A Photoshopped piece

I tried to create a woodcut-like print image with this digital photo of Mt. Rainier. I used layer adjustments and filters to turn the image from a digital color shot to a "print." It looks really good printed on cold press natural paper as well. I've included the original picture for comparison.

Photoshopped view of Mt. Rainier

The original photo

A fly

In keeping with yesterday's dead insects, here is today's specimen.

Fly in prayer stance

Fly detail

Inspiration (or lack thereof)

Having a hard time getting working on anything at the moment. I am just at the tail-end of a long weekend and haven't managed to do much of anything I consider creative (though I started a strange piece in Painter - don't know that it'll ever see the light of day). Fortunately, a couple dead insects lying in my windowsills encouraged me from the afterlife to take a few photos. It never ceases to amaze me how much detail I can get from the macro function on my G9.

Yellow jacket

Yellow jacket detail

Yellow jacket 2

Yellow jacket detail

Mosquito

Turtle

I had planned on entering this piece in a contest but then I went a different route with my submission. I love the color scheme and the "pose" of the turtle. It feels like a modern still-life homage to classical painting (at least that's how I think of it).

Mutant boiled egg

I boiled a bunch of eggs the other day and this bad boy was pulled from the pot. It reminds me of a geoduck. Or, it could be an egg with a little hat. Or, an emergency escape hatch. Too late.

When you keep your eyes open...

...you see amazing things. The other day I was stopped at a light and was letting my eyes wander around in the usual, vaguely-paying-attention way I have in the morning, when I saw something odd. I squinted because I thought I must be imagining it, but, no. I was looking through the window of a local gas station at what appeared to be the Virgin Mary. As I drove past, I was able to verify that it was some sort of lighted religious statue with another beside it sitting on top of a cooler. A couple days later, I stopped in there to get gas and went in with my camera. On top of the 7up cooler was a Christmas tableau with lighted Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus (please note, that it's May). When I asked if it was okay to take a picture the fellow was nice enough to readjust baby Jesus so he was more visible. I think I'll go back and get a few more shots since I think there's more there. Fortunately, the owners were really nice and said I could come back anytime.

Film shots of Crysta

Here are a couple shots I took of Crysta with my Lubitel. The first one was with a flash, which gives it that cool look of her set off from the blue blue sky. I'm really pleased with how the flash worked with the Lubitel, especially on a bright day.

 This second one is without the flash. You can tell because the separation of foreground from background is less dramatic. Also, there's more shadow on her face and there's a bit of motion blur in her hands. Although this is an odd photo because of her pose, I really like it. It's as though she was just struck by an amazing notion or an invisible creature. Or as though she were part of a modern dance piece.

 

Cozy corner is complete!

Recently, we decided to rip out our fireplace to install a new, much better looking gas one. One day, while reclining on the platform that used to hold the fireplace (oh, it was so ugly and I'm so pleased it is no more), we decided that it was much nicer as a hanging out spot. About a month later, we now have a beautiful "hang deck" with shelves and drawers and lights. One of the coolest features about it is the heating elements under the black tiles. The heat is subtle but palpable. It's large enough to allow two people to nap (we actually have a place for guests now!). And there are enough drawers to house all the CDs we had housed on a grey rolling cart. What a delight! I have the best contractor in the world. Thanks, Jay!