Photo Art Friday, June 14th

Hi there!  Hope this post finds you well and enjoying your life.

It's Thursday, so that means it's time again for Photo Art Friday!  Our virtual art gallery opens its doors early to accommodate our photo-artists in other time zones.

Hard to believe that it has been two months since our last virtual photo-art showcase. The doors to our virtual gallery open Thursday and close Saturday.  That gives you lots of time to create or select a piece of photo art to share, if you have not done so already.  If you are new to Photo Art Friday, you can read the guidelines for participation here.

Regulars will recall that you are always welcome to feature any piece of your photo-art here ... AND, if you wish you can create some photo-art in line with the optional theme. The optional theme for this edition of Photo Art Friday is:   DREAMY or ETHEREAL.

Before displaying my photo-art, thought I would share some of my recent creations from playing with paint.  Actually, these photographs are now from a couple of weeks ago.

A peek at one of the work tables in the studio.

This one was photographed as a WIP (work-in-progress).  Some white has since been added to the background, among other tweaks.  I love the sort of eerie mystery and monochromatic tones of this one.  I'll be doing some other versions with different colours.  (Click on the image to enlarge.)

This quasi abstract image was created using only a metal spatula - slapping areas of colour on the canvas and then carving the trees and branches into the colours with the corner of the spatula.  The path was created by simply smoothing the area with the spatula and the leaves were made by patting the spatula up and down on the areas.  Yes, I had to add some green blobs of paint to the canvas in the appropriate areas for those leaves.

This piece hardly qualifies as a painting - not sure what to call it.  When I completed this piece it reminded me of something but I could not put my finger on exactly what it was.  Then my son said it looked like native American Indian totem art - the kind seen in British Columbia.  That was it!

Unplanned cracks appeared in a lot of the paint due to a glossy 'pouring' medium used to thin the paint. I actually love all the cracks.  No brushes were harmed in the making of this piece!  All the paint was poured onto the surface.  Guess I should call it a 'pouring' rather than a painting!

Now for this week's 'dreamy' photo art:

A coral-colored poppy made pink and dreamy with simple edits in Photoshop Elements.

To achieve the dreamy look I played with a pale gradient fill - among other manipulations in Photoshop.



I have decided to have only one Photo Art Friday per month - on the first Friday of every month.  This new schedule will begin on Friday, August 2nd.  I'm skipping July for health and holiday reasons.



The optional theme for August 2nd's edition of PAF is:

A photo-art collage sampler that also includes one of the following features -

*  your name (or initials), or

*  the name (or initials) of your blog or website, or

*  the name (or initials) of your business

This could turn into a useful project that can be used as a background or header for your blog/website;  business cards;  shipping labels; etc. etc. 

(A tip:  Add the initials or name to the collage using a separate layer.  Then you can easily remove it and use the photo-art collage sampler as is - for other purposes.) 

This may seem like a big project, but you have about six weeks until August 2nd to create something using your photo-art, your editing skills to make a collage sample of your photo art, and featuring as much or as little 'self-promotion' (3 choices above) as pleases you.

Help ... I can't stop ...

Hi Everyone ...

Hope all is well in your little corner of the world.  I'm missing connecting with you through Photo Art Friday and seeing all your creatively-edited photographs.  I'm still planning on bringing PAF back for June 14th (June 13th for early-birds).  The optional theme or challenge for that date is at the end of this post.

In the meantime, I'm still caught up in a painting frenzy - experimenting with as many new styles, tools and techniques as I can manage.  I tend to get a little obsessive when it comes to my creative outlets.  Hope to have it under control soon!  :)

 Here's a view of the studio from a couple of days ago.

 Backgrounds done ... now what?  Creates a lot of excitement and even a bit of anxiety as I face the 'blank' canvas!  :)

Here's an easy one that's finished.  While easy, it does take thought and time to choose the right colors and divisions.  The thin black line was suggested by my personal art consultant (my supportive DH!) and it adds just the right touch in my opinion.

Here I took a little 'walk on the wild side'.  I knew I wanted to pair shocking pink and a vivid orange, but it took a while to get the proportions devoted to each color the way I wanted them.  On an impulse I mixed paint with a special pouring medium and let it flow down from the top.  Probably ruined the entire piece.  But I'm learning what I like, what's possible and above all I am slowly learning that I have to know when to stop!  It's a bit like learning when to stop adding ingredients to a favorite dish!  Knowing when the piece is complete and that I need to STOP seems to be my biggest challenge right now!


If you take the time to add a comment to this post, I'd love to hear what you have been up to of late.  Please take a moment to share!  :)   I'm happy I took some time off but I'm really feeling out of the loop.


