I wrote in a recent post about my interest in manipulating my photographs to make them look like paintings. The sample I included was a skyscape. I like skies. And water. Skies would not be skies without clouds. I could look at clouds all day. The photo above is another skyscape. It is a combination—aContinue reading Sunset Photo Manipulation
Skyscape Photo Manipulation
Photo manipulation has a long history, beginning not long after the creation of the first photograph (1825) by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. Anyone interested can read the history at Wikipedia. I recently became interested in manipulating some of my photographs to make them look like paintings. I tried various methods of applying paints and inks toContinue reading Skyscape Photo Manipulation
Back To the Drawing Board [drawing]
If I were able to go back in time and relive my childhood while keeping the knowledge I have now, I would choose again to be an artist first and a writer second. I was an early and avid reader when I was a child. But I was also and moreover an art lover. Art,Continue reading Back To the Drawing Board [drawing]
Hypnagogia [painting]
I awoke today with an intention to write something profound. Then I got out of bed. There are moments between sleep and consciousness when our minds are busy creating. For me, whether when I’m falling asleep or awakening, that’s when stories play out and I see artwork happen in my mind. Psychologists call this stageContinue reading Hypnagogia [painting]
Rock Sketches In Acrylic [painting]
It was time to be a visual artist again, so I spent a couple days getting my artist’s eye back in shape by working on some sketches. I decided to look at rocks and study their shapes and colors. I’ve chosen 3 better ones to share. They’re all acrylic paintings on paper and cardboard—something IContinue reading Rock Sketches In Acrylic [painting]
Water Shots [photography]
I have always been attracted to water and the life and world within it; perhaps it’s because I’m an Aquarian. Water can be hypnotic with its reflections and refractions of light and color, and it draws me to capture its many expressions. Here then is a sampling of local reflections and the sites that lay atopContinue reading Water Shots [photography]
Apple Blossoms [photography]
Occasionally, I get out my cameras and take photos of nature. Where I live, May is a month of blossoms all around me, and a time of beauty and rebirth. I used to compose my photos with ideas about the paintings I wanted to do. Now, while I photograph the outdoors, I compose stories inContinue reading Apple Blossoms [photography]
Sketching Critters
I enjoy watching small animals skittering and dashing about with their daily activities. I have my favorites, like chipmunks and squirrels, that I try to capture with pencil and paper. But lately I have been studying birds more than usual. Although I’m not a bird painter, per se, I have done a few paintings withContinue reading Sketching Critters
Painting with a Color Triangle
This is part of a lesson plan I used when I taught my young students how to mix colors on their palettes. If this is new to you, give it a try. I keep the colors on my palette simple: 4 yellows, 4 Reds, and 4 blues. I have listed these 12 colors in theContinue reading Painting with a Color Triangle
Painting with Knives
Another old art piece of mine. This article was first published in an art newsletter dated 1998. The photos of my artwork that I’ve shared for this post range from the same year to 2001. While oil painting this month, I’ve been having fun painting with knives. Frosting the cake is what I call itContinue reading Painting with Knives
Using Canvas Stretcher Bars To Stretch Watercolor Paper
You may, like I do, have stretcher bars normally used for stretching canvas waiting to back your next canvas. But have you ever considered using those bars to stretch paper instead? Here’s an easy technique for stretching watercolor paper with those bars—a technique that has many advantages over other ways. One, it avoids the awkwardContinue reading Using Canvas Stretcher Bars To Stretch Watercolor Paper
Buck: A Pastel Drawing
Still going through old art files and finding old drawings that seem to have been done by another person. I mean, I know I did the artwork and can remember (vaguely at times) doing it, but it seems like I did it in another lifetime. And, I suppose, I did. I am no longer theContinue reading Buck: A Pastel Drawing