PATTERNS AND TONES

"Waterfront Park No. 1" 2017 from the Sun Shadow series Following the sun again after several weeks of much needed rain, I decided to capture a new set of images for my  Sun Shadow series . These studies were taken at San Diego's lovely Waterfront Park  playground. Working with the abstract shapes in Photoshop, I manipulated the depth of their shadows to give the two dimensional image more space. All scratches on the polls and debris on the ground were removed to focus on form instead of being distracted by their visual noise. I was delighted by the crack in the ground seen in  "Waterfront Park No. 5". This intrusion into the abstract forms drew the image back into reality. I think I may want to explore this idea further in subsequent entries in this series. In the meantime, I continue to enjoy capturing abstract forms that pop up in front of me while basking in the warm mid-winter sun. Julie Green February 25, 2017 "Waterfront Park No...

"Elvia Lahman" 2017 from Home as Hat series Continuing to create hats inspired by architectural styles, Elvia's chapeau was based on the famous  William G. Low House in Bristol, Rhode Island. It was known for its 140 foot long low single gable and was a prime example of Shingle-style architecture . It's continuous horizontal shape and lack of ornamentation was a backlash to the highly decorated patters of the previous generation's architectural style. Although Shingle-style architecture flourished between 1879 and 1890 primarily on the coast of New England, I believe it was one of the forerunners of modernism. It shunned the revivalism going on during this period and looked towards the future of functionalism with its open plan blurring the lines between interior and exterior space. The roof was in fact the home. Using cedar shingles to cover its monolithic facade, the architect Charle McKim built the William G. Low House in 1887 using a single massi...

"Robin Jackson" 2017 from Home as Hat series Fish scale shingles were the inspiration for this Home as Hat entry. The steep roof top Ms. Jackson posed in front of prompted me to think of the Victorian gables I frequently saw in San Francisco. The American Queen Anne Revival architecture seen by the Bay always reminded me of exquisitely decorated birthday cakes. Their turrets were usually covered in fish scale shingles with an inset bay window. Coupled with contrasting paint colors, these formidable ladies always appeared to be so regal yet comical at the same time, depending on the color combination. Often described as "fancy cuts", the fish scales were also practical with their pattern of staggered and overlapping shingles which helped shed water efficiently. This ornamental siding was not an easy to replicate in embroidery floss on paper. I had to improvise its rounded edges with a scalloped pattern but feel that the finished "Hat" gives a hi...

Four years ago today I started my weekly blog and haven't looked back since! It has provided me a platform to share my vision with you and I am grateful for the 500+ subscribers that allow me to drop a visual present into your box every Saturday morning.  If you would like to subscribe to Patterns and Tones, email me at  julievox@sbcglobal.net Every anniversary I like to look back at the top 10 most visited articles to see what you're most interested in. This year "Johnny Bartlett on the History of Wig Torture" and "When Hot Dogs and Records Collide" were the hits of the year! Scroll below to see all top 10 posts from 2016. I hope you continue to enjoy my little neck of the woods and that my visual perspective enhances how you look at life. Love, Julie Green February 4, 2017 TOP 5 BLOG ENTRIES IN THE PATTERNS DEPARTMENT #5   Home as Hat: Andrea Minton An early prototype from my Home as Hat series, this entry saw a LOT of viewers...

"Lora David" 2017 from the Home as Hat series Much like the hand made  Vietnamese leaf hat known as  Nón Lá , this conical hat I wove for this image was inspired by the Nón Bái Tho , the "Poetical Leaf" hat from Hue in Central Vietnam. On the inside of each hat poems  were woven into the very fibers of the hat. When you lift the hat up to the sun, you could read romantic poems, provers or old sayings in the shadows!!! This variation of the palm leaf and bamboo hat is a cone consisting of sixteen bamboo ribs with palm leaves stitched into place with thread made from reed. A verse of poetry was usually cut from the palm leaf and inserted in between the layers.  Modern versions also include paper shapes as well as poetry. Hats cover, protect and shelter us when we are out in the elements much like our homes. This particular version I created this week has finally started to express the visual narrative I was hoping to achieve. Next ste...

