Wednesday, June 30, 2010

more from the cemetery

for as far as the eye can see
there are
mausoleums, crypts and graves
at first you might think they are all similar
but each one unique
every door, handle, window,
architectural feature
have their own little details

the paths winds up and down hills
in all directions
every turn something more amazing awaits

one of my favorites
at first glace you think
"this ones really different"
as you walk a little closer
you realize how much detail there is



the bottom half of the door
is a grid of owls and flowers
---------
even the patina was a work of art





the folds of the robe look like they move with the shadows


the mystery to see who it is under the hood
------
even as we peaked inside
we where amazed to find a staircase
going down
--------
all the photos taken this spring at
see more from my paris trip here on my flickr page

Sunday, June 27, 2010

i love texture

i'm on day seven of my paris photos
which was one of my favorite days
we wondered for at least 6 hours through
the cimetiere du pere-lachaise
i could have spent at least another day


it was very overwhelming
so many details

i took over 800 photos
mostly of the rust!!!


Friday, June 25, 2010

working in RAW

that's camera raw
i'm on week two of
on line class
(loving it!)
i don't shoot in raw
so i've never been exposed to it
or did i know that i could use my jpegs
marie has shown us the difference
and how to clean up an otherwise
disappointing photo
when i'm out taking photographs
first i take a lot and second i don't
like to think about it too much
my camera is usually set on automatic
(except when indoors or wheni have the patience)
and i work on them when i get home
what i do think about is
"that's a great shape", or
" that will make a great frame"
or cool grunge
"i can make a great overlap in ps"
or just " i like that"
so needless to say when i get home
i spend alot of time organizing and
cleaning up my favorite shots
------
above a shot from my paris trip
we where on the shady side of the
working in raw makes it so easy to
improve any photo


another before and after
the day before we went to the
cimetiere du pere-lachaise
i took a photo class with sophie pasquet
as we wondered around montmartre
it was a very hazy day
we played with my camera settings
to get some really great shots
so the next morning when we got to the
cemetery my camera was still on manual
and i took about 20 photos before i noticed
(not enough coffee)
i did try to fix them while on my trip with not much luck
and now that i know about raw......
it's a whole new world !!!
thanks marie!!
-------
if you missed out on taking this class or
would like to sign up for the next one
space is limited
so you better e-mail marie
and reserve a spot

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

encaustic class

today was my last class until the fall
i've been wanting to do something with
my paris photos
finally i got my printer working
(thanks lennie)
so i could enlarge the image
-------
the background was a mix of
taupe, white, cream and beige
i used the iron to smooth it out
so i could do a photo transfer
after the transfer was in place
i used a stencil to add the letters
and with a little red mixed with the taupe
i added more wax around the edges and
some burnt umber oil paint to
bring out the texture on the background
it needs a little more work
but i'm happy so far
-------
this summer i will set up a table in my garden
and see what fun i can have using
the blow torch on the wax

Monday, June 21, 2010

saturday nite iphone

when my friends said they were taking me to
see the lunacy cabaret on saturday nite
i wasn't sure what to expect
we arrived at zero gravity around 8 pm
luckily it wasn't sold out
the theme
disco
the first perosn i notice was
anthony, seen above
or should i say i noticed
his 2 and a half foot afro first
"these boots where made for walking"
size 14 at malabar
or so i was told
-----
i spent the hour before the show
taking shots of the audience

loved paula's peacock eyelashes

the silk show was amazing
there was also
a fire act
comedian
magic act
singers and dancers
you name it!!!!

angel wings meets gadiator girl



"sock it to me baby"
sorry i can't remember her name but
she reminded me of goldie hawn
------
all the photos were taken on my iphone
using the camera bag app
there are 12 different applications
i had fun trying them all
above are just a few of my favorites
i can't wait to go again!!!



