I didn’t feel like designing another floral pattern so soon after “Wild Garden” (check out my previous post here), but at the same time, I didn’t have an idea what to draw or paint.
So I put some music on, and just let my pen wander mindlessly on the page (iPad actually; I used the Procreate app for this). I’ve realised that when I’m just doodling aimlessly, I tend to gravitate towards organic lines and shapes, playing with the amount of pressure I apply on the brush or pen to get that nice, organic, variation in line thickness.
As the lines started forming, I imagined walking through a hanging curtain of luminescent, glowing vines. I went with this thought and gave it a dark background to make the colours pop and provide the illusion of luminescence.
Once the piece was completed, however, it looked to me more like seaweed. An old memory was triggered: that of me as a child flipping through a book (or a magazine, I can’t remember exactly), and landing on images of the Sargasso Sea, and the Sargassum seaweed after which it is named. The distinct berry-shaped air bladders and its unique name must have made an impression on me somehow, and the images were buried deep in the recesses of my mind. Whether this design somehow uncovered this memory, or whether I was subconsciously reaching into the annals of my mind as I was drawing this piece, I will never know.
Either way, I have named this piece Sargasso, after the sea, and the seaweed it is famous for.
I’ve also placed this design on a few products in my Society6 shop. You can click on the image to go to the product, or check out more here.
