Zeborah's Blog

Updating after a very long and busy while

2009-11-05T15:30:00.001-08:00

My friend Adrienne, form Wales, came over for a visit.
They apparently do not have Asian markets in Wales.
I thought she might get a kick out of Fubons. :) I noticed things that I might not have noticed if I was just doing my usual shopping and not showing it all off to a visitor. ;)

A welcome kitty of course.

This lovely shrine was set up near the front of a store.

Great color, texture, line and form in this screen.
Made me think of some of the assignments for my photography classes.

Wonderful patterns.

Such creative packaging.

I suspect I will be using some of these images for collage work...

Everyone was so friendly.

Adrienne said this was one of her favorite teas. Loved the display.

Lots of dragon motifs.

I had to stop for a bubble tea. MMmmmmmmm- Bubble Tea!!
Adrienne was not impressed. LOL

Looks like he must have had a great laugh.

Parrot Fish

Luscious!

Food colors in Asian stores can be a bit disturbing for some of us. ;)

All of the labels are sooo bright. The whole store is a riot of color.

The produce section is fantastic.

Color- yep- lots and lots of color. Supersaturated, sometimes garish, always joyous color assaults your senses at every turn.

Sometimes it is hard to decide if the colors or the textures are most appealing.

Seriously textured

I found myself wishing I had some molding compound...

This will make a nice layer for adding textures in Photoshop. :)

More texture...

More texture... and interesting colors too.

Really loved the textures in this screen. I took a lot of photos of this...

Out and About (with camera)

2009-09-25T17:06:00.001-07:00

One of Portland's nicknames is Bridgetown.

We had to stop by the hospital to pick up a prescription.
This fellow was circling overhead. Not a good sign... ;)

Then we headed for:

Lovely rural community with no free parking. I don't think they want visitors.
We did stop by the Bybee-Howell house.

Late afternoon. I liked the way the sun was shining through the branches.

Still some nice flowers blooming- although they were looking a bit tired.

Berry season is very close to over.

I have been wanting to get photos of this old building along Highway 30 for a long time. I only got a couple of shots before the security guard came over and told us that we couldn't take photos there "because of 911". Yeah, right. grrrrrr

Jax had an explanation for this house: Fishmen.

We decided to drive on out to Scappoose rather than try to get back through Portland during rush hour.
We found a surprisingly good restaurant!

2009-09-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

I think this is starting to come along. :)

I tried looking at this with just the tone and lines in Photoshop to see if I could figure out a way to go with it.

I played around with the layout for a bit and came up with this idea.

I think I came pretty close in real life, adding a continuation of the line work to tie things together and echoing shapes to get a better balance.

This gives you an idea of the scale of the piece.

I love the Glossy Crackle Accents over the Fantasy Film.

Using the dimensional glue with the Fashion Flakes gives a great texture to the lines.

WIP

2009-09-14T21:34:00.001-07:00

So many details I love on this piece.

I hadn't used foils in while. I Love the way this turned out.

The texturing came out even better than I had hoped.
the Fantasy Film is jewel-like. I LOVE it.

But, ye gohdz, the piece as a whole is atrocious.
I should scrape it all down and start over.

But I LIKE so much of it...

I will probably keep piling stuff on.
Let's hope it gets better and not worse...

Beer

2009-09-11T12:43:00.001-07:00

I take a lot of photos of beer.

What to do with them???

Kaleidebeer!

Woohoo!

Bumble Bee

2009-09-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

Bumble Bee

The flower stamens look like drop of mercury...

Kaleidoscopes with Photoshop

2009-09-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with the instruction from Vicki Holdwick for making simple kaleidoscope images using Photoshop. Fun and addictive. :)

Studio Visitors

2009-08-10T19:37:00.001-07:00

I got some visitors outside my studio window recently.

Love the big ears on this little guy.

Gourd Mask

2009-06-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

I've been attending a gourd art retreat at the Midnight Art Ranch.

One of the classes from Bonnie Gibson was on masks.

I LOVE masks. I've been involved with theatrical role playing groups and have done some costuming for Fantasy/Sci-Fi convention activities- mainly for hall costumes. I've had a lot of fun with masks.

I suspect some of the serious gourd art people at this retreat had to try not to look askance at my mask. ;) I think they see gourd masks as a traditional type of art.

I just saw the gourd as an interesting new surface to do the type of fantasy mask I prefer to work on.

I LOVE my mask. It isn't finished. It will need a lot of beading - and possibly some wire wrapping and....hmmm...with any luck I will be able to restrain myself after that point.....

I was very happy with the Fantasy Film and Radiant Rain and Memory Mist sprays on this. And the micaceous iron oxide worked great. :)

Gourds are a fun surface to play with.

Another visit to Zorg

2009-06-06T14:59:00.001-07:00

Click here to see other versions.

