the pressure was on but now...

It's done!   Advent countdown begins in 2 days and my grandson's new stockings are stuffed, boxed and ready for him.    It has been fun to put together but time consuming!

 These little stockings came as a fabric panel. I have backed them with other stripes and dots and he will peg them on a ribbon.

and here we are in November

As always after we pass remembrance day my thoughts turn towards Christmas.  It was a busier season in past years but I still start to think just which picture I will use for my card.  Sometimes it is more the colours of the photo. I go through a lot before a decision is made but here's one I love a lot.  

pale and neutral

This past week in Kim Klassens studio practice she asked us to think about which colours we seemed to photograph the most and least.  My most are COLOURS rather than pales and neutrals.  So the challenge was to try  to do the opposite of our favourites.  I really had to hunt. My garden where I shoot most of the time is full of brights . As it was raining I moved the shoot inside and found some things in cupboards and actually set up a table with white linen and put a pale backdrop behind as well... Chuckle even my walls are bright.  I have a couple that I like and I have also used Kk lightroom presets on these finished pieces. 

What did I discover?  KK Presets work way better on neutrals than they do on my BRIGHTS!  And I had fun doing all this !  thus Kim, I think I will keep trying these occasionally. Thanks for the push. And my readers?  Which do you prefer?

jars and twine

Another week and Kim has got me to get my camera out again.  This time she was suggesting using a jar and some twine.  as much as I love her photos,  all pale and dreamy, I am more of a colour person, and I never have twine. But I do have ribbons and fabric scraps and little nests of threads that have most likely been frayed off some piece or other so I thought why not make this prompt my own.  With a nod always to Kim Klassen .  

I took some photos.    Once again I was looking at photos that were taken in haste .. wall  sockets behind the main subject, or major folds in my linen just at the wrong place for it to look artful.. I had to laugh.  I don't know how many times  this has happened... sigh....  THIS time though I looked, discarded most then in the evening light I took some more... , heavens... Unusual and this time discovered tape that I used to hold the linen up...  Honestly!!!

  Next morning the light in my basement room was shining so I tried again... wow this is true dedication!  I got a couple of Ok ones.  And photoshopping a couple of the others I found I could get some interesting things ..  Which do you like better?  Not sure I have any favourites. But the main thing learned this time was  Pay Attention...  take time  and most of all if I really have the energy revisit  the task and make improve meants... (misspelled on purpose.  That old poet brain!)   I always have trouble doing things twice.   Three times is unheard of ... grin but perhaps this is a break through!!!! BIg GRIN 

peonies

Been shooting some more still  life, composed , or staged shots recently.  I  stopped for a while as I wasn't getting anything I really enjoyed then Kim Klassen dropped the "celebration" prompt, and suggested juxtaposing peonies, their wonderful softness, against concrete.  For some reason I thought .... I can do that?   I have lots of concrete and at the time had a few of my beautiful white peonies.  I leave you to decide whether the exercise was accomplished... But I like them... grin. 

 Then I had to break the pattern , grin, and try the rocks... and?  I'm thinking it is hard to pick a favourite!  And now the peonies are done... I still have them to look at!  A bonus don't you think?

mar22

I been playing the last few days layering photos over photos of my paintings with photo shop.  Wow what a lot of "Photo" words... grin... Not sure what I'm going to do with them yet but there are lots of ideas percolating. What do you think?

castle + swirl painting.jpg