Hope you had a special day!
watercolours on ...
I'm experimenting with how different paints work on timtex, which is a very stiff polyester interfacing. I have used it before to make fabric books and postcards and this will be the ultimate purpose of these experiments but I wanted to try some watercolours first. I really love this one. The paint soaked in at different rates and made some lovely patterns.
frozen jellyfish.... well it could be....
what do you think?
winter top knots
these two are favourites
and every year they find their way out of the box and onto my mantle. They never fail to make me smile! No matter how cold it is outside!!!
it has been THAT cold...
...but christmas colours prevail even through the snow!
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.
did I mention snow and seed pods?
.. even just a single star full...
....buds and full blooms still growing gorgeous in October, though not here. In Regent's park, London! I'm sure they were blooming just for me!
drooping rose
Is there anything more beautiful than roses lush and full just as they begin to droop,
or just as they nod their heads downward...
did I mention we've had a lot of rain???
close up and wow!
a simple holy hock!
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?
have I mentioned roses are my favourite...
.... and Yellow the absolute best!
may10
april 1
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?