Ink sketch manipulated in Photoshop.

Visit the planet Zorg

2009-04-24T14:09:00.001-07:00

Check out the post on the Zorgian website

Smoke Watching

2009-04-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around with some photographs of smoke.
Getting good photographs of smoke was a bit of a challenge. I need to give this another try using a tripod.

I did have a lot of fun manipulating these images in Photoshop though...

Looking at photos of smoke is much like watching clouds. You start to see all sorts of odd images emerging.
Click on the links after each pic to see some of the variations.

I think I see a mystical rabbit in this.
I have more variations on this image up as a slide show.

This one ended up with some interesting textures.

More variations.

I like this alien dancer. ;)

Playing with smoke. Less dangerous than playing with fire. :)

2009-04-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Beer Eyes

Uh-oh! The Easter Bunny made a mistake

2009-03-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

I think the Easter Bunny raided a dragon's nest by accident.
Bunnies aren't the brightest creatures, they must be easily confused.

Fantasy Film

2009-03-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hey- I am featured on the Art Glitter Institute webpage for some of my Fantasy Film work!
How fun!

They have some wonderful artists doing all sorts of things with Fantasy Film and other glitzy products.

Another class with Jessica

2009-03-02T16:47:00.000-08:00

I'm taking another class from Jessica at Cre8it. I LOVE her classes.

I always find so much inspiration and learn so many fun new techniques.

This is the from Guerrilla Photography class. :)
I'm having waaay too much fun.

WIP

2009-02-13T01:26:00.001-08:00

This piece is a work in progress (WIP). It was inspired by many different things, many different artists, and includes a number of different techniques.
I will not be "crediting" anyone with anything.

None of us can be sure of what sparks an idea when we are expressing something through our artwork.
If we have to pay attention to when, where and how we came up with the ideas it only serves to hamper our creative expression.

I recently posted some artwork I had done and credited a good friend with sparking the idea for the project. It was something simple and fairly basic she had shown me.

Another friend thought it was very similar to something she had done in the past. Her feelings were hurt.
I never connected the two projects.
I was just trying to be polite and conform to the current netiquette for this sort of thing.

Second friend expressed her hurt feelings on her blog. First friend was shocked to find that she was being accused of stealing an idea- even though she had never claimed credit for anything. I was the one who named her as showing me the technique.

So my reward for trying to do the right thing and saying who gave me an idea just ended up with my hurting two people that I love and admire.

I'm not going to do that again.

I think we, as artists who post work on the web, in public forums, need to get away from all of this. It hurts the whole community. It generates more bad feelings than it does positive sharing and support.

Ideas don't belong to anyone in a legal sense. If no one shared ideas we would all be working in a sterile void.
I don't think this is what anyone wants.

If this contentious atmosphere prevails I think we will see less and less of people posting anything new or innovative.
Either through fear of being "copied" or through fear of being accused of copying.

It doesn't matter who came up with a technique or who made it popular.
What matters is what YOU do with the technique.

Your work is your own- no matter who inspired you.

This isn't supposed to be about techniques. It should be about how we express ourselves through our art.

My artwork will stand on its own merits.
If you think I copied something from you- feel proud that you contributed by helping another artist find their way on their own path.

If you take something away from what I show and use it in your own artwork. YAY!! That has been my whole point in posting stuff to this blog in the first place. Please do not feel any need to give me credit for your artwork.
Your artwork is your own. I neither deserve, nor want, any credit for it.

Another bottle - not beer on the wall

2009-01-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

One more bottle down.
This one has encaustic wax on the front panel. I spritzed the wax layers with Radiant Rain mists while they were still molten. Gave an interesting texture.
The main body of the bottle is done with Golden's micaceous Iron Oxide and Lumiere paints.
The lip of the bottle is covered with a scrap of textured wallpaper colored with Radiant Rain and Memory Mist sprays highlighted with metallic buffing waxes.

After the holidays

2009-01-26T17:28:00.001-08:00

I don't know about other people- but around here there are always a lot of empty bottles around after the holiday season is over. Many of them are very nice bottles. Too nice to just toss.

I though this one had a lovely shape.
Plus, I still had Fantasy Film scraps to use up. :)

You can get a LOT of dimension using clear gel mediums and Glossy Accents over the Fantasy Film.

I LOVE the textures and colors with this!

Clip Art and Photoshop

2008-12-22T17:43:00.001-08:00

If you need a card in a hurry- Photoshop and clip art can come to your rescue. Quick results!

Alien Artifact revisited

2008-12-17T13:47:00.001-08:00

I finally finished this!

This went through a lot of changes.

I reinforced the outer shell with paper mache strips.
I used a lot of different techniques for distressing the finish. :)

I added some lighting effects that I'm very pleased with.

Lots of fun details. Hard to get a good photo of this.