Here's a lovely little texture for you:

To access your free download of pdpa Eau de Cologne texture, just smile and click here!

So, since Photo Art Friday link-up gallery returns in only three weeks (June 14th), we need an optional theme or challenge for the photo art to be showcased ... Hmmmm ... how about:

Dreamy or Ethereal

Looking forward to seeing all your submissions to our virtual photo-art gallery in June!

... clinging ...

Pulled this piece of photo art out of my files for you.  I am still painting - and loving it!  It's been incredibly cold here in the northeast for this time of year - so I've had a great excuse to stay in the studio painting and to not work in the garden.

Temps are supposed to get back to normal soon, so if you are looking for me this weekend, I'll be in the garden. Wish you could drop by ... there are lots of sweet spots on our land for sitting, a hammock for dreaming and a babbling brook to sooth your soul. I'd bring you a lemon-aide and we could chat while you relax and keep me company and I weed and plant some annuals.....  One can dream ...   :)


NOTE:  PARC subscribers - please complete your downloads of textures as I will be closing the site tomorrow.  I've been seeing many of the textures released during your subscription in various pieces of your photo art over the past few weeks and it really pleases me to see how you use them.  It's been great fun ... thank you!

Checking in ...

When I look at the calendar, I see that I have not posted anything here for a couple of weeks.  Have to admit I've really been enjoying some time away from blogging.  In fact, I really had to talk myself into sitting in front of the computer today.  My body balks at sitting and my mind demands that I go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

But here I am ... because my heart tells me I must maintain my connection with all you wonderful people.  Right now, YOU are what I miss about blogging.  I hope you are all well.

First, let me say to Photo Art Resource Cache subscribers that the full subscription of textures is up and waiting for you to download.  If some of you had trouble with the downloads recently, the problem has been fixed.  The site will close on May 15th, so grab your textures while you can and enjoy!  

A couple of you asked for a peek at my work (paintings) and my studio - so here goes ... Now don't get too excited ...  My studio is a just a portion of our large, finished and well-lit garage and my adventures in painting are definitely more therapeutic than artistic ...

Here is where I play with paints, brushes and spatulas.  I love texture (you already know that!) and find using spatulas (more than brushes) suits what I like to do (and am capable of doing).

This is the same collage as above, but with some text added to it.  The canvas in the upper left of this collage is now a painting hanging in a stairwell in our home.  The painting of two women was framed given to my eldest daughter for her birthday.  The two red pieces have evolved since this photo was taken and are waiting to be framed and hung.  The empty blue canvas laying on the table has been finished and is waiting for my son to pick it up. (You might be better able to read some of the words in the collage if you click on the image to enlarge it.)

Not the best photograph, but it gives you a bit of an idea of what became of the canvas in the upper left of the previous collage ...  I intended for the edges to look scuffed and textured.  Really ... I did!  This painting is really much brighter and more dynamic than this photo shows.  Really ... it is!

Canvases in various states of completion.  The blue one is one requested by my son - 'wide, narrow and full of blues' were his words.

 Here's a clipped view of the finished Pollock-esque piece for my son.

The black figure on a red background above is a study of a famous painting by Matisse and I am calling it, 'Etude Matisse'.  The one with a similar figure to the left of it has been claimed by my middle daughter and her partner and is now set off in a great gold frame with white matte.

Do you see the remnants of wool Berber rugs on my studio floor?  My husband installed them so that my feet would not get cold.  The garage is heated and rugs are totally impractical, but I don't complain when he is so thoughtful!  :)

Here is the painting for my middle daughter, sitting on a table in poor lighting in the studio, waiting for her to pick it up.  I saw a little something in it I wanted to adjust, so she could not take it home when she first saw it.

So ... as you see I just try my hand at different styles of painting and see what happens. And, yes, because I am a neophyte painter and have not yet discovered my own style, I sometimes copy master works to try and get a feel for their style. That is a common technique of art teachers, btw. (It can be a very demoralizing exercise, however!)

Right now I am trying my hand at some Rothko-style pieces.  It looked like it would be really easy, but as with many things, appearances can be deceiving.  I am finding it to be much more of a challenge than I anticipated.  You can see examples of Rothko's paintings here.

If I can paint, anyone can and I highly recommend giving it a try both as a creative and a therapeutic endeavor. If you love the form, color, texture and self-expression of photography and digital photo-art why not dip your toe in the waters (colors)?  Be warned, however, there are no 'Undo' buttons!  :)

Here's a free texture for you.  It does great things to skies, hence its name 'Sky Love'. The download button will be removed in a couple of weeks so download it while you can.

Download

Free Texture For You!

Throw a pebble into a pond and watch 

the perfect circles 

form and spread effortlessly. 

