New work

I have been spending a lot of time exploring digital art. I've wandered into the area before but this time have settled in, made myself comfortable and may be here for quite awhile.

I love doing this because it can be done anytime of the day, only requires a computer, a scanner, for adding your own photos, papers etc, a camera is also nice to take photos to use, and a photo editing program or two.

No mess, no fuss, not a lot of money needed and I can sit in the living room with the family working on art while they watch tv, play their own games on their tablets, or Nintendo Ds's or even read, either a real book or, which is more likely, on their Kindles.

The work can be saved, without worrying about where to put it so it will be safe from cats. There are no paint fumes or other chemicals to worry about. Best of all, if you don't like something you can just delete it and start over!

Anyhow, I have been pretty much doing a piece every day lately, so thought I would share the last two.

"Spring"

"Nature Walk"

Jill of all trades, mistress of none..or time flies on glossy black wings..

Today's anticipated project went no where fast due to the fact that I couldn't settle on what project I should actually do! I have so many irons in the fire that I can't figure which one to pull out when it's time.

There are just TOO many things that I want to do. Too many things I want to learn. Maybe I am feeling a bit frantic to crowd as much as possible in now, during the last years of my life.

Things that I always wanted to learn when I was a lot younger but could never take the time to do, or was never ALLOWED to do by one person or another.

I know I am only 56 which isn't really old, but it isn't really young either, and to me, it is almost too late.

So I try to do everything that I wanted to do in this game of life, and I mean EVERYTHING. Which usually means I start something and then don't finish it as I jump to the next thing.

At times I almost can't bear the excitement that fills me!

The burning need to CREATE using the things I have learned. During those times I feel so alive, so eager and confident!

I am also often frustrated as chores, errands or some problem demands my time and pulls me away from what I want to be doing...or like today...my own inability to settle on something.

Then it happens and I begin to fade and long for nothing more than my chair, a thick blanket and a book. Sometimes not even a book. I just long to sit for hours wrapped in a cocoon, doing nothing. Which is the feeling I am fighting now, at this moment in time.

Anyhow, enough of this drivel. This is not what I originally sat down to right. I came here, to this blog, to ask all of you who have known me for years your opinion.

I ask you, who know me best and have seen every form of art I have done, from that of many years ago,  to the most recent, which type do YOU like the most? Which you would like to see me do more of,  which do you think I do best?

I  ask you this to help me clear my head and maybe to help me focus my energies on my most popular type of work. Hopefully, some of you will have a word or two to say! I'm not sure which would be worse, to have people say something along the lines of..none of it, give up the dream! Or to not comment at all!!

Honestly? I expect no comments...cause I only have like two readers to begin with..LOL so I guess I am just writing this out for that other side of me to see. You know,  the half crazy one who rushes willy nilly from one thing to the next? Who knows, maybe it will cause her to calm down, take a deep breath and do what she loves the best.

Whatever that may be.....

Day 24 of the B&W photo project

I am really getting into the b&w project. In fact, today I was so involved in getting the *perfect shot*  that  I completely forgot about a webinar I planned on taking today today.  It took me forever to get the shot I had in mind. 

First I tried some shells on a white background..no, no, no. Got the black background, which was better, but didn't like the shells, got different ones..nope. Several tries later, I kind of liked the shells but decided there were too many, so took some away, added a couple back, took all but the 3 here away...good.

Took a few shots with them in different arrangements until I found the one I liked. Then the light was off. Tried just an overhead light , no. Tried an overhead and a light on either side, no. Then  just the two side ones, no, etc etc etc..finally settled on the overhead and one floor lamp (with shade removed) which I picked up and held about a foot over the shells. I tried shots holding the light on both sides and then overhead until I found what I wanted.

So there I was, kneeling on the floor because the shells were on an end table, I would hold the lamp up, press remote shutter a little, put the lamp down so I could adjust the exposure, pick it back up and check again. Perfect! Try to balance and take the shot, better take a few just in case I move or something. Sure the camera is on the tripod and I am using the remote, but I just might move the lamp I am holding up!

Yes I am a bit obsessive at times :-) I won't even admit how long it was before I got the shot I wanted, but I think all the time was worth it. 

What do you think?

Lots of new work in the works!

Where to start..maybe with the photo projects, I have two (so far!) going on this year. The first is a 52 week project which I started instead of doing a 365 day one. I chose to work with the same theme for all 52 weeks. Namely, FOOD. I thought that would be pretty easy to stick to since we all have contact with some type of food on a daily basis :-D. This is the photo I did for Week 3, the other weeks can be seen by clicking the 52 Weeks tab.