I love the way the light reflects up through the tubing inside the wire coil.

This was way fun to create!!

Watch it in action.

Zorg sketches

2008-11-26T22:21:00.001-08:00

I found some old sketches from trips to Zorg.

One of the stranger denizens interacting with some of the other oddities....

Field sketch of a Zorg bug.

A few Zorgian artifacts.

Dreaming Flowers

2008-11-10T15:27:00.001-08:00

Yogi mentioned that she thought my lst canvas was calling out for some calligraphy.
I have NO calligraphy skill, but I had been thinking along those same lines.

I decided to try an image transfer over the Fantasy Film ironed to canvas.
I WORKED!

I saw a quote on line that became the inspriration for this piece:

"Butterflies add another dimension to the garden, for they are like dream flowers- childhood dreams- which have broken loose from their stalks and escaped into the sunshine"

M. Rothchild

Finished canvas

2008-11-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

I finally got this canvas finished.
I like it. A lot even.

Added the top coats of varnish really made a big difference.

Fantasy gourd

2008-10-29T17:32:00.001-07:00

I collect carnival glass.
When I discovered that I could get a finish that looked very much like real carnival glass using Fantasy Film, I went a little crazy and started 'canivalglassizing" anything and everything I could get my hands on.

I LOVE the way it looks on this gourd. :)

The textures are yummy too. I'll be using this close up shot of the textures in something at some point I'm sure. ;)

Inspiration from the Midnight Art Ranch Retreat

2008-10-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed my time at the Midnight Art Ranch Retreat very much.
I took some amazing classes, and created some artwork I'm very proud of.

But, sometimes, unexpected things catch your imagination at an art retreat.

After her class, one of the instructors, Jeni Calkins, showed me a technique she had been playing with. It involved Fantasy Film and Opals embossing enamels. Two of my favorite things!
Annette Husband, Annette from Oz for those of you who know her on line, had also been doing some really great stuff with Fantasy Film and Opals creating Opals Paper. So my curiosity had been whetted.

Jeni was using up the scraps left over from doing Faux Carnival glass and other projects by layering them, sprinkling on some clear (Franklin) Opals and ironing it between two sheets of parchment or two craft sheets.

Jeni left a few sheets for me to play with. I used one as a backdrop for a photograph of the PMC (Precious Metal Clay) pendants I made during the retreat.

I was so intrigued with the possibilities for this "paper" that I decided I had to try incorporating it into the shrine I was working on.
I added some to the door of my shrine.

I used some Golden Gel medium to adhere the Fantasy Film Paper to the wooden door. When it was dry I added some crackle finish, highlighted the cracks with Radiant Rain Daubers, and coated it with some varnish. Wow! The varnish really made the colors POP!
I fell in love with the texture and the depth of color achieved.

I played around with some very small scraps I had left. I glued it onto some scrap mat board colored with Brilliance inks, topped with Crackle Glossy Accents and highlighted with Sepia Glossy Accents.

I mounted these on a separate piece of mat board as a dimensional mixed media piece- but I think this technique would be great for doing pendants, pins or as an embellishment for other things.
I'll post some blown up images so you can see the details:

When I got home I decided to play with this a bit more.
I tried ironing the Fantasy Film onto various things. I love the look of it on canvas.
I used the black heat set glue pad by Stewart Superior to adhere to the canvas it with the iron.
I can't seem to get my crackle finish to "crack" here. It is getting too cold and damp in my studio.
I need to order some of the Crackle Accents.
This is a work in progress. I still need to get the corner piece to crackle and add some highlight color on the sun rays.

Details:

I tried another canvas too. This one isn't finished yet either.

I also used the black glue pad to adhere some fantasy film to the flat areas on one of the wooden bangles. Then I used Radiant Rain daubers and sprays to color the rest of the bangle and highlighted it with metallic rub on wax in copper. I sealed it with a spray gloss coat.
WOW!!
I think this is my favorite bangle yet!

I'll keep y'all posted on how the projects progress.

Back from Sonoita

2008-10-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

I spent two weeks in Sonoita Arizona.
I was attending an art retreat at the Midnight Art Ranch.
I had a wonderful time. Sonoita is really magical. I stayed an extra week after the retreat just to enjoy the area and spend time with my friend Linda Hansen of After Midnight Art Stamps.
I love being at the Midnight Art Ranch. Linda's studio is great! I get to play with all the latest toys. :)

This is a digital piece I created in Photoshop using a photograph I took of the grasses in Sonoita and adding a drawing of a pony I did a while back.

Fairie World

2008-09-04T16:09:00.001-07:00

The local Audubon society had a booth at the Fairy World Fair.

It is a real treat to see these birds up close and personal. They are all birds that have been rescued and can't be returned to the wild.

Love this little guy.

The coloring and marking on this barn owl are amazing.

