Happy 4th of July

Wow..I can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted here. I have been busy trying to learn my new camera, taking pictures, and learning how to use some terrific Topaz plugins on them!

I hope everyone has been well and for those of us who live in the U.S. that you all have a Happy 4th of July.

Life in the Cemetery

I was visiting a cemetery this morning, and this little fellow played hide and seek with me. He would run behind a head stone, then come out and get fairly close to me..then off to hide again. He had some playmates there too, but this one was the friendliest. Perhaps they get lonely for some live company. :-)

Poppies

One of my neighbors has some lovely poppies growing in her "field of flowers", so I had to run over and photograph some.  There are so many beautiful flowers this time of year..I wish I could photograph each and everyone of them. :-)

Have a wonderful day and take a moment to enjoy the beauty nature gives us.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day is celebrated this weekend here in the United States. Traditional Memorial Day celebrations have diminished over the years, and I think many of us have forgotten the meaning of Memorial Day.   I hope we all take the time to remember and honor those that have served our country.  

Take a few minutes and go here for more information about Memorial Day and what you can do to help honor our men and women who gave their lives for us.

 

Reflections

This is a digital oil painting from a photo I took a couple of weeks ago.  I loved the way the trees bent and curved and the goose enjoying the shade, along with all the reflections.    

Nature's Moments

Using another picture from my adventures at the park I went to last week I made this to give credit to Mother Nature for all the beauty we can see everyday.  If you're like me, though, I don't always see it...or take the time to appreciate it. :-)

Thanks for looking.

Reflections of Summer

A friend and I went out for brunch and then I grabbed my camera and we made our way to one of the beautiful local parks.  It was a glorious day,  sunny and the temperature was in the 60's so I was happy.    I've loved the photos I have gotten from this camera, but it is 7 years old now and I've been having some problems with it,  and the time for a new one is getting close.

I loved this photo as the water shows all the colors of the plants, flowers, and sky that surrounded this spring fed pond in the reflections.  I never noticed it as I was taking the picture, so I was pleasantly surprised when I unloaded them this afternoon to see that the reflections showed up so beautifully. Being a novice can work wonders at times....LOL

Nature Awakens

Just playing around this morning with this graphic.  We have been having some beautiful weather and I've been spending some time outdoors, and just enjoying life.  I've also been doing some walking to get rid of this extra 10-15 pounds I gained during my winter hibernation. :-)  I'll have to try and join a challenge this week or I'll forget how to do graphics!  

Hope everyone is well and that you are enjoying Spring.

Gangster Life

The challenge for Art On the Darkside this week is Gangsters.  I've been working on this for a couple of days and couldn't quite get it to pop for me.  But I had a blast trying out different things for this..and finally decided to go with this one. 

I love this art on the darkside stuff, so thanks Vron and June for the challenge. :-)

Queen Henrietta Maria

This lovely picture of Queen Henrietta, who was married to King Charles I, is the challenge from Art Freebies this week.  June also put a link to read more about her and it is well worth clicking on and spending some time there. It's really interesting!

Thanks, June for the beautiful picture and a great challenge.  

House of Wax

The challenge from Art on the Darkside this week was mannequin.  I remember seeing a movie a long time ago  with a fire and melting mannequins at the end, so that is what gave me the inspiration for this piece.  It was called House of Wax and I saw it the 1950's....spooky and scary! 

The background Portal is from Shabby Cottage Studio and I thought it was perfect for this. Thanks for another great challenge, and thanks for looking. 

Dreaming

The focal point for the SoArtful Challenge this week is hands.  While playing with some images and filters, this is what happened...no plan, just play. :-)  Thanks June for another great challenge.

Phenomenal Woman

This is my take on the beautiful image from Artarazzi for the challenge this week.  I had fun with it, changed the concept of what the original artwork is,  and decided to make her a phenomenal woman. :-)  Thanks for a great challenge, Vron..and thanks for looking.   

Check out the other fabulous entires by clicking on the above link, and join in the challenge too. 

