Digital art from a drawing

I've been working on a still life in oil recently, which has been a humbling experience, and a self-portrait. The value range seems to be all wrong and the brush strokes aren't in a happy place, on both pieces. In frustration, I found a drawing in my sketch pad and fooled around with it on the computer. Argh! Tomorrow I have to figure out what I'm going to do in the way of classes at Maitland Art Center and Crealde. I want to take a journaling class at MAC (I'm thinking it'll help me "find myself") and a life drawing studio at Crealde, however, I'm not sure if it might be too much given the ongoing problems with rentals, selling houses, volunteering, survival, etc. Too many decisions, too little time!

Digital discoveries

Christy Hydeck is an artist I met on Facebook recently and I've been admiring her art ever since, especially her wonderfully dreamy landscape photographs. Imagine my surprise when, low and behold, I came across a magazine at the library called "Cloth, Paper, Scissors" and there was an article by Christy in it. I know I'm kind of sheltered down under in Florida, but apparently many artists are familiar with her and her work (I really need to get out more often!) She gave tips on how she gets that dream-like quality in her photographs and I've been cogitating about it ever since. In the process, I ran across another site with a wealth of tutorials on photo editing. A lot of the tutorials are for Photoshop but you can apply them to other editing software, like my favorite Paint Shop Pro, with a few tweaks. Here's my learning experiment for the day utilizing "vintaging" (is that a word?) and automated actions. I'm not sure why I picked this image but discovered after the fact that the owl was linked with the goddess Athena in ancient Greece who was associated with the arts and wisdom (might be a subconscious wish here). So much fun and so much to learn.

Paint Shop Pro exploration goes on

OM, digitally enhanced photo and painting

I took a picture of the Buddha statue Jerry gave me for Christmas and added a boring acrylic painting as a background, along with some digital enhancement. Getting into the important layer functions, I found that Paint Shop didn't seem as intuitive to work with as Photoshop (I really miss those "eyes" in the layer function to turn them on and off) and it seems like you have to go through several additional steps to magnify and add layer masks. I'm certainly not a professional when it comes to using either of these programs, but I'm enjoying discovering what Paint Shop can do and it's years ahead of my old version of Photoshop 4.0. Perhaps the latest version corrects some of these "deficiencies." It's a very small price to upgrade--I think $39. As long as my new computer beckons with all its mysteries, it's going to be hard to fit "real" painting into my day.

Digitally enhanced abstract painting

Digitally enhanced painting

I've been fiddling with a painting on paper and kind of liked the colors, but decided to see what I could come up with on the computer. I tried cropping and rotating, etc. but I can still see what looks like a toy soldier (like from the Nutcracker). Very disturbing and not what I was looking for--though I'm not sure exactly what it is I'm looking for. I guess I'll know it when I see it. Maybe I should stick to my sketchpad!

New sketch

Sketch, acrylic painting, digitally altered

Spent a large part of the day looking for another computer since mine is now officially designated an "antique." The constant crashes are becoming quite bothersome and I'm going to have to seek out something more modern before I go mad. I guess this sketch kind of sums up my feelings about it--confused and dazed and trying to peek through all the b-s and figure out what to do. There are just waaaaay too many models, memory cards, ram, graphics cards, etc. for this "non-geek" to comprehend. Maybe enlightenment will dawn in my dreams.

New digitally enhanced abstract artwork

Didn't get much done in the way of art today. Spent too long on the computer catching up on my various art group emails and checking out Facebook. I guess I'm of the age where I'm not sure exactly what Facebook is trying to accomplish, except wasting a lot of time. But, I'll give it a try and see what becomes of it. Some of the ladies in the WWAO art group I belong to use it and even have a WWAO group set up on it, so it must be of some value. Reading through some of their emails makes me realize I'll probably never have the drive to become a "real" artist, earning money through Etsy, websites, social networks, etc. It all seems so exhausting and confusing. It's a mystery to me how artists can muster the energy to create their artwork and then market it. The working artists I'm becoming familiar with on the internet certainly have my admiration.

In order to not waste the whole day, I scanned a graphite/acrylic sketch I had done recently (and kind of liked) and digitally enhanced it on the computer. I'm thinking I'd like to get more involved with graphite and paint, especially after seeing the exhibit in Corpus Christi of graphite works. The exhibit was all graphite works, with no color, but really quite stunning. I especially liked the work of Shimon Okshteyn. I see on his website that he does incorporate graphite within some of his paintings, which weren't on display in the Texas exhibit, and they are impressive.

Halloween ho-hum

Digital Art, Red flowers, 10/31/08

It's amazing how fast the day goes when you get on the computer. I was going to try and do some painting to salvage some of the day, but once I got into that messy room I couldn't do anything but leave as fast as I could. I'm really having a hard time focusing and doing what needs to be done (like clean up the room.) I'm having trouble coming up with the drive to create. Maybe it's just an excuse, but so many things seem to get in the way of it. Anxieties, depression, lawsuits--sometimes I feel as if I'm going mad.