Braided Apple Struedel Loaf

Remember how I said I wasn't going to do a 365 day project? Well guess what? I changed my mind and am doing BOTH the 52 weeks AND the 365 days projects. I know, crazy huh? Again I decided to work with a theme, this one is a bit more *open* because I can take photos of anything. However, they all have to be in B&W, and not color that has been converted to B&W, but done using the B&W setting IN the camera. Also they have to be as close to perfect as possible straight out of the camera. I'm allowing myself to crop, and maybe boost contrast a bit..and that's it. This is the photo for day 19, the rest of this project can be seen  in the 365 Project tab.

"Shelephant"

That covers the photographic projects that I have going on this year, I also have a couple of others I'm working on. One is the black and white vintage gadgets, which I believe I will be doing in fabric. I plan on doing 1-8x10 block per month, quilting each block as it is finished and then at the end of the year connecting them all to make one large piece. I'll be starting the first block next week, using this gadget..a melon baller. Blocks can be seen as they are done either here or in the Vintage Gadgets tab.

Lastly (for now anyhow!) a new series developed overnight and is already in the works, although it has gotten so much bigger than what I had originally intended that I may have to start over! Haven't decided it this series will be all separate pieces or combined into one HUGE one. Also not sure what medium in will be done in yet. The original idea was to do one 9x12 mixed media canvas, which I began work on yesterday (shown below). Sometime during the night though the small seed I had planted took root and began sprouting many many branches. At this time I now have a six part series (with more in mind). Definitely not going to fit on one 9x12 canvas..LOL I think I'll end up using the canvas I started yesterday for something different and restart this new project, which I am calling "? Steps to Inner Peace" question mark will be replaced with an actual number when I figure out how many steps I'm doing.

What do you think for this revised project, one huge or several small..I'm thinking they will be at last 24x36" each if I do them as individual pieces.

By the way, the tabs I mentioned above are not showing on the blog for some reason. If you're interested in seeing previous photos then keep checking to see if I've fixed it, otherwise just keep up with the progress of the various projects as I write new posts about them!

New series in the planning stages.

I have been trying to decide what to work on this year as a monthly project and have finally settled on a 12 part series featuring vintage kitchen gadgets, done in black and white.

These will be small works, I'm thinking 9x12 that can be combined into either one larger piece at the end of the year..like a block of the month type project, or can simply be hung as a group for impact...in which case the borders will all be the same to resemble matting and frames.

Decided to go with the black and white to add to the vintage look and also because most of the gadgets I own are tin, steel or aluminum.

Went through drawers this morning and have come up with eight items that I have close at hand to get me started.

They include, an old egg beater, kitchen scales, cheese grater, dough blender, a chopper, tea infuser, meat tenderizer, and a 6 sided cookie cutter from Holland. I believe I have more items packed in the basement. If not, I'm looking forward to thrift store and yard sale hunting to uncover the last 4 items :-)

I may start with my cookie cutter, shown below

Still have some decisions to make about this project, not sure if I'm going with realistic pieces, or taking close up shots of sections and then doing more abstract ones. Either way, I am looking forward to starting work on this though!

Some new digital pieces

A friend on Facebook posted a link to a new paint program..new to me anyhow. I have been playing with it a bit and am pretty pleased with the results so far. Here are just a few of what I've come up with.

What do you think of them?

New Fast Friday Fabric Challenge

This month's Fast Friday Fabric Challenge has been posted and I have a couple of ideas in mind.  This month’s challenge will focus on auspicious numbers.

Idea one: Using my Life Journey # which is ONE .Each number has multiple colors associated with it. Each number has a primary color, which directly corresponds to your chakras and your sense of health and balance. Your secondary colors are associated with overall growth. All of the colors can be extremely powerful in your life and are important as they can be used to your benefit for personal development, self-discovery, and tapping into your creativity
This Life Journey #1 is about developing your own will, individuality, decisiveness, and expressing your creativity, Being a caring, considerate leader is as important as is being on your own and forging your own path. Standing on your own two feet is important. MY corresponding colors are Red, Crimson, Apricot, which supposedly help with Stimulation, Growth, excitement, high spirits, and physical energy, Determination, and Passion.

Idea 2: In the Chinese tradition certain numbers such as five are considered auspicious, so I might use something along this line of belief..or do a little research and come up with something totally unique, or maybe combine ideas 1 and 2.

Whichever way I choose to go I know one thing. It should be fun :-)