Scents of Smell

At long last!  This is the first challenge where I knew right away what I would make in response.  Diane's post: <<Do you remember a scent that evokes vivid imagery?  Share that memory with us>>. The immediate response was so clear to me that I rejected it at first, thinking I should come up with something less obvious.

So I searched the olfactory memory banks. One of her suggestions was the smell of burning leaves in autumn and that is indeed a favorite childhood memory of mine. And that in turn reminded me of a piece I made many years ago for a local group challenge called "The Elements."  I made an experimental 3D piece - a vessel with a side for Earth, Wind, Water and Fire.

Here's "Fire." I sat and studied the fire in our wood stove (also a wonderful scent to recall on a chilly autumn day like today) and then layered strips of orange organza and stitched them down.  I was not enthralled with the result and stitching in orange to represent the flying sparks didn't do anything to win me over.  As I showed it to the group, someone asked, "What sign are you?" When I said, "Capricorn," she nodded knowingly and said, "Yes, of course; that's an 'earth' sign so no wonder you were challenged in the making of 'fire' - they're totally incompatible signs."  Interesting food for thought, especially in light of the fact that I had experienced such joy in the construction of the "Earth" side.  This recollection helped in the decision not to attempt a piece for this challenge based on the smell of burning leaves from my childhood.  Ha!

I am greatly relieved we are not expected to depict a specific scent in our next piece.  Too reminiscent of that stressful Vivaldi challenge where the artwork was to represent the sound of the music!  No, this is a wonderful opportunity to depict the image that comes to mind when a specific scent is experienced or recalled.  Like my fellow challenge-takers, I can think of many scents that evoke memories:  gardenias, freshly-baked oatmeal cookies, a new box of crayons, Youth Dew perfume....  But I'm back to my original choice. Without giving anything away, I can share this much:  Brahadi's Pipe Tobacco is the scent that is inspiring what I am going to create.  Can't wait to see the scents and images that inspire my colleagues!