Wordless Wednesday

Pomeranian Puppies

Belle (female)

male

Ariel (female)

This morning I photographed three little 5 week old pomeranian puppies for the Nebraska Pomeranian Rescue. They weigh about 2 pounds, so you can imagine how small they are! The male doesn't have a name because he is already spoken for, but his new family hasn't named him yet. The two females are still available for adoption through the rescue.

Wordless Wednesday

Home Again

I am home from the art retreat --- rejuvenated, inspired, and thankful for the opportunity provided to me. I stitched layers of canvas onto smaller pieces of canvas, as the first layer of texture on those pieces. Plus I used gel medium to add cheesecloth and crumpled tissue paper to squares of masonite board and canvases. All totaled, I have 40 new backgrounds ready for paint, and I am thrilled.

The setting for the retreat center is beautiful --- acres along the East Nishnabotna River, and the weather was gorgeous! The leaves were mostly gone in the woods, but there was fungi everywhere, and I took a couple hundred photographs. Because of the wooded setting, there were also numerous varieties of birds. The nuthatch above was perched near our deck one morning.

Art Retreat

This morning I am off to a 3 day art retreat, where I plan to work with mixed media texture and stitching. The setting is several acres along the East Nishnabotna River in Iowa, so I am taking my hiking boots and camera as well. I cherish these few days of uninterrupted time to create, far away from the distractions of every day life.

The little fellow in the photo above visits this suet feeder several times a day, but this is the first time that I've been able to capture him with my camera. He doesn't stay for long, so by the time I go in and get my camera, he is gone. This time I happened to have my camera with me as I heard his call, so I patiently waited for him to get to the suet, then snapped several photographs of him.

Wordless Wednesday

New Guy at Our House

This is TJ, a 4 month old westie/chihuahua puppy that we are fostering now. He weighs about 6 pounds and is a real sweetheart! We just got him yesterday afternoon, and he has settled in quite well with Zeke and Mya. All 3 of them were playing fetch in the backyard last night. AND bless his heart, he slept through the night last night!

TJ is available for adoption through Wag N Train Terrier Rescue.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17607593

Photoshop Again

Same process as yesterday --- these trees are my Background Layer.

This photo of an angel is Layer 1.

This time I changed the Blend Mode to Overlay, AND slid the Opacity slider to 50%. This step makes the angel even less prominent.

Then go to File, New, and change the Background Contents to Transparent. In this new file, choose the Text tool, change your Font and Pt. Size to something you like, and type some text to go with your merged photos. Then use the Move tool to move this text over to your overlaid photos and position it wherever you like it best.

For a collage artist and photographer, this process has unlimited potential!

Photoshop Tutorial #1

A couple of days ago, I started researching how to combine images in Photoshop, in a way that the images are overlaid, and each image shows in the finished image. Here is what I figured out.

The first step is to select two photos to use, and make sure that both photos are the same size and resolution. Open both photos in Photoshop and decide which image is most important --- the one that you want to feature most prominently in the finished image. I know this sounds backwards, but that image is the one that needs to be the Background Layer in Photoshop. In my example, the dried flowers are my Background Layer.

Click on the other image, and using the Move tool, move the second image on top of the first image. At this point, the second image will totally obscure your original image, and the second image will be Layer 1. In my example, the photo of the trail marker is Layer 1.

Now, in the Layers panel, double click on the image for Layer 1, and a pop-up box will open. In this pop-up box, there is a field named Blend Mode. It defaults to Normal. Change it to Overlay. Click OK, and the magic happens!

Tomorrow I'll post an example in color, and I'll add some text to it.

Wordless Wednesday

Green Tomato Relish

We have started the process of cleaning out the vegetable gardens for the winter. We've only had one slight frost so far, but the tomato plants have quit producing tomatoes, and the green tomatoes weren't ripening anymore. So we picked the green tomatoes and pulled out the plants. The only plants left in the gardens now are the green peppers and the cherry tomatoes.

Yesterday I ground up the green tomatoes with some green peppers, carrots, and zucchini and made 4+ quarts of relish. It has a sweet and sour taste to it, and we all love it!

