Fall photos with no color? yes, please!

10/13/2022

When my social media feed just continues to be flooded by beautiful fall colors and stunning New England landscapes with bright leaves and gorgeous reflections on water, I can't help but continue my October exploration with black & white.

It's not that I can possibly tire of fall colors, I LOVE the glory that fall brings to New England....but for this exercise, I really want to see light, shapes, contrast and most importantly, the threads of life behind the distraction of color.

I found this super secret spot near my home that has these stunning root formations that have quickly made their way into my sketchbook and a few new pieces.

This super secret spot is the image gift that just keeps on giving with gigantic ferns flourishing in wet ground, squirrels, foxes, birds and chipmunks in abundance. Complex spider webs shimmer in the light that makes its way through the thick brush and tree branches and they are catching all the falling debris from the canopy.

I shot these ferns in full color as well, but the impact of the black and white struck me as more interesting with the beams of light showing stronger with a lack of color, it was the easiest way for me to REALLY see the light and shapes and find the inspirational moments.

this tangle of fallen branches (below) proved to be the most profound to me, and is now making it's way into all of the artwork that I am creating. I'm finding levels of meaning and metaphor in these tangles, and they are sticking with me.

You can view my "Tangled" gallery online with all the work I've created for October, including the pieces inspired by the deadfall branches. VIEW TANGLED GALLERY

After spending a large amount of time in the forest, I decided a slightly more city/human centric landscape needed exploring, but of course, I ended up making nature the star once again by focusing on the fog and the gorgeous birds!

bridge walk photo set:
Hilton Park - Dover New Hampshire

Thank you for visiting and viewing my work, I hope you will keep an eye on what I do next!...and yes, color is coming!
- Erin

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Erin Thomas

Excerpts from:
Ask Me About My Art / 2020

Where does your inspiration come from?
"Everywhere! That's a bit of a tough question because inspiration is fluid and constantly evolving and it changes minute to minute, hour by hour. I could be passionate about circles one day and trip over a rock and obsess about the color of that particular rock for a decade. It's a constant surprise for me, that's what makes life, and art... interesting and beautiful."

What is your creative process?
"Well, that might be an entire separate book! I guess the simple answer is that I dump the things that clutter my brain into art so I can make room to upload all the new things."

What medium do you primarily work in?
"Depends on the subject, the colors I am drawn to that day, the subject I'm looking at and whatever it is that is inspiring me at that moment...I use whatever tool necessary to best convey the story, image, or message. I do seem to have a comfort level with acrylic on canvas, written word or digital photography, I frequently lean on and return to those tools after trying a few other things."

Are there specific techniques that you use in your work?
"I suppose in a way, I have created my own techniques over the years, I do have some art school & materials training, but my goal with art has always been how to get what's in my head into a more firm or permanent reality... translating what I see when I close my eyes, I've always wondered what thoughts looked like and how color smells, I like to creatively name things and see all their angles... those things drive me. I've never really loved replicating reality or deep diving technical skills because the kind of art I'm after is more born from the rawness of coming straight from a thought to paper."

Erin Thomas is an artist living in Southern Maine
EMAIL ERIN THOMAS

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