Spanish Moss - Black & White
Painted completely within Inkscape - August, 2024
Printed on Japanese Washi Paper - meeting archival standards
We were visiting my much younger sister and brother-in-law at their home outside of Charleston, SC.
Spanish Moss was newly growing on some young Southern Oak trees.
I really enjoy painting plants and trees. Each one has unique properties that makes me want to accentuate them.
Most plants have repetitive features. Spanish moss has them. But they are buried, one needs to look hard.
Spanish moss is not the same as the green stuff we see in our gardens.
Each element of Spanish moss has a textured surface. This makes it easier to grab the next free floating piece.
Many of the ends have sharp points, to easily grab onto adjacent pieces.
The floating connection provides a flexibility - allowing it to move in the wind or rain.
Established pieces have lots of spider webs, which further binds each segment together.
And of course there are plenty of bugs, so you don’t want to take them home with you.
The plants have a conical shape going from a large diameter at the tree.
At the bottom is frequently a sprig at the bottom.
The following picture is a snapshot of my “model.”
The print was made with pigment ink on Japanese Washi paper.
Washi paper is created from mulberry bark and other plant fibers.
This somehow completes a circle from natural plant to paper.
In sections, the print uses very light ink - this teases up the paper’s fibers to play a role in the final art.
One print was made at 17” x 22”.
I also inverted the Spanish Moss both vertically and in color.