Urban Decay...

...takes on a new meaning in the town the size of Creston (5000+, just barely).  It happens mostly at the tail end of autumn, as we shift into the winter months.

The gardens shift from green and glorious to faded and rich,

the gardeners bundle their debris,

the roadsides become a rich tapestry of tangled brush,

 and the sidewalks and lawns gain a new carpet.

Yards look filagreed

and intensive decomposing starts.

In colours ranging from dun

to delightful,

 our world starts to molder

and deteriorate

in ways that are eerily beautiful.

Does your neighbourhood shift from one season to another this way?  What do you think when you hear about urban decay?

A quest...

The more I look closely at nature, the more I realize it is a strong metaphor for the human condition, and I incorporate it into my paintings as much as possible.

The painting below started with an asparagus fern gone wild, seeking light in the middle of winter.  A frond hit the ceiling in its quest, and over a period of many days circled around and around in desperation and confusion as it followed what little light it could discern.  When I took pity on its jumbled state (see detail photo) and cut it off, I was astounded at the complexity of the journey it took without leaving home.  I pressed the resultant stalk for some months to dry it thoroughly.

Quest for Light  20 x 16

I daubed a canvas thoroughly with Titan Buff, and over-daubed several layers of Cobalt Green Deep to create a variety of values .  Adhering those coats with an additional two coats of acrylic medium, I then carefully covered the stalk with two layers of medium, adhered it to the canvas with heavy-duty acrylic gel,  and sprayed it all with several coats of varnish.

Quest for Light - Detail

While a painstaking and time-consuming process, it is a great reminder to me of the multifaceted natural world, and possibly our own life.