In my post about being obsessed with books, there were some images of beer with book art superimposed. The beer images are part of my beer series. You can find more about that process here. While working on the beer series, I found myself with these cool glass tea cups. Yes, I randomly buy things at thrift stores and from Etsy for the sole purpose of photographing them.
On Black Background
I shot these the first time on a black background. All that detail in the glass picks up the light nicely and the black gives it good contrast. I did start with the glasses empty. But decided to change it up and create a pour series. The secret is that it’s cold coffee and with the magic of Photoshop, I added steam and a reddish color to make it look more like tea. But I love that black background.
Tea in the Rain
It’s been raining. A lot. I’ve been trying to incorporate that into my images lately but my timing has been lousy. It seems every time I have the time for a photo shoot, it’s not raining. But pouring rain the rest of the time. I really wanted to do a tea in the rain shot. I finally found my moment. It was raining buckets, I made some watered down coffee, grabbed the tea pot, and my glass cups. Rain stopped. Just like that. Stopped. Argh! The porch was still wet and had a nice pool of water for great reflections. So, I did some photos for the nice reflections. I did shoot a full pour, but they were so boring since there was no rain. I decided to make my own rain. I used my extra large watering can. Bam! Perfect rain.
Thanks for visiting! Want to see more or interested in purchasing prints or other items with these images? Go here.
Wondering what other types of items? They are available as pillows, puzzles, coffee mugs, and lots of other great gift ideas!
I’ve previously done blog posts about my book art. But lately, I’ve been obsessed with it. I have been creating composites with several books that I’ve had for years. I just can’t stop myself. Everyday, I come up with a new idea for an image. Here are some of my composite images.
It’s about the spoon
I found this unique spoon in my silverware drawer and knew I wanted to do something unusual with it. The sun was setting so I held it up so the sun would hit it in just the right spot. That made for its own cool image. But I wanted something a little different. The book is called Green Magic: Flowers Plants & Herbs in Lore & Legend by Lesley Gordon. It was originally published in 1977. I found it at a thrift store (I think).
Flower Girls
This illustration from the same book as above is one of my favorite. I wracked my brain trying to find something cool to use for a composite. I decided that since they were flowery, I should use flowers. So, beautiful pink azaleas make the perfect background.
It’s About Time
This is a composite featuring a clock I found in a thrift store and information about the phases of the moon. The book is called Early Steps in Science by Webb & Didcoct, original copyright 1924. The book is a treasure trove of ideas for image composites.
It’s Magic
I love this book. I find myself making excuses to use it in my composites. The illustrations are all amazing and I’m a little obsessed with the concept of witchcraft and magic. The book is The Encyclopedia of Magic & Witchcraft by Susan Greenwood, original copyright 2001. I found it in the discount bin at a bookstore years ago.
Beer and Women
The witch images are from the above book. The type in the background is a history of women in beer (not from this book).
Eggs
I buy fresh eggs from a guy I work with. They are always different colors, so I thought they might make some nice photos. Then, I remembered I have the cookbook of all cookbooks – Fanny Farmer’s Cookbook. The only illustrations are advertisements in the back of the book (watch for some art featuring those gems soon!). But there is a whole chapter on eggs!
That light though
The lighting is natural shadows from the sun shining through the windows of my house. Different times of day create different patterns through blinds and open windows. I find the light adds as much to these as the subject matter.
After seeing a story on CBS Sunday Morning about the Smithsonian’s Futures Exhibit, I knew I had to go see it. But it closes in July 2022, so I had to go ASAP. If you want to hear / read about the trip, you can visit Tourist in Your Town Podcast. If you want to see cool pics, keep scrolling!
Tastee Diner in Silver Spring, MarylandInside the Metro Center Station in Washington, DC.The Washington MonumentThe Smithsonian InstituteA cool passageway with light streaming in.Capitol Building
Want to see more photos from the DC trip? Click here.
