Why I create Art.

Photo credit Fotoworkshop4You

I had some ask me once, after showing her a new art piece, what I was going to DO with it. She admired it but wondered what the point was. No one had paid me to do it, I had posted it on social media but it might not ever be printed . . .

It was a valid question. Photo artistry can take a considerable amount to time to create, so shouldn't there be a concrete purpose to it?? I mean, what is the point in creating one piece after another just because . . .

I thought about this for quite a long time, looking for a good answer. The only one I had at the time is because I loved doing it. It satisfied me in a way I couldn't explain.

Then one evening, while driving home, I looked up. I mean really looked up, and saw the most glorious colours staining the sky, wrapping around the clouds as the sun sank in the west.

And that's when I knew. God creates beauty around us everyday, if we stop to look for it. How many people saw the colours I saw, the subtle variations flowing from one cloud to the next? Not many I'm sure. We are always so busy with our phones, our devices, our troubles. Who has time to stop and look?

But God makes beautiful things new everyday, whether we see them or not.

²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Luke 12:27 (NKJV)

 Philippians 4:8 is one of my favourite verses . . .

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 

I suppose, in the end, that's what creating art is for me. Thinking about things that are lovely, admirable, excellent and so on and creating, in my very small way, something that hopefully reflects those things.

Getting published, selling prints, creating artwork for people, I would love to be able to do all of those things, but even if if none of it happened, making art, for art's sake, is enough. 

 “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
~Pablo Picasso~

Monday Morning Musings

'Autumn Harvest'

 
 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9 niv

Monday Morning Musings

Psalm 62:5-6 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.

A Storybook Photoshoot

 

 I've always had stories running around in my head.

They never get out though.
They just lurk and then, every so often, demand to be brought to life.

That's easier said than done though, right? How many of us share the dream of writing a book one day? But where to start?

 What makes me think I could even write one?? I mean, my spelling is atrocious, my grasp of grammar is worse and . . . well, I didn't even finish high school . . .

Here's the thing. My parents separated when I was 11. (And then divorced a few years later.)

There were several turbulent years after that. Lots of moving, lots of new schools. Pretty tough stuff for a shy introvert. I moved here just before I turned 16 and finished grade 10 in our little private school. I would have had to finish high school in a huge public school. One known to be rather rough at the time.

 I couldn't do it. My mom promised I wouldn't have to go back if  and only if, I found myself a job. Not long after, while out for breakfast one day, I applied for a job and got it! That, for the most part, was the end of formal schooling for me. (Poor mom. I found out years later that she'd figured I wouldn't have the courage to get a job. She'd thought it was a safe promise to make. . .)

So. Stories in my head, and a story I kept telling myself about why I couldn't write them down.

Stories want to be told. My stories found another way. They snuck up on me through my photography. The Photoshop Artistry course and then the more advanced Awake class I'm taking, began to show me another way to tell a story, one told with digital artistry.

But it didn't stop there. Stories still nagged me to write them down.

So now I am.

I'm combining photography, digital art and words into an 'illustrated' short children's story and Nelena and her girls agreed to be my models for the project.

I hope it will be a good story but, even if it isn't, at least I won't have to regret not trying . . .  (If there are any English teachers out there interested in editing an amateur's work . . . drop me a line. I'll need all the help I can get! ;) )

The first 'illustration' is at the top of this post. I'm also sharing other images taken during our storybook photoshoot. It took the whole day, with Holly doing hair and makeup for these three lovely ladies (the girls got blush and lip gloss!), but my, was it ever fun!

This is the  above image before I worked some digital magic on it . . .

The day began with hair and makeup.

It's not all glamour as this girl can tell you . . .

But she soon got into the swing of things.

Her big sister hung out with me while I created the wreaths for their hair.

Once we got to our beautiful garden, (not mine, this one belongs to my dear friend Nicole) it was time to get into character.

How exactly do fairies act??

Let's think about it with tea and cookies . . . or in this case, apple juice and cookies.

 

 

No photoshoots are problem free.

"You're worried about my wreath when there are wasps flying around my head?!!"

The girls were game to climb a ladder in hopes of seeing themselves fly in their story. Of course there's always a spotter close at hand!

Then it's time for a little fun!