What a face!!!

The profile shot is very cool.

But there were a lot of other winged things to see at the Faire too. ;)

Winged Things

2008-09-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

I've always loved fairy tales and fantasy artwork. The Fairie World conventions are such a joy to attend.
Lots of cute little fairies.

They have wings for everyone.

These were my most favorite wings of all. I want to make some like this.

I love the iridescent wings. I need to try my hand at these to.

Lots of variety in wing styles.

Love the way the light reflects from this type.

I thought these dragonfly wings looked a lot like the ones in my real dragonfly photos. :)

I really need to create some of these flags for my yard.

Alexander James Adams

2008-09-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

Not all the fairies are cute and sweet. Some are just totally hot. ;)

Alexander James Adams was playing with Tricky Pixie. They put on a fantastic show.

Find out more about them at the Faerietale Minstrel website.

A day out with Brandi

2008-08-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

I spent a day out with my friend Brandi. She could have a good time if she wandered into hell itself, so an outing with her is always a joy.
She will probably eventually have some photos on her blog too.

I got out the camera as soon as we got in the car. You never know when a good photo op might happen. ;)
This is dangling from Brandi's rear View mirror.

Shot from the window of a moving car. Odd angle- but I had to get a photo of the COLORS!!!!

I love the different street lamps in the Portland area. I must have a few hundred photos of street lamps. One of those things I can't seem to resist photographing.

Lots of cool details on the buildings.

I snapped this photo when we got out of the car after finally getting to the Alberta Street area.

All in all, it was one of those very memorable days.

Ashram

2008-08-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

We got a bit lost trying to get to Northeast Portland to check out the scene on Alberta Street.

We noticed this interesting building with a high hedge around it. We had to turn around anyway, so we stopped to see what it was.

We peeked in and saw this beautiful, serene park like setting. We couldn't resist and found ourselves wandering in through the open gate.

There were wonderful statues, welcoming rock paths, fantastic flowerbeds.

I do love taking flower photos.

I wish I knew what this was. It was a tree covered with flowers.

Even the bees were peaceful.

This strand of prayer pennants stretched over head.

The lighting was not good this time of day (afternoon sun) to get a full photo of this statue, but I liked the detail shot.

I think this might be my favorite shot of the day.

Everyone we talked to here was friendly and open. They didn't seem to mind having a couple of crazy tourist types wandering about in their space snapping photos.
Gracious, kind people who made us feel welcome.

Last Thurday of each month there is an open market on Alberta Street.

2008-08-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

Gotta love any place where you can hang out with the gnomes.

Lots of people and lots of dogs- but all the dogs were well behaved. So were the people.

I was very impressed with how mellow the whole scene was. Good vibes and all that. :)

Lots of pretty bits everywhere you looked.

Flower vendors even.

Lots of street performers and just interesting people wandering about.

I like the fact that Alberta Street respects the graffiti artists. I wonder if all of the cool graffiti style paintings on the walls are commissioned and have had permissions granted or if they are spontaneous. I'll have to ask some locals next time I'm there.

So many innovative types of artwork displayed. I didn't snap photos of very many of the art pieces- wasn't sure if that was OK or not. But this one was too interesting to pass by with out a snap shot.

I SOOO WANT on one these. The artist let me try one on. What fun!!!

This mosaic work was very striking.

Food!

2008-08-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

I could gain a lot of weight if I spent much time here...

I do not know what this is. I didn't try any. I didn't have any cash with me and it seemed unlikely that they could take my debit card. ;)

Sweet young people though- and they just had such a nice 'aura' to them that I had to snap a few photos. I think this shows the "flavor" of the Street Fair well.

This place smelled GREAT. Lots of options for inexpensive food you could carry around and enjoy out of hand.

I love crepes. Made me wish I hadn't already stuffed myself at the really great restaurant we found.

Everything here looked so fresh and glorious. They were grilling corn on the cob that looked yummy too.

I snapped this photo while I was eating my lunch. Portland restaurants are great places for people watching.
I hope she doesn't mind having her photo posted. I should have asked. But I did think she was a great example of the colorful people you see in Portland.
Beautiful lady.

This expresso vendor sure hit on a great idea. LOL

Music at the Alberta Street Fair - Last Thurday of the month

2008-08-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

I loved the music. There were street performers everywhere.

This couple was delightful.

This woman was soooo classy. Beautiful performance.

This group was a lot of fun. Brandi has a video of him playing on her blog.

Great face.

I like the way this shot came out. :)

Another delightful duo. I am always amazed at the sounds they can get out of a saw blade.

The street music and crafts seem to compliment each other so well.

I LOVE Digeredoos!

We saw a big crowd up ahead. Heard this amazing music. I had to get up close and see what was going on.
Capoeira! This was the first time I had seen it performed. WoW!!! so much energy.
I managed to get some Flip video.

