Autumn Colors in Banff

Autumn can have some stunning color combinations.  I fell in love with this tiny patch of ground cover filled with autumn color under some pine trees near a hotel parking lot in Banff, Canada.  

Image 1: Autumn Colors

In this patch, nature leaned into bright colors paired with warm and cool browns.  

Image 2: Red Autumn Colors

Some leaves had bright reds blending into chartreuse.

Image 3: Magenta Autumn Colors

Other leaves can only be described as a shade of magenta. 

Image 4: Gold Autumn Colors

Other leaves with golds and yellows also blended into chartreuse (like the reds).  (Notice the grey pinecone!) 

Image 5: Green Autumn Colors

Meanwhile, the same patch had some awesome shades of bright (emerald?) green.

And to make the patch even more interesting many of the leaves had polka dots! I paused at this patch of ground almost every time I passed it during the day.  The colors made my heart sing.  

Below is other nearby ground cover. 

Image 6: Another nearby patch of autumn color

You might be wondering, why share "parking lot" pictures if I'm in Banff National Park in Canada in fall?  Why share photos that might be taken almost anywhere in North America?  Because September has been crazy busy, (daughter moved, some house work done, other major projects acomplished), and I didn't finish the post I actually wanted to post.  

I've been working on a much longer post on Larch trees in Banff Canada since August, and now I need to post any September post to meet my personal goals, ...

But here is a teaser from my future Larch trees in Banff post.  Below is a favorite photo from the post I didn't finish yet.  

Here are some other favorite autumn colors from Banff...

Image 7: Larch Trees and Mountain View in Banff National Park, Canada

I consider this one of my best photos from that trip.

Enjoy a wonderful Fall Season!

Click on the images to see them enlarged.  Leave a comment if you have the time, they brighten my day!

I blog for fun and my blog is ad free.  Comments encourage me, and I sometimes need encouragement. Please leave a comment if you have time!  Anonymous comment and comments months/years later are welcome!

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Hurricane Helene in Asheville, 09-29-2024
Asheville 12-01-2024

Autumn Wreath Monoprint

I created my "Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath" monoprint while playing with a collection of oak leaves that I had created because I couldn't draw an oak leaf.*  (Cause and effect relationships are fun to ponder!)  In fact, I created a whole series of monoprints while playing with oak leaves, but this one has turned out the best, (to date).  I love the result and hope you do too! 

Image 1: Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

The printmaking methods I use create an organic texture that would be nearly impossible to draw, or paint, or even predict, which is why "pulling" a print can be so exciting.  

Image 2: Oak Leaf Detail showing Texture

After making the print, I hand-colored the oak leaves in using autumn colors seen more often in maple leaves.  In my experience oak leaves colors in fall are mostly green to yellow (briefly) and then brown, but I wanted maple leaf like colorations on my oak leaves.  

Image 3: Some actual Maple Leaves Fall colorations

And so my oak leaf wreath becomes a fantasy wreath, inspired by the fantastic colors maple leaves turn in fall.

Image 4: Detail with Green Leaf of Hand Colored Leaves

Some definitions and notes: A monoprint is a form of printmaking where the printed image can only be made once.  The transfer of (usually) hand inked surfaces, images, and/or shapes to paper will result in a unique print.

Image 5: Wreath Monoprint and Mirrored Ghost Image

If enough ink remains on a transfer surface, a second print might be able to be created (or "pulled"), but the ink will be lighter and create a noticeably different work.  This second noticeably different image is sometimes called a ghost print.  

Image 6: Brown Oak Leaf wreath Monoprint

Ghost prints can also be made as mirror images via other methods.  Look closely - the two wreath monoprints shown side by side in image 5 above are basically mirror images.   

I printed multiple wreaths with oak leaves.  Below is another wreath monoprint I made, using 2 colors of ink.  I plan on hand coloring this image in the future.  The extra layers of leaves is otherwise confusing.

 

Image 7: Red and Brown Oak Leaf Wreath Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

I tried multiple concept wreath arrangements before I printed the versions I am showing you today.  You can see preliminary wreath layout using brown oak leaves below. 

Image 8: Oak Leaf Wreath Layout 'Auditioning' leaves

Other Notes: 

* I posted an Oak Leaf Monoprint post that elaborates on this story.

Individually inked leaves were pressed onto paper using a printing press.  The overall print dimensions are approximately 20 inches by 20 inches high (50cm by 50cm high) on Arches paper.  I framed the print in a resale shop frame that was 24inches x 24inches, (61cm x 61cm). 
 