Think of your art as that circle – 

a circle of creative energy spiraling out, 

taking in new influences, 

reaching out for new experiences – 

but always coming back to center – 

to you.

~Virginia Cobb

Hi there - it's been a while since I've posted here.  Hope all is well in your little corner of the world.  In my little corner, I've been spending time in my studio painting.  I have completed 3 pieces of art and have two other works in progress.  It feels so good! 

It's great to have the tactile experience of tangible art-making tools, the canvas, the acrylic mediums and paints, as opposed to the virtual elements used for creating digital art.  Though I have to admit I really miss having an 'Undo' button while painting!  With digital art it is so easy to undo, or save one version of an art piece and then proceed immediately on the next.  Not so with acrylics on canvas.  Clean-up takes a little longer too!  :)

Anyway ... I just had this overwhelming need to get away from the computer and to get back into the studio ... so that's where I've been.

I want to thank you for your kind, understanding comments when I announced that Photo Art Friday would be taking a two month hiatus.  I was really touched by your empathy and encouragement.  It made taking the break a much less 'guilt-inducing' choice.    :)

Here's a sweet, little texture for you:

Download your high res copy of pdpa Spring Light texture here.

pdpa Spring Light texture was applied to this image and blended in Hard Light - opacity left at 100%.  Poster Edges Filter creates the little black lines in the canvas-like texture and gives the image a bit more of a painterly feel.

P.A.R.C. Subscribers:  New textures are waiting for you on the Photo Art Resource Cache.  You have until May 15th to download all the textures that have accumulated on the site.  So if you have not grabbed them all yet ... you have about 3 weeks left to do so!

Did you know that you can now download a free Beta version of the new Lightroom 5?  Adobe releases a Beta (test) version that allows customers to try it out for free.  Adobe hopes that those who try it will give them feedback about the new version - you are not obliged to give feedback however.  Just download it and try it out.  It is probably configured to expire once they release Lightroom 5 for sale - but in the meantime you can experience and enjoy this fantastic organizing and editing program.  Lightroom is really not an expensive product.  I have Lightroom 4 and find it to be amazing value for the money.

Photo Art Friday, April 12th - 13th

Hey there all you lovely photo artists!  Hope all is well in your corner of the world. Did you pick up the free texture released in my last post? It's a beauty, so if you don't have it yet, you can get it here.

It's Thursday, so time for all you early-birds to link up your photo art submissions for this week's edition of Photo Art Friday.

Any digital ART image created with your photographs is welcome in this virtual showcase. If you wish, you can share images featuring shadows and/or light, which is the optional challenge this week.

Here are my submissions for the week:

Yellow roses given to me by my DH for Valentine's Day.  Love the light shining through some of the petals. The light makes the yellow petals look white. (Click on any image for a larger view.)

I applied the green texture in the upper right corner of this pdpa Cachet Classique Texture Set to the rose image above.

You can acquire this great set and more from my Mini-Sets Texture Shoppe. There are four textures in every set and each set is only $5 USD.  Do check it out! Some really superior textures are waiting for you there.

A photograph of an enclosed pedestrian walkway over railway tracks.  Loved the simple graphic elements in the design of this corridor, and the light and shadow on the floor.  One of my textures creates the design on the walls and wood supports.

On the right side of this screen shot, in the layers panel, you can see the photograph, the texture applied and the adjustments made. The texture was blended in Difference mode with the opacity adjusted to 85%.

A photograph taken by a friend several years ago.  With adjustments in Photoshop I added light and then applied one of my bokeh textures. This vivacious, dynamic, life-loving little soul is seldom captured in such a quiet, reflective pose!



I have decided to put Photo Art Friday on hiatus for 2 months. I will still be making posts and sharing the occasional free texture here on the blog and will keep you updated as to when exactly PAF will start up again.  

Right now the plan is for Photo Art Friday to return on June 14th - 15th.

I apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment the hiatus causes.  In the meantime, I hope you will continue to create your great photo-art and save some of it for future PAF submissions. 

Oh My ...

Oh my ... you guys totally rock!  What a fabulous collage edition of Photo Art Friday!!!  I'm really running out of superlatives to describe what I see in our virtual showcase each week.   Guess the best way to describe how I feel is "totally inspired"!  

Several of you who had never tried your hand at digital art collage took up the challenge and produced some wicked work!  Thank you so much to everyone who participated.

I think it's time for a free texture.  Here's a special one for you.  Enjoy!  (You may have noticed that I've changed the way I operate here with regard to free textures.  From now on you will only have a couple of weeks to download them.  I will then remove the link, so grab them when they go up for they will no longer be available indefinitely!)

The time allotted to download this texture has expired.



PARC subscribers:  New textures await you!