It's tough to re-learn

 

It's been years since I've had the time (or interest) to return to digital photography and embellish / alter, etc.  I used to play for hours, layering images and text and textures in order to achieve "the right look".  But lately I've found I like the somewhat blurred, vintage look -- soft, ethereal.

I've always admired the work of Kim Klaussen and Jill Ferry of Flypaper Textures, but recently found the work of Denise Love in a copy of Bella Grace.  So today with the temperatures once again soaring into the 90s and high humidity, I retreated to my artsy "Bat Cave" to play a few hours before going to work.

Small blossoms are often lovely -- their simplicity compelling.  This is a shot I took several springs ago during one of my morning walks (no, not a power walk; more like a wandering meander!).  I layered several textures on the original image, including some text, then worked a Gaussian Blur and lowered the saturation a few times.

And then my software crapped out and the image was compromised -- just a weird wiry image like a dying TV screen!  WTF?!?   Deep breath, Kelly.  Start again.  And amazingly, I like this image better than the one before.  Goes to show that patience is a virture, uh?  

This image is now available on my Red Bubble account, if you're interested in notecards and such.  I still have so much to do to organize my little corner of RB -- create "collections" for easier searching, etc.  But I'll get there eventually.

 

And on another entirely different subject -- but still creative! -- I dug out my old tabletop loom this morning, dusted it off and polished it up.  Another project I intend to re-visit this autumn.  I'm loving the wall hangings I keep seeing in the Scandi magazines and sites.  

How about you?  What are you up to as the summer winds down and we're still somewhat constricted with the pandemic?  

 

Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.

Camille Pissarro

The Palest of Pale

"The light of memory, or rather the light that memory
lends to things, is the palest light of all. . . . 
I am not quite sure whether I am dreaming
or remembering, whether I have lived my life
or dreamed it. 

Eugène Ionesco

"There is such a thing as the impression of luminosity."

Ludwig Wittgenstein

A Rummaging Kind of Day

Enough is enough.  Too much snow and ice.  Too much white.  My soul craves color -- luscious, edible color!

So today I went rummaging through drawers, in dark corners where things are stashed from years ago, from times when one was just learning and yet hesitant to toss out those small fledgling paintings that helped spur the creative act yet seemed so elementary, so child-like at the time . . .

Well, I dug through those little guys and found I was laughing, mostly at the titles I had given them!  But the colors made me smile and counter-acted the grimness of what lay beyond the windows.  So I will share them with you in the hopes that they make you smile, too:

An Intense Pair of Pears

I can only think that this series was painted because I was hungry; must have been dieting for my daughter's wedding --

Available as a matted print; click here
Available as greeting cards; click here

Anjou and Bosch

Sounds like a law firm . . .

Available as a matted print; click here
Available as greeting cards; click here

Smokin' Java!

This was before high blood pressure hit; now on decaf, most of the time anyway  -- :-)

Similar to our "bad hair" days . . .

Available as a matted print; click here
Available as greeting cards; click here

 A Stormy Pair

Just look at those lewd colors -- what was I thinking???

Bouquet in Shadow

And with this painting, I leave you with thoughts of spring to come, of flowers and birdsong, of balmy breezes wafting through your hair, of an exquisite bead of sweat trickling down the back, of bare feet on a warm deck and a chilled glass of wine close at hand . . . ah, perchance to dream!

Now pardon me as I have to go back out there and chip away at a frozen driveway . . . ugh.

Autumn Light & Shadow

Autumn -- one of the most beautiful seasons with nature's array of colors, but also one of the saddest -- losing the light, deepening shadows conveying a sense of urgency, a growing awareness of decay beside such beauty.

Because of the drought we've experienced, the leaves are brittle and dry, curling up upon themselves before their time. I picked several hosta leaves that, to me, appeared almost mummified, frozen in time. I wanted to try and capture the delicacy of these structures. I knew I couldn't accomplish this with my camera, so I carefully scanned them, using a length of velvet as a soft weight.

I want to continue these explorations, this navigation through a shadow world that demands we look closely and spend time with these fragile structures.

So, as the light begins to fade and the orb of sun drifts down into the horizon, cherish the light -- grab those final moments and celebrate Autumn!

Come forth into the light of things.

Let nature be your teacher.

William Wordsworth