!
The intrinsic artistry, as well as the life and death of nature, it's ins and outs. I have an appreciation for patterns in nature, especially radial patterns that emanate from the center of an interesting life giving stamen or pod. The structure of it's life, it's bones and skeletal systems.
An affinity for bones does not have to be morbid or sad, it can be an admiration for what evolution deemed right to fit the creatures of world with, to sustain their place on the earth. There is elegance in the structure that sustains life, the architecture of every bone, joint, and connection, the engineering that allows us all to grow and move.
Snake vertebrae, for instance, has amazing movement and I find exquisiteness in the repetition in pattern and the flawless gradation of each segment. There is much stigma in the lore of snakes, although in many cultures it has been of a positive nature, many people still may be put off by my appreciation for their bones. Wikipedia states "Historically, serpents and snakes represent fertility or a creative life force. As snakes shed their skin through sloughing, they are symbols of rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing."
But, I am not captivated with the symbology as much as the pure natural elements of a simple creature that once sustained it's life.
Like the snake, the turtle or tortoise have cultural symbolism throughout the world. Squidoo says "The Turtle is an ancient symbol that represents creation, endurance, strength, stability, longevity, fertility, and innocence. The Turtle also provides protection, good fortune, and brings happiness and good omens."
More over, they are amazing beings. Tortoises and turtles inhabit the soil and the sea, they are unique and similar, they carry their own homes and structures on their backs. Each shell itself has remarkable patterning that can be shed and re-grown. I was once enthralled with the skeleton of a giant sea turtle, what an awe inspiring animal it must have been, and it inspired the design for a table I am currently working on.
As of late I have been obsessed with the Agave, the 'Century Plant'. They have a splendid array of arms, that after 10 to 30 years bloom with a tall tuft of flowering pods filled with seeds. When the flowers die away, the pods fall off, and many tiny babies grown in their place. The baby agave's then fall from the mother plant in hopes if taking root, and the mother dies away.
How eloquent a death is that!
To live a long full life to bloom, give birth, sustain new life, and simply pass away. With death comes new life.
Some websites I found with great photo's for reference:
http://micheleroohani.com/blog/2008/07/28/a-desert-garden-in-full-bloom/, and
http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photo-agave-flower-image10646425.
The following are some of the photo's I used for inspiration and links to websites I found them on, if not my original photograph.
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| Agave - Holly Carter |
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| Holly Carter |
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| Agave- Holly Carter |
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| Cast Agave Bud - Holly Carter |
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| Cast Agave & Pomegranate Buds - Holly Carter |
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| Amaryllis Pod - Holly Carter |
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2 comments:
Have you seen the latest Huffington Post slideshow of baby turtles yet? I bet you'd adore it, I was stunned. Sooo cool. Also cool because they're teeny and yet aren't intimidated. They practically fly out to the ocean and they bite a chunk out of a strawberry bigger than their whole head without hesitation.
I just did! You are right, they are sooo cute!
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