I'm reading a book called "Surreal Lives, The Surrealists 1917-1945" by Ruth Brandon. Interestingly, the father of modern art, Marcel Duchamp, seems to have had a rather laid back attitude toward art also and painting in particular. He became hugely popular in the U.S. after his "Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2" became the hit of the 1913 Armory show. He immigrated from Paris in 1915 and could have sold many paintings, but gave it up for chess and intellectual pursuits, such as his theory of art epitomized in his "readymades." The readymades were his rebellion against "retinal art" and consisted of "an ordinary object elevated to the dignity of a work of art by the mere choice of an artist." This radical notion that the artist's idea alone could construct a work of art became the basis of today's conceptual art movement. Somehow I relate to the idea of thinking about art rather than doing it right now.

Fuzz Therapy for a Rocky Day

Grady and Orchids, digital art

Today was pretty depressing watching the little bit of my remaining IRA evaporate. It really is well past time to let the smart people run the country. If we could only find some. I'll put my cat up to the task any day. He looks like an Einstein compared to what's running around in Washington, blowing all our money on corporate fat cats. (Sorry to insult furry felines everywhere.) We went to the Maitland Art Show last Saturday night. It lasted until 10 p.m.--I think it was a first nighttime show. I loved it because it was cool, no sun beating down and causing more skin cancer, great moon out, lovely lake with a fountain and, oh yes, some great artists. Maybe the Winter Park Art Show will take a hint and do the same thing. We had a great time and I was inspired to do something, anything, paint, draw. One artist I really admired had painted a lovely grey cat, which reminded me of Grady. I really would have liked to splurge on it, but I'm afraid impulse shopping is long gone now. So, why not try to paint my own? This is one of the ideas I'm working on. Grady is totally obsessed with a couple of blooming orchids I brought into the house and set on the fireplace mantel. He stares at them incessantly and has been trying to figure out how to get up there and eat them, so that's why I included them. Don't know how it would look in paint once I get through with it, but it might be worth a try.

Another day, another bailout for the plutocrats

Digitally enhanced Collage, 9/22/08

Creativity isn't really abounding nowadays. My art room is a mess and I just can't seem to focus on getting things organized. This economy thing is depressing, to put it mildly. I feel like it's the Iraq war all over again, with Bush demanding Congress hurry up and do something before it's too late. And Congress, in their rush to leave Washington before the elections and all too worried about how it will play in the sound bite world if they don't do something, will rubber stamp, once again, another piece of crap legislation. Are we really to believe that the whole financial world was going to fall apart over the weekend if Congress didn't hand over $700B to $1 trillion dollars of our tax money to Bush--no strings attached--per his demand??? We seem to hear this BS just about every month, but it comes with a bigger and bigger price tag each time. What will it take for the lesson to sink in: This Republican administration has got to go before it's too late (although it may be already.) We cannot afford another 4/8 years of business as usual. Carolyn Baker provides a peak into the Capone-style Capitalism which our country is hostage to. Ironically, Jerry was saying today he has a sick feeling in his gut that our country is being run by the mob. I have a feeling it's going to be worse though. The mob, from what I hear, mercifully dispenses with their rivals by putting a bullet in their brain. This mob hit, however, will result in a slow and painful demise for the millions who are on the wrong side of the financial ledger as any remaining tax money left from Bush's war is shifted from critical social programs, like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, to pay off the richest and most powerful people in the world. It's shameful, disgusting and tops my worst fears of what Bush is capable of.

New Collage, digital art

Digitally enhanced collage

"What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger"--Nietzsche

Searching for Sanity in a Brave New World, digital art

It certainly is hard to stick to my guns and use this blog only for artistic ideas when the world seems to be descending into chaos. Of course, the continuing meltdown in the U.S. financial system leaves a lot of uncertainty about whether the little bit of money I have in the bank will be there once the crooks get done with this. The idea of one day having to sleep under a bridge doesn't leave a lot of energy for creative pursuits, but I'm going to try anyway (and keep repeating the title of this blog over and over!) This digital art piece kind of sums up my feelings about the current state of affairs. I spent some time yesterday trying to do something with paint skins (leftover residue of acrylic paints on my palette). The piece isn't quite there, but if I can get over my depression about this nightmare our country is in, I'll drag myself into my art room and try to finish it off.

Where would we be without Photoshop?

Digital art

I had to give up on the portrait today to save the little bit of sanity I had left. Went to the Y for a long overdue workout of step aerobics and yoga. The incessant rains have curtailed my exercise a lot, along with this art blogging stuff. I sometimes wonder why I'm doing this and the severity of my delusions. Maybe I should go to a therapist and figure out why I keep hitting my head against a brick wall. The art thing doesn't seem to be working out and my images aren't exactly satisfying to me. But what else to do? I messed around in Photoshop with a blah painting. It might be starting to look better. Sigh.

