What inspires us to create
MODbotanicals Inspired by Nature / Styled with Modern Expression
by Lisa Ballard
As a designer/illustrator, my job is to solve problems through clear visual communication targeted to a specified audience. That’s easy. A client gives me a problem with concise parameters and I solve it.
So, why is that not enough? Why do we want to create for ourselves. Why don’t we take the easy road and do what we know. What draws us out of our comfort zone?
For me, creating art just for the joy of creating is way out of my comfort zone. The designer in me needs parameters and goals... SO... I created my own problems to solve when I started developing what I call MODbotanicals.
I started with a problem: a need for large artwork for my own home that didn’t require expensive framing and was easy to change for the seasons. As an avid collector of vintage textiles, I was always inspired by silk-screened fabric panels from the 50’s which are lightweight and easily hung from a curtain rod. With the dawn of digital fabric printing, illustrating my own wall hangings were possible and affordable!
So now my next challenge was WHAT to illustrate onto the fabric panel. This is where my love of nature and collections came into play. The gardens around my house were designed way before the house was finished because nature has always been my muse. We live in the country and love hiking in the woods. I usually end up collecting objects I find in the woods or my gardens and bring them into the house as a display or collection. As a designer, I have always been drawn to the MidCentury Design era. So I combined the shapes and patterns of nature with a modern style and called it “MODbotanicals”.
The most recent design, called NESTING, is a collection of all things relating To birds without actually showing a bird. The idea started with my love for the patterns and shapes of feathers. Whenever I find a feather in my yard, it usually ends up on a shelf in my studio. I wanted to tell more of a story than just feathers, so when I added a nest, it naturally led to eggs and twigs which inspired me to title it “NESTING”.
My process involves hand-drawn or painted elements rendered in black and white and colored in the computer. I try to evoke the feeling of silkscreened art using a limited color palette which is why the scanned artwork is created in grayscale. I usually add a subtle background which in this case was a photo I shot out in the woods on one of my adventures. MODbotanicals have turned into a collection that decorate my whole house!
I have large hangings along with smaller versions that are framed with wood strips on top and bottom. My favorite aspect of them, is how easy they are to switch out for the seasons and totally change the feeling of a room.
I guess even when I’m creating for myself, I am still solving problems!