If you’ve been reading previous posts, you’ll know that I have been participating in a lot of image challenges lately. The most recent challenge was a 30 day challenge for images featuring the color red. I have been trying to use the same subject for each challenge, for consistency. It also pushing my creativity to have to come up with different ways to present a certain subject. I didn’t have anything that really excited me. So I started digging in my props box. I found some beads. But they were green. So, I took a note from the green challenge and decided to just change the color. Let me just say 30 days is too many for that. But I did manage to do it and I got some great ideas for future art! I chose to use selective color so the red would really stand out. Enjoy!
Before and After Images
Selective Color Red
For most of these, using selective color was fairly easy. I tried to purposely shoot them so it would be easy to just change the beads. I changed the color using the Hue / Sat adjustment in Adobe Photoshop. In most of them, it was easy to tell Photoshop to change the green to red. That being said, what was I thinking when I used greenery in those rose photos?
Here are just a few of the images, to see the full 30 days, visit my gallery.
I had the opportunity to take the train from Cincinnati to Chicago. When I arrived at the station, I was in awe of it! Built in 1931 with Art Deco Architecture, the station functioned as passenger station until 1972 when Amtrak built a smaller station nearby. The building was mostly empty from 1972 to 1980 when a shopping mall called “The Land of Oz” opened. The mall closed in 1985. Some time after that, two museums merged and opened the Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990. In 1991, Amtrak returned to the station. In 2018, the station was completely restored to its original Art Deco glory. The historic train station is not only a working Amtrak station, but also houses Duke Energy Children’s Museum, an Omnimax Theatre, the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, the Cincinnati History Library and Archives, a Museum of Natural History & Science, and several food services.
A view of the front in the morning.
A view of the station at night.
The interior is just as beautiful as the exterior
The station is completely restored inside and out.
If you are in the area, I recommend a visit to this beautiful, historic building. The interior is open most of the day for viewing, but the museums and other places are only open certain hours. To see more photos of this Art Deco masterpiece, visit my gallery. Also to hear about the actual train trip and my time in Chicago, visit Tourist in Your Town Podcast.
I participated in another challenge over at Fine Art America! This challenge was a 7 day challenge black and white images. The only requirement was that the image had to be a true black and white and created the day of posting. I chose to stick with a single subject as I had done with the blue and green challenges. This time I went a cut crystal bowl that I had. We received this item as a wedding gift 16 years ago. I figured all the detail work on it would make for some nice black and white images.
In the dirt
One thing I really wanted to do with this challenge was to play up light and texture. So, I put the bowl in my little raised garden bed, so the dirt would give a nice contrasting texture. These were shot in the morning with the sun behind the bowl. I added a vignette to give these images an old fashioned feel.
Day 1
Day 2
On Wood
One of my favorite places to shoot is on the wood stairs behind my house. The wood has a nice texture and grain. I knew that the etching details in the bowl and wood grain would play well together.
Day 3
Fruit Added
There are only so many ways to shoot an empty crystal bowl without it just getting boring. I decided to add fruit to the bowl. I had some fresh frozen cherries that had not been properly sealed before freezing, so they developed a frosty coating (I can be so lazy sometimes). But that frosty look really makes this image. It was totally worth it! The sun is coming through the slats of blinds on my window and hitting the wood floor. Another great spot that I use a lot for photos.
Day 4
This image was shot with my sacred blueberries (there’s a shortage right now). But sometimes we sacrifice for art. It was shot on my back porch when the sun was shining just right through the lattice work, creating the diamond pattern. The background is a patio cushion.
Day 5
It Rained!
By day 6 I was struggling with ideas. I knew I could different angles of the bowl, upside down or from below. But that just felt boring to me. And then it rained! I put the bowl in the rain with the fresh cherries. The ripples from the rain echo the shape of the bowl and the water beneath creates a nice reflection.
