Inner Animal

This was a detail from my submission for the Inner Animal Challenge by Interweave Press. It was not selected, so I hope it is ok to put on my blog. My inner animal is an elephant. I have loved elephants all my life and feel a deep connection. Elephants embody many qualities I strive for in my life. They are wise, calm, loyal, patient, strong, fun, protective of their friends (especially their girlfriends); and, ok, wrinkled and fat. Sadly, elephants are also vanishing. This is not a quality to which I aspire!

This was my first time ever to use a stock photo. Finding just the right picture that was free and royalty free was a challenge for me. Having my computer crash in the middle of the whole process while I was manipulating the image was even more of a challenge. I screen printed the background onto denim cut from an old pair of husband's jeans; or it might have been from the one's that were waiting for a new button. By the time the deadline arrived, I was racing to beat it and did not "finish" all the embelishment I had planned. Since the piece was not selected, maybe I have time now to tweak it a bit. While I had fun screen printing the background, I can see that it would not show off well in a magazine which might be important. I'll do better next time.