Photo Art Friday - Head to Toe

"Quirky Selfie" is the theme this month at the PAF Gallery.

I know selfie's are often a challenge for people and I am no different.

Here we go . . . 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I have always been able to see and appreciate the beauty in other people, in a myriad of plants, animals and even critters I am not particularly fond of. Exquisitely crafted books, poetry, music that stirs the soul and art that leaves me open-mouthed in awe of the creativity . . .   not difficult to pronounce them as works of beauty. Seeing it in myself was something I have struggled with much of my life.  

Believing we are all marked by our Maker with elements of beauty, it seems that I needed to shift my attitude towards myself and acknowledge and embrace my own beauty.

As I have alluded to in previous posts, for a long time I disqualified myself from using the word "Artist" to describe myself.  Having moved past that I have stepped out in a number of ways.

This Photo Art Friday link-up has been instrumental in releasing my inner child and giving me permission to play with no rules but lots of inspiration and sharing of techniques and processes.

And . . . this past Saturday, I went to a Prophetic Art Workshop and played with real canvas and paint and brushes.  Oh joy! All my life I have wanted to paint and have never done more than a few paint by numbers as a child.

Here are my first fumbling attempts at painting with acrylics.

It was really mostly about feeling the way the brushes move and how different strokes look but oh what fun I had and can hardly wait for the next workshop.

Come see what's hanging in the gallery over at Bonnie's . . .

Photo Art Friday - 7 March 2014

Well, a whole month has flown by and nary a post has been posted. Just working part-time has kept me so very busy and it seems there is little time to play here.  But PAF is something I am just not ready to forego . . . I am always blessed by my time creating photo art.  

This first piece started out as the gazania and marigold shot on the left below.  I did some basic edits to contrast and exposure, cropped it and added Bonnie's texture pdpa "Dropped Petals" (below right) blended in difference mode at 100%.  The resulting palette is a fairly accurate portrayal of the great outdoors at this time of year, before all the spring bulbs erupt in a riot of colour.

I was so delighted with the earthy colours of the first piece above that I couldn't resist going there again.

This time the original shot was osteospermum, cropped and textured with Bonnie's pdpa "Soft Light Overlay" blended again at difference mode 100%.

The cropped out section of this gerbera from the photo below left, has had Bonnie's pdpa "The Little Things" texture added but I cannot remember the blend mode or percentage.

That's all the play time I have right now so I will sign off and link up with Bonnie and go see what's hanging in the gallery.

Old Quebec City, Photo Art Friday on Sunday

The summer of 2010, on a summer break from school, I flew out to Montreal where my sister and brother-in-law were living at the time for what turned out to be my most enjoyable vacation ever. Our first adventure was a day trip to Quebec City to take in the historic sites of Old Quebec City. As I was thinking about this months prompt for Photo Art Friday, I remembered the abundance of geometric shapes and angular lines of many of the buildings we saw there, and so, I have put together a little show of a few of my photos from that day.  

The prompt that Bonnie gave us for this edition is Graphic/Geometric/Angular.

 This was taken at Place Royale in the Lower City.

I used a simple watercolour filter as well as some basic adjustments to brightness and contrast.

 This red door along the Rue du Petit-Champlain in the Lower City is one of my favourite shots from that day. This piece uses a Giger Fine Art filter.

 One final shot from the Lower City is also from Place Royale, a magnificent open square with cobblestones and a small cathedral across the square.

I used a watercolour filter and Bonnie's pdpa "Age It" texture.

 Back up on top of the citadel this building on a corner captivated  my attention. I used a Metropolis preset and Bonnie's pdpa Etched in Stone texture. I also took this into picMonkey and used a number of effects that I did not write down - one was a Warhol effect.

 Chateau Frontenac with Bonnie's pdpa "Yesteryear psd" texture and basic edits.

Finally the clock tower portion of the Ministry of Finance building with a Paper Cutouts filter and pdpa "Antique Me" in difference blend mode.

