field researcher's journal

as i was looking through everything i have created on here, i realized that i have no nature pieces! anyone who knows me would know that that's a peculiar thing. usually, all of my art is nature themed. i guess i've been trying to get away from it, but here is one!
this assemblage piece has undergone a looong process to get here. first it was white and red for a circus themed piece, wasn't feeling it. then it was kiwi lime for an apothecary theme, not enough materials or inspiration. and finally it was antique gold with the green showing through. and it became a nature theme.
the first element added was the cedar tree needles from my yard. then i wrapped it with some hemp and tagged that with some parchment paper. that started the inspiration for the rest of the piece!
the top left square contains a red leaf and a gold frog that i was actually inspired to use by a Hels Sheridan piece. she used a painted frog on her altered key tin and made me realize that there is something i can do with all those rubber animals i acquired throughout my childhood.
the next square down has all the things i would imagine the researcher to use; collection bottles, paper, etc.
the bottom square is a nest made of feathers that hold a golden snail shell that i had actually prepared for a necklace that was never made.
the large center space holds the first piece; that pit of cedar needles. i used the red tint in that as inspiration for my red, gold and green color palette.
the bottom square has a rubber fish that is wrapped in hemp and thread and mounted on a bug eaten leaf.the top right square contains a rock with thread and a tag that reads "0098", kind of like it's marking the place where it was found or the order in which to file it.
below that is another nest made of dead lawn clippings, ha, that holds a little acorn.
the last space is covered with faux researcher notes and diagrams on parchment with a styrofoam bee mounted. (took me forever to find that bee, he was in the same spot for 3 years and of course i move it a month before i actually want to use it.)

the color palette is really what brings this all together. i have been working on a Louise Nevelson
lesson plan and was inspired by her monochromatic works. i didn't want to go as far as her, but i did reference it a bit in the areas where the objects are the same color as the background (fish, frog, snail)