"Nowhere Fast" is a compelling still life that blends mundane domesticity with surreal, slightly ominous undertones. The scene is anchored by a wooden table where a spilled glass, a pack of matches, and an ashtray with a smoldering cigarette suggest a moment of interrupted pause or quiet, long-term stagnation. Dominating the foreground is an oversized, weathered cigarette carton boldly labeled "WARNING", its subtle but unsettling presence hinting at a consumption that leads nowhere.
In the background, a vintage RCA television set displays a stylized amanita mushroom, a recurring symbolic motif that adds a layer of psychedelia and altered perception to the otherwise drab setting. The earthy, muted color palette and soft lighting create a feeling of weary introspection, capturing a sense of being perpetually stuck in a cycle. The piece masterfully uses everyday objects to explore themes of vice, time, and the quiet, slow march toward an uncertain destination.
#17 Woodland Creatures - "Woodland Creatures" was the theme on Magma.com today. I decided to go with a giant turtle, but I have to say I'm not very happy with the way this turned out. Hopefully better results next time...
The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is the smallest and least common of the UK's three species of woodpecker. It is most often found in the tops of trees where it creeps along branches in search of insects. Found in England, but rare in the north. Absent from Scotland and Ireland. Its 'drumming' is much quieter and less vigorous than that of the Great Spotted Woodpecker; its presence is often only given away by this or their call.
The lesser spotted woodpecker is small in size, being not much bigger than a house sparrow. Males are black and white, with a red crown cap, and females are plain black and white. They both have a distinctive white ladder marking down their black back.
**Did you know?**
There are now believed to be less than 3,000 pairs breeding annually in the UK compared to nearly 45,000 greater spotted woodpeckers.
There is always a helping hand available in Meadowshire Woods in this composite image from Meadowshire Studio. A local fairy assists a fledgling bird in it's first flight.
Colloquially known as the "Gypsies of Fey," Farthings are small woodland creatures most commonly seen in abandoned or forgotten settlements where the natural elements have begun to reclaim the landscape. As a race, they can trace their lineage back to both faerie and goblinkind, but are not fully accepted by either branch of their family tree. Combining elements of each of their progenitors with attributes of other woodland inhabitants, Farthings vary widely in both color and physiognomy.
I'm just experimenting with some very old kohinoor woodless colored pencils. It's spring upstate. One is my husband's garage, one is a very sunny spring day on an ATV trail behind my house.
