Ephemeral Flower Imagery
The photographs in this journal entry are part of an experimental series titled Ephemeral Flower Imagery. The name feels fitting, as flowers used in these artworks have long since turned to dust. Since I work with found flowers, rather than freshly picked ones, their lifespan is always brief.
“An ephemeral plant is one marked by short life cycles. The word ephemeral means transitory or quickly fading.” – Source: Wikipedia
Pareidolia Effect Experiment
In this series, I use decomposing flowers to explore the pareidolia effect, a visual phenomenon where patterns, shapes, or faces appear in unexpected places. My process involves photographing the flowers as they decay and experimenting with compositions to see if the pareidolia effect emerges through mirroring.
This particular set is one of my favourites – especially the first two pieces which I’ve used as desktop backgrounds on my computer. They bring a pleasing, calm and zen-like atmosphere to my workspace.
My Workflow
Here’s a brief overview of the steps I follow to create these artworks:
Selection: It all starts with choosing a flower for the project.
Observation: Once selected, I study the flower’s intricate details – complexity leads to better results.
Document: I photograph the flower from multiple angles to capture different perspectives.
Image Selection: Choosing the best images is often a process of trial and error. I use screenshots, and test mirroring the photos. Many concepts end up discarded.
Conversion: The selected images are then converted to black and white. Even at this late stage, not all images work. Issues like an uneven join at the center axis or too much negative space can affect the final result.
Final Touches: Grain is added in post-production for texture, and blending edges requires fine-tuning in Photoshop. Sometimes the images are too intricate for smooth blending, but when successful, the results are rewarding.
These artworks are then shared here on my website, Tahnia Roberts Artworks, either as part of the Pareidolia gallery or as a journal entry like this one.