Day 6
Detail
This image is all about the details in the bowl. I shot this on the back porch with the sun behind and the patio cushion for the extra texture. I just love the detail work in the etching and the diamonds in the foot of the bowl.
Day 7
These challenges keep me creating even on days when I don’t feel so inspired. Especially when I can’t get out to shoot street scenes or historic locations. Thanks for visiting! See more of my black and white work here.
As part of the official Challenge Addicts Club on Fine Art America, I have been participating in a new challenge every week. Last week it a six day challenge in which the theme was blue. If you’ll recall, I used my blue bowl for the green challenge. I didn’t want to use the same bowl again. I briefly considered finding something green and changing it to blue, but that felt like more work than necessary. I have lots of blue things in my house anyway. I have a nice blue teapot, blue clothes, blue dishes, then I remembered that I have a blue Blenko bottle.
Blenko Glass Company is a family owned business since 1893. It has been at its current location in Milton, WV since 1921. Blenko glass still creates hand-blown glass products of all types, from these bottles to suncatchers and more.
Bottle Wash
This bottle was up on a high shelf and had not been touched or looked at for awhile, so it needed a good soak. I thought it looked kind of cool in the suds, so I shot it with available window light. I finished it using a Topaz Chalk Smudge filter.
Bottle Pour
I didn’t really have the time to set up an actual pour, so I thought I’d run water through the bottle and have the water pouring over. I finished this image with a Topaz Chalk Smudge filter for consistency.
Bottle in the Window
This image is a simple image of the bottle sitting int he window. I wanted the squareness of the window frames against the organic, rounded shapes of the bottle. Also finished with the Chalk Smudge filter.
Bottle Overhead
I had been hoping for some rain to show the bottle with some water running over. But no such luck, so I decided to show the shape of the bottle from the top. I used a weathered wood background to add texture. I did not use the Chalk Smudge filter on this one because it lost so much texture with it.
Bottle Shapes Inside
I admit that at this point, I was getting frustrated. I really wanted that rain pic and failing that, maybe a nice heavy sun ray through the bottle. But I couldn’t get rain or sunshine. To add a little interest, I placed some wisteria leaves inside. This one is finished with that same Chalk Smudge filter.
Finally SUN!
The sun finally came out at just the right time and gave me that beautiful light I had been waiting for. I placed it on a red cushion for some extra color and texture. I finished with a slightly different Chalk Smudge filter.
Now I’m just waiting for some rain, so I can get that rain shot I’ve been thinking about!
As a member of the now official Challenge Addicts Club on Fine Art America, I participated in another challenge. This was a 5 day challenge in which the image had to include the color green. I did not want to do plants or flowers but wanted to do something different. I had a blue glass bowl that I thought would be good. Yes, it’s blue, not green, so I changed it. i used the wood as a contrast to the glass in the first three images. I used a cushion as a contrast for the green in the last two.
Fun fact – I am now partaking in a a blue challenge! I don’t want to use the same bowl, so I’m digging around for something else that’s blue. Watch for those pics soon!
It’s not a secret that I am a lover of all things beer. As such, I like to visit new and different breweries to try new beers. In 2019, I saw that a new brewery would be opening in Morristown. Morristown is about 45 minutes from our house. The new place went on my list of to visits. Of course, visiting in 2020 was not an option. So, we finally managed to get over there and check out downtown Morristown and the 1907 Brewing Company.
The 1907 Brewing Company
A view of downtown from one of the overhead bridges.
In 1855, Morristown became Incorporated. Many of the buildings downtown are from this time frame. But you will notice in these pics, a raised walkway. In 1962, a nearby creek flooded and did a great deal of damage to the downtown. In addition to the flooding, more modern shopping malls were being built outside of town. In order to revitalize and update, the town decided to build an overhead sidewalk. This would allow for a second story for additional shops and cafes and protect the sidewalk below. This additional sidewalk has several crossings as well, so no need to dodge traffic.
