W is for Wide over Water

Yesterday was a wonderful day that began with a family photo shoot under the St. Johns Bridge. It was also the day before my grandson's second birthday - so spirits were high and it wasn't raining. Who could ask for more?

This is my photo, taken while waiting for the rest of the family to arrive - tweaked a little in my favorite tool (Photoshop of course). I think this reflects the light, the brightness and the breadth of my feelings for the ones who gathered together and made this Thanksgiving day so memorable.

Art Every Day: W is for Winter

Day 23

Winter has arrived with an 'Arctic Blast' to our usually temperate region. The frost and some snow are truly on the pumpkin, and some tiny pears that never developed on the tree. I love the way one is still growing upwards (they do that till the grow heavy enough to turn downwards.)

For me, winter is always the time of wishing for warmer weather. The yellow in these pears brings a little sunshine to the coldest day.

This is a combo of Mother Nature, digital photography and Photoshop.

Art Every Day: R is for River Revisited

Day 18
One of the best things about having a dog is the walks we take. Living as I do surrounded by water, I often walk along the river. It seemed like every walk last fall (not so much this rainy one) resulted in a stunning play of light on leaves, clouds and water.

I took dozens of photographs, and tried several time to capture the vibrant light in pastels. The paintings always lacked the intensity I saw outdoors. So I tried again today. I am still struggling with the texture and shape of the mass of trees, but the light is a little better. The sky really was this blue. I think all this challenge practice is helping.

Every time I look at the photo or the painting, I remember the incredible beauty of that day on the river.

This is pastel on canson mi tiente.

Art Every Day: O is for Observation (and maybe Obsession)

Day 15

Today's picture is a digital image, a photograph of the sky viewed from the top of the hill in the park on the mushroom expedition. What grabbed my attention was the group of stripes in the middle of the clouds.

I have always been highly visual. I learn best by watching, I notice tiny details all around me, and most of all, I am aware of color. The advent of a digital camera in my life offered incredible opportunities for observation and focus. I especially enjoy the ability to see things from a macro perspective (see my flower pictures on this blog.) The process of viewing the world through the digital lens has clearly increased my powers of observation.

Then I started to paint from my photographs. My early efforts were most successful when I painted the lights and the darks that I saw. I spent hours searching my Picasa files finding images that would work to allow me to use the new skills I was developing. Seascapes, sunsets, images with strong contrast worked the best.

This new way of seeing, and my quest for images to paint became apparent in the photos I took. And my photos were definitely better. But there was more change coming. Soon, when I looked at an object or a scene, I began to think about how I could paint it. I observed carefully, running questions through my mind. Where were the lights? What were the colors in the shadows? What shapes, what lines did I see? I had the odd experience of walking into familiar places and seeing them in new ways - with an eye toward recreating them on my page.

Which brings me back to today's image. The sky over the park was huge - but the light was only in the sky, the earth was dark. I wanted to highlight the stripes of clouds I find so beautiful. I used my digital tools to open the foreground, illuminate the sky and make the colors as vibrant here as they are in my imagination.