Dragonflies are such awesome creatures

2008-08-24T14:00:00.001-07:00

More Memory Mist

2008-08-22T14:39:00.001-07:00

Love this stuff.

Color Sprays

2008-08-19T16:05:00.001-07:00

Working with color sprays, Radiant Rain by Luminarte and Memory Mists by Stewart Superior. I got mine from After Midnight Art Stamps.

I also used some Micaceous Iron Oxide (Golden brand- heavy body) and probably some other stuff..... this has been a work in progress for a while now.
It is just a paper box- I think it came with a candle in it or something...

Top of box.

Side 1.

Side 2.

side 3.

side 4.

Top of box embossed with Cory Stamp from After Midnight using Stewart Gill embossing powder.

Not sure if I need to do any more embellishment on this or not. I really like the colors and textures- not sure I want to cover them up.

Summer Sunsets

2008-08-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

Wow! We have been getting some beautiful color in the skies lately.

Photoshop brushes

2008-07-12T17:45:00.001-07:00

I've always found geese to be very majestic on the water.

I saved this image as a brush and played around with it a bit.

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

2008-07-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Went out to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.
We hadn't been there in years. WoW! Have they ever put in a lot of improvements.
It was a real treat.

The Rhodies are past there prime this time of the year, but there are a lot of other plants in bloom.
Wonderful place for a stroll.

Still some Rhodies in bloom. There are tree rhododendrons that tower overhead.
Blossoms aren't pristine now, but still spectacular when you see them in mass.

Lots of geese and ducks in the ponds and on the lake.

The critters in the park are not a bit shy. They seem happy to pose for photos.

Looking for a home with studio space in Arizona?

2008-07-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who is selling her home in Laveen Arizona.
I spent a lot of time in her studio- great space! Check it out.

If you are interested, contact her at LHanson301@aol.com

The Oregon Coast

2008-07-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

There are some quirky things that I find iconic on the coast.
Our Lady of the Dunes church is one of them. Loved finding the old Woody parked near the statue. Made a lovely beach trip tableau.

PELICANS!!!
I lived in California for many years. I miss seeing pelicans at the beach. They don't come very far north. I never see them at Pacific City or Seaside.
We made it down to Port Orford this time- and I got to see lots of pelicans. :)

For my friend, Joe Nathan

2008-07-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

Every time I see a lighthouse I think of my friend, Joe Nathan.

I need to make a sketch of this one.

I managed to catch this one with the light shining.

The top of the lighthouse peeking out from the trees reminded me sooo much of Joe's stamp scenes. He always hides a lighthouse somewhere in his scenes. :)

Summer Photos

2008-07-06T18:39:00.001-07:00

I take a wide variety of photos.

Sometimes I am taken by a texture or color.

I love taking macro shots.

Some photos are taken with the intention of turning them into Photoshop brushes.

The winds were very strong during our trip to the coast. It buffeted the camera around quite a bit. Made it hard to get decent photos. I need to remember to put the tripod in the car next time. I always forget the tripod.
The winds were nice for the kite enthusiasts though.

Summer fun

2008-07-06T18:31:00.001-07:00

I have been getting out and about with the camera a bit.

We managed an overnight trip out to the coast.
I love the dunes in the area around Florence.

I love the bridges in Oregon. We have a lot of bridges.

I made a Photoshop brush from one of the bridge photos. I think I will have fun playing around with this.

Such interesting lines and shapes in the bridge structures.

Gulls settling down for the evening.

Coffee Creamer bottles

2008-06-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

Another great use for plastic bottles:
Angels

I love the look she got with this. I am going to try my hand at creating an angel with one of my International delight coffee creamer bottles. :)

Tutorial on After Midnight

2008-06-09T22:29:00.001-07:00

I just posted a new tutorial at After Midnight Art Stamps. :)

These are a lot of fun to make. :)

Bear goes over the mountain

2008-05-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

I just spent two weeks with a friend in Sonoita, Arizona.
She had another visitor to her house while I was there.

Bears are not common in this area. He had come down out of the mountains heading for the next mountain range. He was just passing through and decided he needed a place to take a nap.

What a great photos opportunity! He settled down in a tree just across from one of the upper decks of the house. Not wanting to disturb his nap, I took most of my photographs through the dining room window.

He didn't seem the least bit concerned about the people peeking out at him.

I have a few more shots posted at the After Midnight Art Ranch blog.

Alien Artifact

2008-05-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

Had a friend over to play in the studio. She got some great colors and textures on an altered book cover she was working on. I had to try her paint combinations.

I've been playing with some papier-mache techniques. I'm working on an alien artifact. :)
My flip video came in a very cool box.

I put a layer of papier-mache over the outside to cover the seams. Then I started adding layer of paints and stuff for textures.

