Last week I did a 5 day challenge where we had to create 1 piece of Valentine themed art per day. I knew that I wanted to do something with chocolate as well as fresh cherries. I didn’t want to use plain old chocolates, but I wanted something more high end than what would be available in the grocery store. We have several local chocolatiers, but one of my favorites is Coffee and Chocolate in downtown Knoxville, TN. The fresh cherries came from the grocery store. Since it’s winter, not much chance of getting those at the farmer’s market! Props obtained, it was time to create!
The challenge actually started before I could get the props. So, I created this retro looking image using fabric with a pattern featuring a retro woman and roses. This image is available on lots of different gift ideas. From greeting cards to mugs! Just click on the image it will take you directly my shop!
Chocolates obtained!
Once I got the beautiful chocolates, I went to work in the studio.
The chocolates were fun to shoot but hard not to eat! We did eat them after the shoot, though. They were delicious!
Fresh Cherries
I did some fun stuff with the fresh cherries, too! I made a heart shape with them and kept it simple with a white background. I set the light up so that there would heavy shadows for a little something different. The cherries in ice came out better than expected. I was having trouble creating clear ice. But these came out just clear enough to see the cherries. I love all the little bubbles and details in the blocks, too.
If you are looking for a unique gift for a special someone or maybe you just want to give yourself something cool, click on any of the links below to find some awesome gifts. Gift them art, it lasts longer!
I quit my job! That’s right, I decided that I needed to take a break from working. I am fortunate enough to be financially secure without it. I should say that it’s not forever. I am not retired. I am merely taking a break. What do I wish to accomplish? I ask myself that every day. I also ask myself, “What the fuck have you done?!” at least twice a day. It’s scary. But I hope to become a better person by allowing myself this time. I plan to try to spend more time with my family and friends. And they’ll be happy because they won’t have to hear me bitch about work!
A bowl of blueberries
I have given myself a year. I have the discipline to keep myself on track. But I have to define my track first! I am honing in on a very specific project that I would like to work on. I am applying for several art grants to pay for this project, so cross your fingers and send good vibes my way!
Green Glass
So far, setting up a routine has been difficult. There have been a few roadblocks and side tracks that have kept me from a set schedule. But I’m hoping that now the holidays are over, I can make a plan and stick with it. Of course, plans often get scrapped and derailed. I hope to be able to roll with whatever comes and not panic too much.
A pear wrapped in beads
I think some of you might be wondering why I would quit my job without having a replacement or a plan. I was terribly unhappy there. I don’t really blame my ex-employers. I had been fired from my previous job and had the opportunity to collect unemployment for a while and would have been fine for a bit. But, I panicked and took the first job to come my way. Read more about this in Midlife Angst 1 & Midlife Angst 2. My mental health has been suffering and I feel my talents and skills have been waning since they were not being utilized. Depression is a thing, y’all! I have been driving myself and the people who love me crazy for years. Complaining and whining and not allowing myself to move forward.
It’s time!
I finally realized that I have to trust myself to make it work. No-one else is going to do this for me. So, here I am, unemployed. Quite possibly unemployable (age discrimination is very real). But I have to give it a try. For myself and the people who love me.
All that being said! Looking for a way to support an artist? Buy their work! You can see my galleries and purchase work here.
It’s the end of the year already! And once again, I have been a little – okay, a lot – neglectful of my blog. But I hope to get it up and going this year. Because I quit my job and have no excuse now! Don’t worry there will be more about that later. What have I been doing this year? Traveling and making art and working. Now that the pesky work thing is out of the way, I can share my travels and art more! Yay! But I’m here to talk about 2022 and share some of the art I made. I participated in a 365 day art challenge. That is 1 piece of art a day. And I have to say it’s indeed been a challenge. But it’s been a good challenge. Turns out I only did 352 days because there were some days that art just couldn’t happen. Like a heavy travel, illness (myself or somebody else), or just life. Here are some of the highlights! Want to see the whole shabang?! Click here.
Things started out simple with some basic still life work. Then went a little weird. After that there were some travel photos. Then along came the beer series. Oh, and a slight obsession with books. I am ending the year with some great fresh fruit still life images, travel maps, and some celebratory images!
Enjoy!
This was a great experience for me. I feel like it helped me to grow as a photographer and artist. It forced me to think outside the box and come up with new ideas on a regular basis. Remember these are just a few of the images created this year, be sure to visit my gallery to see more!
In the before times (before pandemic), I used to go to thrift stores on Saturday mornings in search of weird things to photograph. Of course, that was not an option for several years. You know why. Anyway, I have not taken up the habit again. But I needed some new inspiration. So, I took to Etsy to find something interesting. Also, I have an Etsy shop myself, visit it – Purple Rosemary.
One of my recent purchases from Etsy was a perpetual calendar or nautical calendar pendant. On one side the pendant has the calendar. The other has a outline of a ship. I combined my current book obsession with my new toy.
Nautical or Perpetual Calendar PendantPendant backPendant on book about how the calendar was worked out.Back of Pendant on an illustration of different types of ships.
Looking for prints or other cool stuff? Visit my gallery on Pixels.
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.
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 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!
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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