The Myers Building
A view fo the walkway and the upper level of Morristown, TN.
Local landmarks
The Hamblen County Courthouse in downtown Morristown was designed by A.C. Bruce and finished in 1874. The architecture is a mix of Second Empire and Italianate. The building has a light green hue, a first for me. There is also a veteran’s memorial in the front of the building.
Hamblen County Courthouse in Morristown, TN.
The Rose Center Museum was built in 1892 as the Rose School. It was the first co-educational public high school in Morristown. The architecture is late Victorian.
The Rose Center in Morristown, TN.
Downtown Morristown is better kept than many of the small towns I’ve visited. Unfortunately, there are still a number of empty spaces. Although, I did notice that none of those had “available” signs. So possibly they will be filled with new and exciting places to visit soon.
Be sure to visit Tourist in your Town and watch for a new episode where I talk about my visit to the brewery.
After the 30 day challenge, I was feeling frisky and decided to participate in another one. This challenge would last for 7 days and had a theme. The theme for the 7 day challenge was liquid. Any liquid. This felt doable to me. After accepting this challenge, I realized just how busy my life can be on certain days. My weekends tend to be slow and easy, but during the week, things really ramp up. There were a couple of days when I thought I’d have to bow out. But I worked in a little art each day and succeeded! Made some nice art while I was at it, too!
Day 1 – Tadpole
I almost blew it the first day. I got home from work, planning to do something cool and unique. But, well, life sometimes makes other plans. We have a water barrel that sits below one of our gutter spouts. It’s been there for years. The frogs love it and it always has tadpoles in it. So, I thought, how about a tadpole pic? Easier said than done, really. The water is dark and murky and there weren’t as many tadpoles as I expected. But I managed to get quite a few in the pic. I finished this pic using a Topaz filter. All the little color sparks are living organisms – tadpoles, water striders, etc. Mosquitos larvae are usually eaten by the tadpoles and frogs.
Tadpole – a water barrel teeming with life.
Day 2 – Cherry Water
I actually started with a plan on this one. The idea was to drop a bunch of cherries in a bowl of water and catch the image just as they splash into the water. I never really managed to catch it at just the right time. I’m currently obsessed with this idea. So watch for more of these.
Two cherries in a bowl of water
Day 3 – Cherry Heart
Taken the day before during the cherry drop attempt. I noticed the cherries would settle around the edges of the bowl, creating this heart shape. I did slightly retouch after in Photoshop to further emphasize the shape. I really love the cool background with the bright red cherries.
Fresh cherries form a heart shape.
Day 4 – Rainy Tomato
This was another day where I was struggling to come up with something. It had to be quick and easy. It had rained that day, so I thought I’d take a photo of my budding tomato with some rain drops. Unfortunately, my tomato plant is rather sad and lonely right now. The tomato is still very small and sad. I tried to add a little water splash to it using a Photoshop brush. In the end, I got a nice study in green.
Green tomato in the rain
Day 5 – Pouring Beer
I like beer. One of my favorite things about beer is the pour. I like the sound, the scent, the foam. I tried to capture that feeling of anticipation as the beer is pouring and the foam is building. This is another theme I will revisit in the future, I think.
Pouring Beer.
Day 6 – Liquid Glass
An image of a glass bottle filled with water. I placed the bottle on a red cushion, causing the liquid inside to appear red. This image is finished with a Topaz filter to give it a soft, mysterious feel.
Liquid Glass
Day 7 – Blueberry Cream Splash
A revisit of the fruit in liquid drop. This turned out better than I thought. I admit that I played it fast and loose with these. I did not use a tripod, but shot it handheld. So, I poured the liquid with the blueberries, already in it, into the bowl, using one hand. Then shot using the other. Also, fighting off a blueberry loving puppy. I shot outside in the bright sunlight, so I could shoot with a fast shutter speed.
Blueberries splashing into cream.
I even got a certificate for finishing the challenge!
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