I haven't started working on the insert part yet. I think this will have some lights and stuff. I used spray enamels (a pearlised black and some hammered brass) with a coating of Radiant Rain sprays for the interior.

I used some Golden products- stainless steel paint, molding paste, micaceous iron oxide. Used a bit of Stewart Gill paint as an undercoat on parts and some Fresco flakes on top.

I also added some black hotglue bits and some Fashion Flakes for gilding and some metallic buffing waxes.

The cool part was overcoloring the whole thing with the Radiant Rain sprays. Wow- that stuff really gives an interesting finish. I used mostly one of the copper ones and the golden bamboo.

I scraped through all the paint layer for more texture in parts- and resprayed those areas with the Radiant Rain sprays.

I've gotten some very gnarly textures going so far.

I think I'm going to like this piece.

Fairy Child

2008-05-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

Photoshop to the rescue (again)

2008-05-04T15:42:00.001-07:00

This adorable child is constantly moving. It is hard to get a clear photo of her in low light. I was using the auto mode- and ALL of the highlights were totaly blown. :(
What to do?

I tried about a million things in Photoshop and finally got something that sort of works. I had to layer different filter modes and really work the image- but I ended up with something usable.

Bird Stamp

2008-04-23T23:46:00.001-07:00

Tagged

2008-04-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Scrappy Cat is how it goes:

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Here are my 7 random facts about me:

1. I don't like to drive.
2. I worked in a veterinary clinic for a few years when I was in my 20s.
3. I have a mix of old and new Fiesta Ware dishes that I use everyday.
4. I still have the last doll I got as a Christmas present Christmas when I was 9 years old.
5. I collect belly dancing garb even though I haven't danced in many years.
6. I once had a pet tarantula.
7. I love taking photographs, but I never let anyone take my photo.

Now, to tag 7 other bloggers:

1. Sally Niemand
2. Annette in Oz
3. France Chevalier
4. Cory
5. Elaine Barr
6. Burning Rubber
7. Annie

2008-04-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is a card I received from Annette in Oz

I love it and had to find a way to display it. So I rummaged around and found some things I thought would compliment it. I ended up redoing an entire section of the wall and the top of my bookcase in the guest room. LOL

More Memory Mists

2008-04-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am really liking the Memory Mist sprays from Stewart Superior.
I get them from After Midnight.

I'm working on a special project. This is a page for a book.

I don't usually put this much time into small paper projects, but this is for someone very dear to me. I hope she will like it.

I love the textures and color of the Memory Mists- and they coordinated well with some Radiant Rain pieces and some Ranger alcohol ink pieces and an Opals embellishment and even the shrink wrap bit done with Stewart Gill paints. LOL
This definitely got more involved than I expected. I even had to get out the craft knife, the screw punch and a small eyelet.
I spent some time with the button jar from my mom and grandmother too. That was pleasant. :)

SteamPunk try

2008-04-15T19:17:00.001-07:00

Not sure where I'm going with this. It needs a new base- and the outside needs more elaborate embellishment.

The light changes color. I like the way it glows up through the rock crystal and continues up the tube to the crystal bead in the top section.

I want to cover the actual lighted base- the proportions are wrong. I need to be able to remove the top section so I can change the batteries when needed.

I think it needs more wire wrapping bits.

Pretty colored lights. :) I need to decide what I should claim this does...

Any suggestions?

Hummingbird on nest

2008-04-14T23:15:00.001-07:00

My hubby spotted this nesting hummingbird in a tree in the parking lot at a local shopping center. He brought me back over with the camera.

The nest is so well camouflaged it took me a while to see it even when he pointed it out.

Close up of her bill- with the tongue sticking out.

Good Beer

2008-04-06T23:34:00.000-07:00

The Pelican Pub in Lincoln city, Oregon

Playing with Petroglyphs

2008-04-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

I got some new stamps from After Midnight

They are some really nifty petroglyph style images. I was playing around with a shared background image from the amstamps yahoo group and came up with this.

I have so much fun creating settings to photograph stuff in my studio.

Hawk

2008-04-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Spotted a hawk at the edge of the parking lot at the local mall today. The photos I got were...um...not good.
I played with one in Photoshop and got an image reminiscent of the old Audubon style prints.

I'm pretty happy with this. :)

Background swap

2008-03-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

We've been having fun on the After Midnight yahoo group

We've been scanning some of our handmade backgrounds and uploading them to share.
I used a print out of a marbled background done by Phyllis and added one of my favorite Cory Celaya stamps

I've been doing a lot more art journaling since I took a wonderfully fun class with Jessica at Cre8it

digitally altering photos

2008-03-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

I have been designing some book covers for a website called Anthology Builder

I really liked the mood and atmosphere of this image.