(Let me be your) Teddy Bear

The challenge from Art Creations Friday this week was this cute teddy bear handmade by Hermine.  I was stuck for a while for an idea, but when I heard this song by Elvis Presley this morning I knew what I wanted to do with it.  I had fun with it..and thanks Hermine for a lovely teddy bear!

Background is from Dreamstime, Elvis picture and record label were googled, record digitally made by me.  Thanks for looking. :-)

The Seagull for Artarazzi

Vron at Artarazzi was was kind enough to ask me to be a guest designer for the challenge this week.  I chose this picture of a seagull that I took last year at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. I was snapping pictures like crazy hoping to get one like this that was clean and focused...and that's what I got..just one really good one. :-)  This is the first piece I made using the seagull from the above picture. I was going for a misty, kind of soulful atmosphere in this one:

I'm looking forward to seeing what others do with it.  I love seeing all the different and creative pieces that each person makes from one image.  The talent that is displayed by everyone in these challenges is amazing, and I think seeing the difference that develops from each artist's viewpoint of the image helps us all in our own thought process and creativity.

Thank you Vron, for inviting me to be a guest designer this week.  I hope everyone enjoys working with this seagull.

The Bench

This wonderful, eerie background with an empty bench is for the challenge from Art On The Darkside.  I thought it was a good place to put a startled and scared young woman with the shadow of a man (?) coming up behind her.   What had her thoughts been before this happened and why was she in this dark place alone? A mystery to be solved!  I love a good mystery. :-)

Thanks for a great background to work with, and thanks for looking. 

Silvinaqua

What a fun challenge from SoArtful this week.  We had to design a book cover using a title that June gave us which is "Silvinaqua, Queen of the Sea".  I had a blast with this..been playing with it all morning (so much for work!)  

The book cover is from Stock.xchng, and I added texture, changed the color and made it a little older;  the picture of the sea and rocks is one of mine of the California coast, and the other images are bits and pieces of PSP tubes from one of the groups that I belong to. A lot of layers, blend modes and fun. :-)  

Thanks so much June for a great challenge..and thanks for looking.

Artist at Work

This is my take on the beautiful piece of art that Artarazzi gave us for this weeks challenge. The Artist is Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones; and I thought I would  show a sketchbook that might be the beginning thoughts of what ends up on a canvas.  The sketchbook and pencils with shavings are from Stock.xchng.  Thanks for the beautiful image to work with and thanks for looking.

Dark Kiss

Here is my take on the new challenge for Art on the Darkside.  The subject is Kiss this week, and I did use the  lip image they provided..you must be careful who kisses you. :-)  

Thanks Vron and June for another great challenge.

Butterflies & Daisies

Here is my entry for the Artarazzi challenge.  Thanks for the great image to play with. :-) 

Beautiful Angel

Another gorgeous background for the challenge from Art Creations Friday to play with this week.  Thanks for the fun and thanks for looking. :-)

Ginger Rogers

The challenge from Art Freebies was a picture of Ginger Rogers..and this is what I did with it. I used a mask from CreaBarbouille  for the film reel etc; and was included in one of her tutorials for Paint Shop Pro.  I loved the mask and used it on this image. She also has some tutorials for Photoshop, so check it out.  She does great work.

Thanks, June..it was fun to play with. :-)

Night at the Cemetery

The portal into an old cemetery where they never rest.  Some actually get outside and roam for the night, some stay inside and watch what's going on and  some restless souls may be trying to get into this cemetery or just wreak havoc in the neighborhood. :-)

Vron has started up the Art on the Darkside challenges again until June is able to get back to them. Thank you, Vron!  The challenge this week is the cross, and this is the way I ended up interpreting this challenge.  This beautiful background is from Shabby Cottage Studio.  It is called Altered Portals and I had to play with one of the portals. :-) Gail's collage sheets are beautiful.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! I hope your day is filled with love and laughter.