Sunday, June 20, 2010

digital magic and paris

it's hard to believe its been 8 weeks
since returning home from paris
i've been busy going through
the 5507 photos taken there
i'm about half way
(i'm working on a slide show
so far ....167 photos)
---------
i started my on-line class with
the first weeks projects have been amazing
marie is an excellent teacher
i've gotten my moneys worth with
just the tips and tricks
above, one one the projects for class
using a clipping mask and tape texture
created by marie
photo needs no explanation
for this photo taken in montmartre
we learned how to desaturate
and to use a layer mask to hide/ reveal color

for this project, photo taken at versailles
we used several texture layers
a gradient map and the dodge tool
the sky was a little empty so i added the map
-------
i'm so looking forward to week two

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

rainy dayz and photoshop

usually i post my encaustic class on wednesday
but it was cancelled
which is ok because next week we will make it up
by having a 6 hour class!
i had already planned to meet leslie
in the distillery before class
so off i went in the pouring rain
-----
before i entered balzacs
i snapped the above photo with my i-phone

we have been saying
"we should get together"
for at least a year!!
it was so nice to have a
one on one
chat and coffee
next time
we won't let so much time pass!!
--------
above my decaf lait
using the camera bag app
set on holga

this one for you leslie
"beanie" is as cute as ever
and had emptied out the toilet paper
cabinet while i was out
but who could get mad at this face???


after my morning coffee with leslie
i had lunch with lugera
sushi.....yummm
(thanks lu)
it had stopped raining long enough
for me to get this shot of the puddle
in her driveway
once i got home i spent some time
working on my on-line lessons
and came up with the above project
using marie's layer mask and some text
it needs some more work
but my eyes are getting tired
tomorrow's another day

Monday, June 14, 2010

time flies

i've been so busy
with my garden, encaustic
and on-line classes
that i just noticed its been 2 years
i've never been one to journal
so it is interesting to go back and
re-read my thoughts
and to have a record of so many things
------------
the blog world is a wonderful place!!!
i've met so many wonderful people
have been inspired and have learned
so much about this world and
can't image my life without it
a special thank you to all my friends
for taking the time to visit me
and all your encouraging and thoughtful comments
---------
above, a shot on my i-phone
while wondering through
leslieville
-----------
a few of my favorite postings from the past

Friday, June 11, 2010

street art

one of my favorite things to photograph
is street grunge
(they make great background and overlays in ps)
bulletin boards, mailboxes,
cracked and peeling anything
stone, wood, metal
rusted objects and telephone
poles
like the one above
it caught my from across the street
it was the blue base
as i was taking photos
moving up the pole
i noticed a photo of a telephone pole and an another
so i read it
bearing witness:
totems of communications
pat dumas-hudecki
what a cool idea



as i wondered around the pole taking shots
i wondered what was part of the art and what
could have been already there


now i must be on the hunt for more!!!




Wednesday, June 9, 2010

encaustic class

today i was playing around
experimenting with texture
my color palette-- ochre, green and browns
using the iron to move the colors on the canvas
a coat of white--too much--scrape it back down
adding drips in cream-- better
not sure exactly what this would evolve into
maybe a landscape??

the brown seemed too heavy so
i scraped most of it off
revealing the original base color
now what?
well, once my teacher turned it upside down
thank you!!
it became more interesting
more ironing to blend the top with the bottom
just a little raw umber to highlight the drips
and class was finished
-----------
when i was playing with the photos in ps
i decided to add a some text and trees
after a few layers and blending modes
----------
i love using my encaustics as backgrounds in ps

Monday, June 7, 2010

waiting patiently

after watching everyone post their wonderful blooms
mine finally opened today
maybe it was the lucky ladybug
but by dinner they were in full bloom!!
------------
peonies in my garden



Friday, June 4, 2010

blooming now!

things are really starting to happen in the garden
the honeysuckle is smelling so sweet
and both the weigelas are bigger than ever
even the spiderwort is out early

one of my favorites
-----------
layer mask found at shadowhouse

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

encaustic class

as i was removing wax from my canvas board
(it wasn't what i though i wanted for my next project)
my teacher, heather, said i should save the strips
and used them in another project
maybe a collage or something abstract
setting it aside to work on another background

i was overwhelmed with all the red on this one
so i decided to scrap it down
i thought it was another one gone bad
to my surprise i really liked
what it was reveling below
it was starting to look like a landscape
well before you knew it the
strips from the last project landed on top
and a forest was born


what amazes me most
is that after 2 years of classes
and working with wax
that the possibilities seem endless!!!

once i had the idea and concept
i found 3 boards that fit nicely together
i simply added clear wax and ironed it
added more wax and then scrapped it
adding some green and brown oil paint
the too end pieces looked like tree bark
so i added a coat of white paint over the strips
little more oil paint here and there
and before i knew it
another wonderful day in class!
 
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