Afternoon at the Lake

Yesterday I took my camera and headed to the lake to check out the leaf colors. So far this year the colors have been fairly disappointing. We had plenty of moisture, but the leaves seem to be dropping before they turn the magnificent colors that I have been envisioning. Here's a shot of the bank of the lake, so you can see what I mean. I am an optimist though, so I'll keep hoping that there's still time for some great color.

Perspectives

Perspectives #1

I've started working on a new series of collages that is really exciting to me! They are inspired by the walks I took with Dad along the shore, and the colors are reminiscent of sea glass. My dad and I spent many hours walking together, picking up shells and stones, and talking about every topic imaginable. He was a very intelligent and logical thinker, and his thoughts gave me perspective as I was growing up.

Magenta Skies

Magenta Skies #1

I recently finished a new series of 10 mixed media collages titled "Magenta Skies". These pieces were inspired by a sunrise walk I took last Autumn. The sky was a gorgeous magenta color, and the trail was overgrown with Osage Orange trees. I loved the contrast of the warmth of the sky against the cold thorny branches of the trees. Click here to see the entire series.

Change of Scenery

I have been in Lawrence, KS for the last few days --- attending an opening reception and a workshop. Both events were fun, but the highlight of my trip happened far earlier in the day. Each morning I went to Clinton Lake before sunrise and watched the sun rise over the lake. Some mornings were foggy; some mornings were filled with sea gulls and herons; some mornings were quiet and serene. I took over 300 photographs and came home filled with inspiration!

Rain, Rain, Rain

It seems like it has been raining here forever. The grass is starting to look like a field, and while the gardens love the rain, nothing is ripening without the sun.

The upside to this weather is that I have been working in the studio without any second thoughts about the gardens. I have finished a new series of 10 mixed media collages that will debut in my October newsletter. If you're not a subscriber and would like to start receiving my newsletter, send me an email or leave me a comment with your email address.

The photo above is Mya, and I love the shadow play and the tilt of her head. She is so photogenic!

Monarch Heaven

I don't remember that the sedum has ever attracted as many monarch butterflies as this year. Every time I walk outside, there are probably 5-6 butterflies on each plant. My camera and I are truly enjoying this photo opportunity!

Last of the Leaves

5" x 5"

This is the last of the leaf watercolors that I have been working on. I'm packing my watercolors away for a while, so I can work on some mixed media collages. I seem to cycle through phases in the studio, and I feel like it is time to let the watercolors rest.

I am painting cloth and canvas now and contemplating a series of collages that incorporate cloth as well as bits of unsuccessful watercolors. I still have leaves on my mind, so these collages will probably have a neutral palette.

Once the trees start changing colors, I'm sure I will be working in brighter colors. I seem to be inspired to create a new "Autumn" series each year, and I can already feel that in my heart this year as well. It is such fun to be an artist with natural inspiration all around!

Comfort Painting with a Twist

When I get frustrated in the studio, the two things I turn to are photography and watercolor painting. It seems that I can always go out on a photography jaunt or get out my watercolor supplies and feel success.

Recently I have been working on a new series, and even though I have tried what feels like a zillion approaches, to date I am not happy with the results. So out came my watercolors and my watercolor block. It recently dawned on me that all of my watercolors have been realistic scenes from nature. So I did some exploring with abstracts in the last couple of weeks. Though not wildly successful, I did enjoy the process, and I hope to continue exploring that path.

This time I returned to my realistic painting roots, but changed to a non-nature subject. I am quite pleased with this rendition of a padlock, and it has given me tons of ideas for new subjects --- like weathered barns, and the rust on the grain bins, and peeling paint on ancient farm machinery, and crumbling bricks and broken glass in old buildings.

THIS is what is great about being an artist --- that never-ending fascination with exploration and "what if"!

Inside Looking Out

This morning the dogs were in the backyard with my husband, and I was out front photographing a dragonfly. When I came down the walkway, here was Mya, watching for me. The wistfulness in her eyes is obvious. Even though I don't usually like photos of animals in cages or behind fences, I love the story this photo tells.