A few filters and adjustments and it looks quite acceptable for a book cover design.

digital image

2008-03-15T16:18:00.001-07:00

Playing around in Photoshop with some images....
wanted to see if I could upload hi res pics here.
hmmm...Seems to work...

Pussy Willow

2008-03-11T14:03:00.001-07:00

Spring has sprung

Fantasy Film

2008-03-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

Playing with Fantasy Film again. Love this stuff!
See a how-to at After Midnight

I have done the switch plates in the room where I have my carnival glass collection displayed with this technique.
Might be just a "bit" gaudy (sarcasm) for most people- but works for this particular setting. ;)

Firejam

2008-03-04T19:59:00.001-08:00

I love fire! Going to Firejam was wonderful

The drumming was awesome.

I used my Flip video to capture some of the action and sound
I put some clips up on Youtube.

Visions of spring

2008-03-02T19:19:00.001-08:00

I've been playing around with my crystal ball.
It makes an interesting macro lens. ;)
More photos

I've been published!

2008-02-28T23:45:00.000-08:00

I 've been published in this new on line photo magazine!

Lots of great photography- beautifully done magazine. Subscribe. It's free!

Lea Everse Gallery

2008-02-23T23:07:00.000-08:00

I just finished putting up a gallery page for Lea Everse at After Midnight

I love her artwork and her calligraphy is to die for. *sigh*
I think I'm going to have to ask her to let me use the name from the card she sent me on my business cards.

I am discovering beer

2008-02-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

I have a friend who is teaching me the joys of beer drinking.
I always thought I didn't like beer. I am discovering that there are some wonderful beers, stouts and ales that I LOVE!

I like taking photos of beer too. :)

THE DESERT'S ART

2007-12-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure, but this might be my favorite of the face sculptures at Rosario's.

I have no idea what caused the strange lens flare in this photo. It seems rather fitting somehow though...

Check out Rosario's blog

I'll be posting artwork I photographed while visiting with him in San Felipe.

J. Rosario Torres

2007-12-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

The Baja trip had many highlights.
We had the good fortune to take a tour of the J. Rosario Torres art studio.
It was wonderful. He is an amazing artist.

As we wandered through the grounds we came across face after face. Each one more compelling than the last. I took a LOT of photos. I'll start with some of the faces and try to update with more of his artwork soon.

I love the wire work on this.

Trip to Baja

2007-12-17T18:38:00.001-08:00

I loved everything about the trip I took with Linda and Tom Hanson down to San Felipe, Baja.
The art work we saw ranged from the sublime, like the image above, to the ridiculous, like the image below.

The colors in Mexico are amazing. Everything is so intense.

Lots of textures.

It is all very inspiring. I'm hoping we can go to Baja for field trips on some of the art retreats Linda is planning. :)

Take another look at that first photo. You see this sort of recycled artwork everywhere. I can see where Micheal DeMeng gets some of his inspiration.

Happy Winter Solstice!

2007-12-13T22:40:00.001-08:00

Click on image to see it sparkle.

Rate this UTube video

2007-12-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAbuuIzCt1w

Jessica from Cre8it has some videos up at UTube!
I love her techniques.

Sheer Heaven Transfers

2007-12-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

Geodeco Thingies challenge

2007-12-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

A while back I started playing around with folded shapes, trying to use up some scraps of pretty papers.
The technique sort of 'caught on' and other people started doing variations on the concept.

After Midnight Stamps

sent out a challenge and received some wonderful entries.
Check out the results:

Geo Deco Thingy Challenge

2007-11-25T18:52:00.001-08:00

Headed out to Gustav's with my friend Juliet to try out a new beer. This one is a hazelnut something or other.
I think it is listed on her website, Brew Chicks.
Couldn't resist snapping this photo of the beautiful color when the light shone through this brew.

Off to Tucson for gourding classes

2007-11-21T21:10:00.001-08:00

Linda and I do not pack light. LOL
What would we need for four days in Tucson? EVERYTHING we could fit in the car.

The drive was wonderful. Arizona sunsets are always spectacular.

We had been really looking forward to taking gourding classes from Bonnie Gibson.
Check out her website! Arizona Gourds

Bonnie has a great book out. Her charming and talented husband took all of the photos. It is a beautiful book and would be worth having just as eye candy. Even if you can't get to one of her classes, the book is a good way to get started. It is available from her website. She carries a lot of fascinating products too.
I couldn't resist and bought 'stuff'. But it was stuff I had never come across before. :) I'll post pics when I get everything unpacked.

Bonnie is a delight. Not only is she a wonderful instructor- she is a truly charming lady.
Her gourds are amazing. Seeing photos of them on line doesn't really prepare you for the impact when you see them in real life.
If you ever get a chance to take a class from her- do not hesitate. I had a lot of fun and learned so much.
I'm finally getting over my fear of using a power tool. Bonnie is very supportive and takes the time to make sure everyone is safe and still expressing themselves freely . She encourages you to use your creativity. ( And she brings a bottle of water and sets it by you when you forget you need to keep yourself hydrated in the Arizona heat.)