Garden of Love

This is for SoArtful Challenges this week.  The theme is a butterfly and collage and I hope this qualifies.  The blend is one I did last year, and thankfully I saved it in layer format so I could change, add and delete to fit whatever project I wanted to use it for.  :-)  

I love butterflies and think they are such soft and gentle creatures.  What could be better in a Garden of Love than some beautiful butterflies to create a gentle breeze and caress the flowers and the baby.  A soft place for the baby to nap and surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Thanks June for a great challenge.  I haven't had time for much digital art play the past couple of weeks, but am looking forward to getting back into it more often now. :-)

Echos

This is my entry for the Mind Wide Open challenge this month.  I had a lot of fun playing with this image, and the beautiful texture is from Flickr Photo Sharing.  I used the image and brushes for this one, along with this lovely background/texture from Flickr.  The voting starts March 8th, so hop on over to Mind Wide Open take a look at the beautiful entries and vote for your favorite.  Thanks for looking.

Golden Dreams

Just playing around.  I hope all your dreams are golden!

Breaking Free

The challenge from Artarazzi this week is Surrealism.  I had not done anything in that form before, so this was a fun project to try.  I googled images for ideas and and ended up doing two images for this.  This is my 2nd try at Surrealism.  As soon as I saw the broken light bulb, from Dreamstime I knew what I wanted to do with it.  The woman is from Mariel Graphic Tubes.  I had a lot of fun with this..thanks for the challenge. 

Futuristic Playtime

Doesn't this look like fun?  A fantasy play time. :-)  

Thank you Kristen

And my apologies for not getting this posted before!  This award was so generously given to me by Kristen and I haven't gotten it posted until today.   I so appreciate Kristen's thoughtfulness!  

And give yourself a smile and visit Kristen's other blog...Why does my coffee have skin on it?  It will give you a outright laugh or at the very least a huge smile!  Treat yourself with some humor. :-)

Many thanks, Kristen!

Night in the Woods

SoArtful Challenges has a wonderful challenge this week....Trees.  I love it, and so many ideas come to mind that it's hard for me to choose.  I'm hoping to have time to do at least one more this week.   I decided to start with this background that I got from Rustymermaid stock images called Snow 1.  I love nature, and decided to make a home for this beautiful Snowy Owl which was a tube from Top Design Tubes. A touch of land, a touch of water and the owl and it's a new home for him.  Now all he needs are the mice. :-)  Thanks, June for another great challenge. 

Yesterday

This lovely victorian girl was the challenge for Art Creations Friday this week.   I decided to do a digital scrap page for her as my mind just wasn't going anywhere else. :-)  The  scrap kit is from Melissa at Sentimental Style.  She used to have a Yahoo Group where she shared her lovely work, but closed it last January. The original mat with the flowers was from Brooke Kroeger Designs but I changed the original picture,  along with one of the bows. It was fun to put together.  

Coffee to go with the cake :-)

To go with the cake here is some coffee.  Pull up a chair, relax and have a cup of coffee.  This was actually done a couple of years ago during a blend class I was taking, but the coffee is fresh! :-) This has some chocolate color, so I'm adding it to SoArtful Challenges so we can have some with the cake. :-)  

Chocolate Cake

The theme from SoArtful Challenges this week is Chocolate.  So I decided to do this recipe card for a Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake.  I love this cake, and have fond memories of having it as a little girl. I haven't made it in years, and couldn't find my recipe passed down to me, (but I'm still looking) so this is one from All Recipes.   Thanks for looking. Now I have to get some coffee to go with this cake! :-)

Me, Myself & I

The challenge from Artarazzi was Me, Myself and I.  I had fun with this one;  showing some of my favorite things.  The picture of me is definately "photoshopped". :-)  The scrap kit is from Outlawsdesign  Thanks for looking.

Underwater Fantasy

Art Creations Friday gave us a beautiful background for our challenge this week.  It is so beautiful that I had to let most of it show through..just couldn't cover it up! :-) My first thought when I saw it was water..so here is my response to the challenge.  Thanks for looking.

