Invasive Species, Digital Art, 2021
Invasive Species, Digital Art, 2021
Invasive Species, Illustrator Image Trace, 2021
Invasive Species, Illustrator Image Trace, 2021
This version was created by "placing" a scan of the original painting (below) into Adobe Illustrator, and then applying the "Image Trace" tool with the High Fidelity setting. As a visual representation of the original painting, it is surprisingly accurate and much faster than creating a vector drawing of the painting (top). Usually I prefer to recreate my artwork into digital format by doing the vector drawings, because it is easier to separate out elements for re-use in other artwork and also easier to make changes and create other versions.
Invasive Species, Watercolor on Paper, 1988
Invasive Species, Watercolor on Paper, 7" x 10", 1988
As an urban gardener in a temperate climate, I frequently contend with invasive species, formerly known as weeds but now specifically labeled to differentiate from native plants. Sometimes the species dubbed as invasive are very effective in urban gardens for quickly creating a beautiful privacy screen, such as honeysuckle or bamboo. But soon these plants start muscling out everything around them and intruding into neighboring yards where they aren't welcome. For the past few years I have been doing landscape renovations to remove the invasive species and replace them with native plants. This painting represents the idea of invasive species being as beautiful as any other plant but pushing in and taking space and resources away from less aggressive plants.
