Trick or Treat!!

It was a beautiful autumn day in Minnesota with a crisp chill in the air, the sun illuminating the changing colors of leaves on the trees, and rows and rows of pumpkins exposed in the fields they have grown in during the long, wet summer.  Much of the local area experienced frost last night, although I think the vines and foliage surrounding the pumpkins have been wilting and drying down for the last several weeks.  The intense orange orbs scattered across several fields I passed today provided a seasonal reminder that Halloween is just a couple of weeks away.

Both of these pumpkins are actually hand carved blocks.  I decided to ink and print them on scrap paper to see what they look like.  Once I filled in the images with color, I kind of liked the mixed-media effect  created.  I would like to find an old text that is filled with farming or pumpkin language to print these images on.....

.I have seen the work of an artist (I am sorry, but I cannot find her work or her name on line now,) who does pen and ink sketches on old dictionary pages that match the image she is sketching - stunning.  The last one I remember seeing was an inked drawing of several types of scissors, then hand colored.  At the top of the page was the header word, "SCISSORS" and the definition of the word, in classic dictionary form, was visible within the borders of the overall image she had created......very clever and visually stunning.

Although I didn't think of that work until I had printed a couple of these and hand colored them on recycle paper, it did make me think of that work - the dictionary page made a significant addition to solidify the image.

I do plan to continue sharing Chicago images early in November, but for now, I am taking a little side trip into seasonal images.....there will be very few people in the mix......I think we are all "PEOPLED" out with the constant venom in the media......let's go for a little traditional spider, rats, poison, etc. seasonal festivities and NO..........I am not counting the ELECTION as a seasonal festivity!!!

Watch for treat sales!!!!