Image 9: Framed Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

"As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see"

                                                -  Vincent Van Gogh
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"Winter is an etching,
Spring a watercolor,
Summer an oil painting, and
Autumn a mosaic of them all" 

                                                -  Horowitz

Click on the images to see them enlarged.  Leave a comment if you have the time, they brighten my day!

If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

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Oak Leaf Monoprint

My love affair with trees goes back decades, and it re-surges every fall when leaves in Wisconsin explode into fall colors.  Easily identifiable maple leaves were an early love, because their showy fall colors stand out.  At some point I became interested in oak trees.  I realized I could recognize oak  leaves, but I couldn't easily draw them.  I realized why when I started collecting oak leaves to draw - there is no one typical oak leaf shape.

Image 1: Oak Leaf Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

What is the shape of an oak leaf?  Well, see above.  Oak leaves have 5 to 10 lobed sections with pointy or rounded tips.  While enjoying autumn I collected all sorts of oak leaves and dried them flat in books.  Eventually I amassed a collection of dried oak leaves, and for fun I used this collection to create the large monoprint* shown above, using the many shapes and sizes of oak leaves I had found.

Image 2: So many leaves to choose from!

The diversity of oak trees leaves here in my state boggles my mind.  If I drew all these oak leaf shapes people would think I took SO much artistic license, because some of these leaf shapes are so fantastic.  Look at the crazy oak leaf below, how pinched the cutouts between the lobes go.  It's like an animae or chibi version of an oak leaf.  God or Nature creates fantastic shapes, in millions!

Image 3: Oddest Oak Leaf Shape
If hand drawn, would you believe this shape?

Arranging the oak leaves for the monoprint took a long time because I wanted to show the diversity of shapes and some of the size variations, and I found it hard to create an arrangement that seemed balanced and made sense.

Image 4: Oak Leaf Layout Auditioning leaves

Eventually I settled on the arrangement I printed below.  I wanted my oak leaves to have bright fall colors, so I used the unlikely color of red ink for the print.  But in reality, oak trees fall colors typically are briefly yellow then brown, and frequently the (brown) leaves stay on well into winter. A sometimes rich brown, but nothing showy like the maple trees. 

Image 5: Oak Leaf Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

My monoprint is nowhere near perfect, but I achieved a print I like that reflects my interest and love of oak leaves, which I continue to gather and press.

Image 6: Oak Leaf print close-up Detail

I love how the monoprint reveals the texture and veining in the leaves that are hard to see in the actual leaf.

Image 7: Layout Comparison to Monoprint

(I could go on for paragraphs about finding different oak trees, collecting leaves, monoprints and printing, etc., but I will spare whatever readers are still here.  Below are some how-to notes only if you are interested...)

* Notes:
A monoprint is a form of printmaking where the image can only be made once.

My process is as follows:  I "auditioned" leaves in a layout before individually inking them using a roller brayer and oil based red ink.  The leaves are then laid onto a smooth plate, ink face up, and Arches paper is laid over the leaves.  The "sandwich" of the plate, inked leaves, paper is then run through a printing press with felt blankets that squish the paper into the inked leaves.  The paper is lifted off, any leaves sticking to the paper are removed and I have my monoprint!   The overall print dimensions are approximately 22 inches by 30 inches high (56cm by 76cm high).

Above is an image showing a layout concept vs. the actual print. Notice many of the leaves I ended up using are "mirror images". The large leaf in the middle is over 9 inches long, so now I look for smaller leaves when collecting leaves to dry.

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree"

                                                -  Emily Bronte
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"Autumn is a second spring
when every leaf is a flower" 

                                                -  Albert Camus

Image 8: Oak Leaf Monoprint by Jeanne Selep

(After starting this post, reflections in the photo made me need to re-photograph it.  And so to make it look better, because I never liked the soft white paper floating on white cardboard framing, I re-matted this print with red matt board - Blogging can improve your art! This image shows the original print on white, not as nice.  I re-purposed a resale shop picture frame, saving money and being green!)

 

 

Click on the images to see them enlarged.  Leave a comment if you have the time, they brighten my day!

If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Autumn Wreath

Glass Maple Leaf

Pumpkin Pour

Halloween Hutch

Harvest Plates

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Kaleidscope P3

Autumn Art P4

Glass Flowers 2

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Interesting posts found:

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