"Catherine Butler" 2017 from Home as Hat series I've always been intrigued by the woven conical Vietnamese Leaf Hat known as  Nón Lá . Its symmetrical cone shape is extremely efficient at keeping the elements away from the face making it a personal sun roof! Traditionally woven from palm leaves, bark or bamboo, these hats (which have been around for centuries) can also be found in other Southeast Asian countries but is attributed mainly to the farm workers in Vietnam. When stitching the home above, I was struck by the same conical shape emerging from the roof line. I selected the yellow yarn to help emphasis the shape and color of this traditional hat. I added color to the base to separate it from the hat, as if it were the silk chin strap used to hold the hat in place. There was a palm tree sticking up behind the roof line, so I thought I would embellish the image with a vine-like flourish, tying the local flora to the very material originally used to make the hat...

"Sue Davis: Home as Hat" 2017 Headdresses worn by mystics, genies, sorcerers and wizards, that's the type of hat I think of when I see turrets. Its pointed apex echo the stereotypical witches hat and conjures well established images of spell casters dabbling in the occult. Photographed at The Magic Castle , a clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood, also got me in the mood to create this Steeple Hennin hat. This cone shaped covering worn mostly by noble women in Europe during the Middle Ages, is almost always depicted with a circular veil draped behind the headdress. It is with great pleasure that I could produce this hat for this magical lady and add another Home as Hat to the series! Julie Green January 7, 2017

Christmas Tree Lane: Color in Motion No. 6 As the holiday season comes to a crescendo tonight, I've been thinking about how a great pagan tradition has survived religious dogma throughout the millenia. The natural desire for humans to light trees  in the darkest of winter has transcended time and is  such a pleasure to behold. Watching the lights dance and twinkle in the darkness brings such joy and delight, its obvious why the tradition has never wained. I used the lights down Christmas Tree Lane  as paint brushes this year to dab the dark canvas with streaks of color and the car lights as accents. As the rain fell, color oozed down the lane and mirrored the hues from above. I felt like I was in a fairy forest with colorful fireflies darting in and out of the trees. Into the new year I head with joy in my heart as I look towards finding happiness in the smallest of gestures and the knowledge that even in the depth of darkness, light and color can preva...

Christmas Tree Lane: Color in Motion No. 1 Since moving to Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena back in May, I've been anticipating what the lights in the giant 108 year old Deadora Ceder trees were going to look like. I had driving down the lane before but couldn't wait to see what these beauties looked like lit up in my very own front yard. Their magical presence has not disappointed and I get a thrill coming home every night to this 96 year tradition. What has captured my eye is the reflection of these lovely lights refracting on my pool. Earlier this year I began studying light and how we perceive it in my piece "Water Refractions"  . So I decided to play with the colored christmas lights floating in my pool at night. Enjoy the movement of lights here ! On this particular night the full moon was also dancing among the lights, so I strategically placed it on top of the "christmas tree" as seen in Color in Motion No. 1. In No. 2, you can se...

Kite Flyer: The Human Figure in Motion No. 3 In my last blog entry Kite Flyer: The Human Figure in Motion , I began to work on a project to create movement in a still photograph. The idea was to push the single moment into several steps in time on a single plane. I also stitched the image back together to symbolize the running thread of time through our lives. Today, I wanted to present to you several more approaches to that idea. Although I have yet to stitch the image together, the vertical and diagonal lines created by cutting up the photographic paper and realigning it, gives the image a feeling of motion I was looking of. Kite Flyer: The Human Figure in Motion No. 3 is exactly what I was picturing in my minds eye and I am so thrilled to see it come to fruition. Once I add the finishing touches of the orange thread, I will begin to think of other moments in time that I  would like to accelerate into motion. Lets go fly a kite! Julie Green December 10, 2016 ...