Thursday, November 21, 2019

A Gathering of Great Grey Owls

A Gathering of Great Grey Owls collage by June Anderson of Under The Plum Blossom Tree, handcut vintage paper collage, vintage handcut paper collage, Great Grey Owl collage, Strix nebulosa collage, habitat loss Great Grey Owl, mystery of Great Grey Owl, endurance of Great Grey Owl, childs view of Great Grey Owl, aestheticising the Great Grey Owl

Friends, once upon a time the owl, also known as the bird of darkness, was mysterious, ominous and associated with wisdom. Featured in the art, literature and culture of many different peoples around the world, the symbolism of the owl had a deep connection for those who were searching for the meaning of life through storytelling. That connection helped to satisfy the human need for explanations about human origins, social relationships and beliefs. And while all that may still be true, the health of the various owl populations has been and is suffering from human intervention and habitat loss.

For example the biggest threat to the Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa), above, is timber harvesting. The Great Grey depends on trees for nesting, raising their young, food, and for protection. In addition, livestock grazing in meadows reduces the rodent population, their preferred source of food. While the Great Grey Owl has few natural predators, poisoning by rodenticides, collisions with vehicles and disease all take a toll on the population.

In considering these culturally historic and environmental aspects of the life of the owl I have found that my artistic emotional response to the plight of these fragile creatures has resulted in a desire to aestheticize them. Through the medium of collage I am able to elevate their status in a manner that can draw attention to their plight. I have to confess that my inner child believes that this Great Grey Owl, adorned in pink roses which partially conceal her baby owls, wants to tell me her stories of predicaments, difficulties, and survival, and of the brave things she must do to sustain her life and that of her young ones. And in my imaginings I am in awe at her unwavering courage, fearlessness and ability to endure.

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Monday, November 11, 2019

What Happens in the Chair, Stays in the Chair?

Under The Plum Blossom Tree What Happens in the Chair, Stays in the Chair? collage by June Anderson, vintage handcut paper collage by June Anderson, vintage paper collage by June Anderson of Under The Plum Blossom Tree, vintage kitsch collage

Friends, a few weeks ago I mentioned that with collage the magic can happen after a time-consuming session of paper cutting.

I enjoy flipping through old magazines whilst I have my 5:30 p.m. coffee. That is usually followed by another session of cutting out images I'm attracted to. Then the fun part is just sitting with them and looking, looking, looking.

As a result, I think 'vintage kitsch' caught up with me on this collage! Both of the black and white images are from advertisements and each were interesting to me in their own right. Then, in one of those flash of an idea moments, I got the notion to look through my vintage gardens books for a possible way to connect the two and I am very happy with the results!

I'm looking forward to creating more collage magic to share with you, so please do stop in again in a week or so. Thanks for reading!

 
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Amelia, It Was Just a False Alarm

Amelia, It Was Just a False Alarm collage by June Anderson of Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog, Amelia vintage paper collage, Amelia hand cut paper collage, Amelia Joni Mitchell, Joni Mitchell Amelia, aviator Amelia Earhart, pilot Amelia Earhart, Amelia Earhart transcontinental flight, collage of Amelia Earhart, Amelia Earhart artwork, Amelia Earhart American pilot, Amelia Earhart last flight, story of Amelia Earhart

Friends, in a serendipitous moment I found myself exploring the feelings of isolation and loneliness as I pieced together this collage.

On a recent chilly autumn day I was leafing through a copy of Wild Flowers of America by H.W. Rickett looking for a specific image (I don't remember what it was now) and stopped to study this Prickly Pear (Opuntia polyacantha). Later that same day, as I was looking through my file folder of people images torn from magazines, I spotted this image of Amelia Earhart and immediately thought of the Prickly Pear. Then suddenly a verse from Joni Mitchell's Amelia popped into my head:
  
I pulled into the Cactus Tree Motel
To shower off the dust
And I slept on the strange pillows of my wanderlust
I dreamed of 747's
Over geometric farms
Dreams, Amelia, dreams and false alarms


In Amelia, Mitchell is referring to Amelia Earhart (b. 1897), an American airplane pilot. Earhart was the first woman pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, authored books about her flying experiences and mentored women in aviation studies. In 1937 Amelia and Fred Noonan, her navigator, disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean while attempting to circumnavigate the globe. Amelia's body was never found and she was pronounced dead in absentia in 1939.

Singer-songwriter and musician Joni Mitchell (b. 1943) wrote Amelia in 1976 as a tribute to 'the sweet loneliness of solitary travel' while driving cross-country by herself 'reflecting on the cost of being a woman and having something you must do.' In the song Mitchell alludes to Earhart's solo airplane travels while telling her own story of a love lost:

A ghost of aviation
She was swallowed by the sky
Or by the sea, like me she had a dream to fly
Like Icarus ascending
On beautiful foolish arms
Amelia, it was just a false alarm


It felt appropriate to place Amelia in a quiet isolated cactus world, standing alone, surveying her surroundings. To further enhance the atmosphere, I added three flying geese (solo pilots?). Is she reminiscing about solo flights of the past? Or can she see into the future? Is she lonely, or comfortable at icy altitudes? These are universal questions each of us must ask ourselves from time to time.

It felt good to explore them through art making.

Thank you for looking, and here are the lyrics to Amelia in full:

Amelia

by Joni Mitchell

I was driving across the burning desert
When I spotted six jet planes
Leaving six white vapor trails across the bleak terrain
It was the hexagram of the heavens
It was the strings of my guitar
Amelia it was just a false alarm

The drone of flying engines
Is a song so wild and blue
It scrambles time and seasons if it gets thru to you
Then your life becomes a travelogue
Of picture post card charms
Amelia it was just a false alarm

People will tell you where they've gone
They'll tell you where to go
But till you get there yourself you never really know
Where some have found their paradise
Others just come to harm
Oh, Amelia it was just a false alarm

I wish that he was here tonight
It's so hard to obey
His sad request of me to kindly stay away
So this is how I hide the hurt
As the road leads cursed and charmed
I tell Amelia it was just a false alarm

A ghost of aviation
She was swallowed by the sky
Or by the sea like me she had a dream to fly
Like Icarus ascending
On beautiful foolish arms
Amelia it was just a false alarm

Maybe I've never really loved
I guess that is the truth
I've spent my whole life in clouds at icy altitudes
And looking down on everything
I crashed into his arms
Amelia it was just a false alarm

I pulled into the Cactus Tree Motel
To shower off the dust
And I slept on the strange pillows of my wanderlust
I dreamed of 747s
Over geometric farms
Dreams Amelia - dreams and false alarms

© 1976; Crazy Crow Music

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