Dark Carousel

Our challenge this week for Art on the Darkside is the Carousel. I love carousels, and enjoy taking my grandson on them, so this was not easy for me. LOL I persevered, and this is what I came up with. I was making backgrounds, decided this one was a keeper and then went from there for this image. I'm not sure I like it, but here it is. :-) Thanks again for a wonderful challenge.

Breaking Free

The challenge from SoArtful this week was to take the provided picture of this unicorn (Click on the link to see the original picture.)  and make him more exciting, add some magic to his world.  I changed his color and let him break free of all worldly constraints. :-)  A great challenge, June..thank you!

Time out for Tea

This is my take on the challenge from Art Creations Friday.   They gave us a lovely picture to use to make our own artwork from.  The white paper background is digitally "handmade" paper, accents and writing are brushes, and the flowers are a lovely tube.  Thanks for looking.

Night Life

The theme for the Art on the Darkside challenge this week is shadows. My mind went spinning with all the possibilities for that..actual shadows and how they can change a piece of art, or the more subliminal meanings...like this one,  with both.  There is so much that could be done with that one little word...the possiblities are endless.

Night life can have all kinds of shadows..some glamorous and fun; and then the darker shadows that night life in the city can bring.  With this piece you get to pick your own shadows..... :-)

Thanks June for another great challenge!

Watching

Working outside my comfort zone. :-)

I had fun with this playing with filters, and manipulating a photo until I ended up with one that I wanted to work with. Then I spent hours trying out different things to pull it together and finally settled on this.  As I said, it's outside my comfort zone,  but I loved working on this!

The background is a manipulated photo from Rustymermaid's Stock Photos.  The photo is called Driftwood Cave and she has some wonderful photos there. Thank you, Barbara,  for allowing us to use them.  She has some amazing artwork there too, so be sure to check that out as well. 

Dreams....

This is the piece I did for the Mind Wide Open challenge this month. They provided the gorgeous picture of the woman, and word prompt was dream.  I also did another one and had a hard time deciding which one to send in..now of course I think it should have been the other one, or both..LOL   The book element was created by Nicole Young, from her Storybook Dreams Kit  at Digital Scrapbook Place.  I loved it..especially with the light coming from the pages..as if your dreams were coming true, or showing you the way...or however we want to interpret it.  Thanks for looking.

No Worries About Yesterday

This is for the challenge from Artarazzi.  They gave us the beautiful image of the woman, and the only other stipulation was to use the color orange.  Thanks for looking.

Autumn Years

Challenge from SoArtful Challenges this week was to make something with the theme of lipstick, powder and paint.  I thought of this as we seem to think beauty is only in our youth.  I think we are more beautiful in our senior years..even if it doesn't show so much on the outside.  Yes, we still use lipstick, powder and paint,  although the miraculous use of digital imaging can be better than the makeup.  :-) 

Lovely award from June

What a wonderful award from June! I was so pleased to receive both of these from June, and they certainly made my day! Thank you June..it is very thoughtful and very much appreciated!

Thank you June!

This beautiful award is from June and I know I'm supposed to pass it on, and I will within the next few days.  Thank you so much, June..I do appreciate your thoughfulness!

Do You Believe?

I had fun with this one. She just isn't sure if she should believe or turn away. Such a problem. :-)
The lovely and thoughtfull woman is from Art Creations Friday for this weeks challenge.  Thank you for the great image..it was fun to work with.

Sorrow and Lonliness

I love this challenge...because I had an immediate idea of what I wanted to do..LOL  This is for Art on the Darkside and the challenge is Birds.  My first thought was Edgar Allan Poe and the Raven, so I had to follow through with it and this is my take on birds.  It's a great challenge..thanks, June.  

Deceived

This is for the Art on the Darkside challenge.  The theme is evil eyes.  I don't know about evil, but it is scary. :-)  I love reading mysteries, so that's kind of where my mind went.