Back to the Drawing Board

It's been a bleak couple of days in my art world. Nothing is jelling. I tried some experiments with keys--I thought the concept had so much potential--locks, secrets, safe, Cheney, the whole dichotomy issue (plus I had a bunch of keys laying around from god/God knows where), but that didn't pan out. In desperation, I tried working on a sketch I had started a while ago, but it was so dull with mind-numbingly horizontal/vertical lines, I almost fell asleep doing it. I had to Photoshop it to death to get something half-way stimulating. Anyway, it's back to the drawing board--literally. I must do some sketches first before I start throwing paint around. The abstract well in my head appears to be dry, so perhaps the concept of actually thinking things through before applying paint to canvas could work. Nothing else is. My impulsive nature doesn't like the idea, but it's time to focus!!! I spent a large part of the day looking for quotes to back up this sentiment (another stalling mechanism, I'm sure)--and I know I've seen it somewhere from an admired abstract artist, something about doing still lifes --but I couldn't find it. Suffice it to say, This Week I'll Sketch and Plan Before I Paint. Yeah, baby! A game plan!

Dark Abstract, digital art

Got a little bit of time to play around with a small painting in Photoshop. It's not quite there, but that's the beauty of digital. You can obsess and change your mind ad infinitum. I pulled myself away from the computer to see a good, but depressing, movie I've been wanting to see for a while, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" It's really sad how narrow corporate interests repeatedly trump the greater interests of America's citizens--and the world, for that matter. Everyone in this country needs to see this movie because it answers all the naysayers who contend that electric vehicles aren't practical. And it's a real eye-opener how successful these cars were and the facts behind why the "plug" was pulled on them. The hopeful finish of the movie highlights the growing number of people concerned about the environment, along with the high price of gas, and the movement toward energy independence that's forming. I don't believe government and corporations are going to be able to tamp down this growing demand, especially not with the promise of hydrogen vehicles. We've been disillusioned too much the past few years and most of us are hurting because of the unbridled greed that has become our country's motto. This site provides some facts on plug-ins, background about the movie, the movement and good links to other sites. I hope you can check it out.

The Perils of Procrastination

I was too tired to post anything yesterday after visits to the radiologist and the lab for blood work. It looks more and more like I might have to have surgery--not a happy thought. But, of course, I'm trying to banish this dawning awareness from my mind and focus on anything but health problems. I'm an expert at procrastination and I keep my skills sharp by working at it every day. On another subject, thanks to Diane Clancy for turning me onto an interesting site called MaraZine which offers a digital altered image workshop. Rima has a sort of contest where she presents a photo and anyone interested can participate and digitally manipulate it in a program, such as Photoshop, and then present it online for critiques and comments. Some of the bloggers who link up to this site are really talented and inspirational, too. The picture above is done from her photo of a lily pad. Don't ask me how it came about, because I can't possibly remember what I did. That's one of the elements of the "contest." You need to be able to explain how you came up with the image--steps, filters, etc. Since I'm a newbie at digital arts, I find this challenge could be a great learning experience. I hope to be able to slow my mouse down and focus long enough to actually write down the steps in case I come up with something good ;-)

In between running all over the state to go to new doctors, visit rentals, etc. I played around with another abstract collage in Photoshop. It sure is fun, but I felt that maybe I should try some real paints and ween myself off the computer for a change. I'm trying to finish a portrait of Seamus in acrylics and it's driving me nuts. I just can't seem to get the brush strokes (and color) quite right on his face. I vow tomorrow I'm going to finish it one way or another, even if I have to paint over it--which would really finish it!

More interminable photoshopped drawings/scans/whatever. I swear I'm becoming addicted to my scanner and Photoshop. It can compensate for a world of sins with one's artwork (I think!?)

Anyway, my eyes perked up when I saw Rachel's latest blog and her link to Barbara Sher's interview on "scanners." I thought, wow, someone is going to validate my obsessive feelings toward my scanner. But, it was even better than that. Sher has a thesis that many of us are "scanners" in the way we approach the world. We scan for things that interest us and move on when they no longer do, sometimes to an obsessive degree. I always thought I had attention deficit disorder, as do many others like me. But rather than being marginalized, as society tends to do with people who find it difficult to concentrate upon one specialized business field, a style of art, etc., she puts scanners into the category of the "Renaissance person." Look what scanners like Leonardo Da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin, whose minds were open and inquiring throughout their lives to various and sundry things, contributed to society. Thank goodness Benjamin Franklin didn't put on the blinders and decide early on, once and for all, that he was going to be a tax accountant and that was that. Rather than feeling guilty about not being able to focus on one's so-called chosen path in life, scanners would do well to go with the flow and enjoy their distinguished company. I certainly would never kid myself that I'm anywhere near Da Vinci/Franklin calibre, but I'm not going to beat myself up anymore about not being able to concentrate upon one style of art. I'm also going to go back and listen to the rest of Sher's radio interview later (a casualty of this scanner being called to another area of interest today!)

Higgins visits Matisse

Today has been pretty good so far. I've learned something new about Photoshop from Sue O'Kieffe's wonderful site Sacred Circle Mandalas. Besides the beautiful mandalas and soothing music, she offers all kinds of interesting tidbits including Photoshop tutorials. I've bookmarked it because it's one of those sites you can go back to over and over and discover something new and exciting--and also relax and meditate on. Anyway, here's the result from her lesson on Photoshop's Layer Masks. I can't wait to try her next tutorial tomorrow.