This is my very first gourd attempt. I still need to do some finishing on it. But, Wow!, I was able to make something I can feel pretty good about right off the bat.
I can carve with my dremel tool! This is too cool!

2007-11-21T20:58:00.001-08:00

I loved working with the waxed linen adding coiled basketry to this gourd.
Linda and I stayed up late in our motel room having a great time coloring our gourds with Luminarte's Radiant Rain sprays and Stewart superior Memory Mists. I added some clear gourd wax after I got the colors I wanted- highlighted with some gold colored wax too.
I'm hoping to add some woodburning details to this (and I'll finish up the weaving.)

I was getting a bit better using the dremel tool by this time. You can get some great texturing effects.

This is one of my favorite techniques! I need to keep working on this and get it all smooth and perfect. :) I really like the way it is coming along.

This filigree technique was the last class of the session for us. I was finally feeling like I was really getting the hang of carving with the dremel. With any luck I will locate my flex shaft and it will be easier on my hands. LOL
I felt like I had a lot more control at this point. I'm still sloooooow- so didn't get very far. but I think I'll like this when I get it finished.

The faux basketry was a lot of fun. It was so much easier than I had expected.
This still needs some painted detail for more depth and realism.
I need a REAL woodburning tool. Wow! The one Bonnie let me borrow was awesome.

Japanese Garden

2007-10-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

Japanese Garden

Silly Quiz

2007-09-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

Opal embossing enamel quiz

Find out what color of Opals embossing enamel you are. :)

2007-09-09T18:05:00.001-07:00

Colors don't show up well in this photo. The lighting by the bar is not good for photography.
Nice to have some of my shot glass collection displayed. The shelf had looked so tacky before spraying it with the Radiant Rain mists, I hadn't been able to talk myself into hanging it. Looks great now. :)

Geo Deco Bug

2007-09-09T17:56:00.001-07:00

Patty Dennis, one of my favorite artists, made a geo deco thingy that looked like a bug. I decided I had to give it a try.
I suspect I'll be doing more versions of these. ;)

Radiant Shelf

2007-09-09T16:36:00.001-07:00

The Radiant Rain color sprays are great for refurbishing worn wood. Interesting colors and patterns emerge as you layer it on.

Lots of bees

2007-09-06T20:17:00.001-07:00

For someone who is afraid of bees, I manage to get quite a few decent photos of them.

Another bee

2007-09-06T19:39:00.001-07:00

Glenn Otto State Park

2007-09-06T18:39:00.001-07:00

Edgefield Lodge

2007-09-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

Follow the leader.

Inspired by Jessica

2007-07-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

I need to play around with this again.
I like the idea- not real happy with this version.

Yellow Flowers

2007-07-22T01:14:00.001-07:00

I managed to get a couple of decent shots of some yellow flowers. :)

Another Flower

2007-07-22T01:13:00.001-07:00

Our friends have a beautiful garden.

Not a Perfect Rose

2007-07-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is not a perfect rose. It is still beautiful.

Bumble

2007-07-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

Gotta love the zoom lens on the new camera.

Bumble bees do not stay in one spot for long.

I think this shot might work for my composition class this week.

This is my favorite of the bunch. Reminds me of "Kilroy was here" grafitti.

Death and Afterlife

2007-07-14T12:39:00.001-07:00

Another book in the Dark Themes round robin. What happens when you die?
I have no particular religious beliefs.

I've always found the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions appealing.
I love this stamp design from After Midnight. My sister drew this laughing skeleton. :)
The headstone is a photograph from a nearby cemetary. Photocollaged them together and did dry embossing.

I did some dry embossing on the rose photos. I take a lot of flower photographs.
Sketched in the branches with a Sharpie Marker.

Another of my sister's stamp designs. I just used the skull portion of this one.
I used real dirt and sand in this. Adhered with Golden brand GAC. I hope it holds up.

More bones. I have bones going down into the earth on the first page and coming back up and turning into flowers on the second page.

More time wasting fun

2007-07-13T15:29:00.001-07:00

Heat Wave

2007-07-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

It is too hot to do anything worthwhile.
I found a nifty place to play with images though...
http://www.dumpr.net/museumr.php

Sloth Studio

2007-06-22T13:01:00.001-07:00

I found a great sloth photo at:
http://www.freejunglepictures.com/sloth_pictures.htm

Photomanipped it with a pic from my studio.

Circling

2007-06-22T00:12:00.000-07:00

I am taking a class in design and compostition.
This is hard for me.
I have a webpage up showing what I am currently working on:

http://theflyingparty.com/circling/