Collage of original images.

That's it for now . . . I hope to share some of the rest of that memorable vacation in the coming weeks. I am linking up quite literally at the last minute with Bonnie at Pixel Dust Photo Art.  I actually linked my post and then came back to do some finishing touches just to make sure I wasn't too late.

A "Fresh" Challenge for the New Year

Joining up with Adrienne for the first time for "Six Word Fridays".

Using the given prompt the challenge is to caption a photo or tell a story using just six words per line.

This week's theme is "Fresh".

Fresh fallen snow, grass bowing low

the towering blades unable to bear

the weight of the icy deluge.

Warmer weather returns, winter sun burns

releasing each stalk to resume its

graceful waltz in the gentle breeze.

Photo Art Friday - The Year of "Ask"

My choice for this year's word is "ASK" with echoes of "seek" and "knock".

These words in Luke 11 are what guided me in my selection.

"So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you,

seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks finds

and to him who knocks it will be opened."

The progression from asking to seeking to knocking suggests that more is involved than just the words passing over one's lips. Like pursuing diligently, making inquiries and quite literally knocking on doors.

I am very much looking forward to this adventure of asking, seeking and knocking.  I am sure I will be very surprised at the way it turns out and expect to be greatly enriched on many different levels.

One area that I will be asking myself about is my art work.

How much time am I prepared to give to it?

What do I hope to accomplish with it besides expressing myself creatively?

Is there a specific style that I want to cultivate?

These two pieces are from the same original photograph of a pink and yellow peony.  The one above has a comic book filter applied as well as basic adjustments to contrast, brightness, highlights and shadows. The second version is processed with a watercolour filter.  I really like the negative space to the right of the image.

This last piece I am sharing I call "Winter Tree".  It has a watercolour filter and I have used Bonnie's pdpa Spring Light Canvas at 100% Burn blend mode.

And now I ASK you to come and browse the gallery over at Bonnies . . .

A Way of Escape

I have been her.  You know the one.  

The woman struggling to disentangle herself from the crushing, repetitive patterns that keep her stuck in relationships that suck the life out of you, drain the colours from your surroundings and stifle hope and creativity. Labeled with words that define you, confine you to another's perceptions of who you are, how you should think . . . feel . . . behave. Longing for release but clinging to the distortions that enable and prolong your captivity. Looking for a way of escape but fearful things will only get worse.

Dismantling the distorted belief systems can be excruciatingly painful but oh, so worth the cost. To be your true self, think your own thoughts, feel your authentic emotions and make choices that are right for you are such precious gifts.  How grateful I am to have come home to myself. Watching and praying as dear ones struggle to find their wings.

Open to Possibilities

Well, after a whole month of being "OPEN" to inspiration for the current prompt, it appears my muse has headed for warmer climates.  I really enjoy preparing a post that not only serves to showcase my photos but also brings a corresponding message of some sort.

Such is life  . . . sometimes it is difficult to match things up in a way that makes sense.

And in fact, there are a number of things going on right now that are quite baffling to me, how to process them is proving to be quite a puzzle.

It has however not prevented me from creating a number of pieces that I am happy to share with you all.

"Burning Bush"

Original photo taken early November before all the autumn colours fell away.

 "Coastlands of the Sea"

Cropped from a photo of my painted pumpkin, this piece was created the day of the horrific typhoon in the Phillipines.  Those suffering through the aftermath were much on my heart and prayers were offered up for safety and rescue of survivors.  May they continue to heal as they rebuild their lives, their homes, their nation.

This final image was inspired by this story posted at A Holy Experience

 just 2 days ago.  (And it fits the prompt, too ☺)

 At the end of the post is this Dickinson quote:

"Hope is the thing with wings,

 that lands at the end of you

and shows you how to open to possibilities, 

so that you never close again."

(original version of the butterfly piece)