Post
No. 4! The next post for "Archived Works Friday” comes as a pair from
the mid 1980's. As I mentioned before - I'll post a painting, drawing
or serigraph (silkscreen prints) from the "archive" files of years
past...and give a little back story on the work. I hope you'll find it
interesting!
Back
in the 1980's I experimented with floating bird blinds; the kind you
take pictures from. I took my first one out to a favorite marsh. it
was a floating "bass buddy"...maybe I'm not getting the name right but
it was essentially a nylon zippered slip cover that fit over an
inner-tube, with a seat sewn in for the "occupant". It made a "bobber"
out of the wearer! It was actually made for a fisherman to wade and
float around on small ponds and fish from it...I guess the idea was to
make you more mobile and get you out to where the fish were without a
boat.
I
got the brilliant idea that I could use it as a floating bird
photography blind. I made a dome of chicken wire mesh and covered it in
cattails which I tied to it - trying to imitate a muskrat hut. Great
idea huh!???? I wore chest high waders and walked the blind out until I
lost contact with the bottom, then just kind of bobbed around and
"paddled" with my feet...took some getting used to but eventually made
my way to a clump of reeds and anchored my feet around them to try and
hold still.
It
was kind of hit and miss that first try out on the marsh...muskrats
would swim by and look at me like "what on earth!?". Thankfully none
tried to “enter” the hut!!! An occasional Yellow-headed Blackbird would
land on top of me - where I couldn't get its picture of course! The
neatest encounter this first trip in the blind was an American Bittern -
I had never been so close to one before! It was up clinging to the
rushes trying to get a better look at this "thing" (my blind) - it was
probably thinking "This wasn't here earlier!?". I did my best to get
shots with the camera but it was difficult with the blind bobbing with
every move I'd make.
This
was back way before digital cameras. I didn't even have auto focus
back then and shooting Ektachrome E-6 film that I'd process myself. The
photos didn't turn out too bad. The Bittern's body was somewhat hidden
by the reeds as it climbed along. As I looked at several of the slides
I picked some out and created a composition from them - trying to
portray the bird among the rushes without it's features being so
obscured from view.
I
first did a detailed pencil sketch, and was fairly pleased with
it...but I was looking for something a bit more "graphic" in
presentation and decided to do a serigraph (silk screen print) of it. I
won't get into the details of that process this time, as its very
lengthy. I had been accepted into the international "Birds in Art"
exhibition the year before with a pencil drawing and thought I'd try
entering again with a serigraph...I wanted to prove to myself that the
acceptance the year before was not just a "flash in the pan".
The
design was drawn directly on separate screens from the original pencil
composition and broken down into solid colors...the exhibition deadline
was fast approaching and I was having great difficulty registering
colors and getting everything to look like I wanted. I finally managed
to get one that I liked and hurriedly got it entered in time for the
deadline.
It
was accepted! I was over the moon and beside myself... once again
being included in the prestigious international Bird Art exhibition
"Birds in Art". Rubbing shoulders with artists from every continent was
very humbling - I could see how far I had to go to even measure up to
what work I was seeing.
As
a side note on my maiden voyage on the marsh - when I had been out on
the water, the wind had come up from the south and soon I had white
caps! I was a good 100-150 yards out from shore and the wind was taking
me to the other side of the marsh! It took all of an hour, or more to
fight my way back to the landing. Completely played out, I drug myself
into the car and turned on the radio - it was giving high
winds/watercraft warnings for the day! NO KIDDING!!???
I
revised my "floating blind" design - used marine plywood with foam
filled pontoons, a lighter camo covered chicken wire frame that sat on
top, and a platform for a tripod "head" to affix the camera and
lens...so much better! (and safer) Still have it today...hanging out
in the studio shed. Just need the time and "energy" to take it out
again into the marshes...sounds like "The Old Man and the Sea" revisited
to me!
"Rush Lake, American Bittern - Study" - pencil drawing - ©Bruce A. Morrison (from an Iowa private collection)
"Rush
Lake, American Bittern" - serigraph - ©Bruce A. Morrison (from the
Permanent Collection of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI)
(These and other archived artwork can be viewed at - https://morrisons-studio.com/archived-works/ )