 

We got many, many beautiful images, ones I hope will make lovely illustrations for my story one day.

Until then I'll leave you with these . . .

 

 

A big thank you to Holly, Nelena and the girls for helping me with this dream!

Remembering Spring

We had snow yesterday and I've got a winter illustration on the go but I wanted to remember spring one last time . . .

I took a photo from this spring into Photoshop and did a little digital magic. I love the skills my Photoshop Artistry course is teaching me.

I hop you are all having a lovely week.

FairyTale Fridays

As most of you know, I love to read. As a kid, nothing was more enjoyable than a long, leisurely visit to the library on a Saturday morning.

One of my favorite spots in the library was the fairytale section. I read every. single. Brothers Grimm book they had, and a wide assortment of fantasy novels began to stack up beside my bed, ready for midnight sessions with my flashlight under the covers.

I still love a great fantasy/fairytale story.

About a year and a half ago I bought an online Photoshop Artistry course with the idea of creating visual Fairy Tale stories. It was pretty complicated and intense though, so I kept avoiding even getting started. In January, Sebastian, who teaches the Artistry course, launched a year long course designed to help you think, live and create like an artist, with the idea that over the year you would work through the original course and the new one together, getting assignments and inspiration every two weeks.

I couldn't resist it and managed to be one of a limited number of people accepted into the course. (The number of people accepted was limited so he could give us all individual help when we needed it and I definitely need it!) I made it into the course by setting my alarm for six o'clock in the morning while on a romantic get away with Henry on New Years Eve . . .

Not particularly romantic I know, But what's a girl to do? ;D

And I was as quiet as a mouse while I was doing the happy dance after I got in. Henry didn't hear a thing.

Since then I've been working on some  images I took last fall of my niece and nephew Clara and Andrew. They did an awesome job of dressing up and playing pretend with me. That gave me the first image in the story running through my head. I posted it on Facebook.

A few weeks ago I decided to step it up a bit and really start learning new techniques and began to search for a variety of images I could combine into one Fairy Tale 'story'.

I decided to continue the story I started with Andrew. First there was a gorgeous landscape image by Vladim that came in one of my Design Cuts deals, a lovely Elf from Faestock on Deviant Art, and the owl and wolf that appeared in my first fairytale image. Then came the hard work of making it all into a believable story. I'm a rank beginner but I'm having too much fun to care that it's far from perfect. Time and practice will help with that. (Not that anything's ever perfect of course . . . ;D)

I've been working on this off and on for the last few weeks so I'm hoping no one drops by unannounced over the week end.

My house is not fit to be seen and my cupboards are bare.

Good thing Henry and the kids are old enough to fend for themselves . . . . 

Here's the newest installment in my FairyTale Friday series:

And, in case you missed it, here's the first part of the 'story' . . .

Aren't stories awesome?!

Fall gourds. Still Life Photography.

I visited Lowe's a couple of weeks ago and purchased some wonderful pumpkins to decorate the front step for fall.

I decided to go with white pumpkins and small gourds this year.

Before I put them out though, I wanted to use them in a still life for Kim's Start to Finish photography course.

I love everything about still life photography. Searching for the prettiest light, using beautiful things from around the house and playing with just where to arrange things is such a peaceful pursuit.

It's very satisfying . . .

Here are two still life projects I did this week:

What are your favorite peaceful pursuits?

Learning Photoshop. Now Naomi's a Baby Fairy.

 Henry and I had a argument last week. It doesn't happen all that often but, when it does, well, I'm not a yeller or a fighter. I clamp my lips tightly lest I say something I'd regret. Sometimes that means going for a long walk and arguing with him in my head for an hour before I come back.

Then we talk about things and most days that's all it takes to put things to rights.

I hate getting mad though, so I'll often read a good book, or watch an uplifting/beautiful movie afterwards to make myself feel better.

What I really love to do though, is make something pretty.

I've been wanting to take the plunge and make an art piece with my photography that involved fairy wings.

 And that's what I did!

I started with this picture that I took of Naomi and her mom Elizabeth earlier this year.

Then I gathered up my courage, opened up Photoshop, watched a few tutorials on YouTube and made this:

It's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with how my first try turned out. And with a baby this cute how could it not turn out pretty??

So, what do you do when you have a disagreement?