Fall is a wonderful time of year

I walked out into my backyard and marveled at the play of sunlight on the few remaining plants. Ran in and got my camera, I just had to share them.

I'm new to Etsy!

Last night I posted my first item on Etsy. Some of my fabric beads.
I have been talking myself into this for quite some time and now I have committed. There sure are a lot of pieces to go through and to think about to start this up.
I still have to figure out how to make a link to it but I should be able to figure it out soon. Computers are my friends.
Computers are my friends.
Computers are my friends.
Computers are my friends.
I'm working on my mantra.

I don't sit still well

I hate sitting in meetings but doodling really helps. These are from the last two I sat through. I really did listen, and I am not being paid, it's just mostly a listening thing.

After cloth --- paper

A few days after I dyed my fabric I took the spent dye and dyed paper with it. It worked great! The colors can be odd because it depends on your previous project. But I love most of what I got. The brown paper looks kind of leathery and the white has beautiful colors.

Dyeing with friends

A couple of weeks ago some of us friends got together to have a play day dyeing cotton fabric, parfait style. We had a great time and came up with some cool fabrics.

I had been wanting to overdye some silk fabric so I gave it a try and I am happy with the results.

I am alive and still kicking

It has been so long since I have been hanging around here. I really had to work to get caught up on what everyone else is doing. I have been working these last months but I just have not been on my computer.

Last February I took a class with DJ Petitt out in California. It was so much fun and I learned so much. My favorite part was learning to overpaint on a photo. It was a great way to take a photo that wasn't right or couldn't be taken the way one wanted it.

I think the horse looks almost magical.

Getting rid of the background and correcting the skin and hair makes it much better and more interesting.

Great times have been had

I have been so busy these last few months. I have learned so much in both Photoshop and in my mixed media ventures.

I have been participating in a live feed class on Photoshop with a group called CreativeTech. They have some wonderful classes that are free for the watching. If someone wants to watch them at their own convenience, and receive some files that help expand the knowledge, one can buy the programs at a pretty reasonable rate. I am 2 weeks from completing a 6 month course. Give them a look at creativetech.com.

During January I took an online class from DJ Pettitt. It was called Memories and Manipulations. This was a course on Photoshop but from an artistic angle. I learned how to create brushes and to use the opacity and filters and joining layers, and so much more. I still have to go back and finish up.


This is one of the exercises that we did in class.

I also attended a retreat in Los Gatos. I will report on that in the next post.

Synergy

A brand new year. A brand new time. I am feeling uplifted and hopeful for the future.

I was sitting, watching the Rose Parade, looking at the latest postings on blogs that I feel inspired by when one kind of hit me between the eyes. It was from Nina Bagley of the blog Ornamental. She was talking about the forest and individual trees. I will let you read her to get her meaning but it gave me some symbolism that I needed.

I keep getting stuck in my art. I love mixed media or at least the concept because I love doing many types of art. I have all these pieces of things done (think tree) but I have not been able to compile them into some wonderful things (think forest). I don't want to just tack them together I need them to be coherent.

So here comes my word for 2010.
"SYNERGY"
That is where the total is greater than the sum of the parts. This is what I am hoping for this year.

I do not do resolutions anymore. It makes me angry at myself when I do not succeed, however I am continuing to work on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I need to go back and review it again to stay on track.

On a really fun note my DH gave me an online class with DJ Petitt. It is on using Photoshop with an artistic flair. I am so excited. I love DJ's work and I have so many photos that I want to work with. People can sign up until Jan 4.

I also am starting an additional blog to post photographs. I am going to take at least a photo a day this next year (thank you Jane Dunnewold). I will post them each week. I am hoping some of my friend at Mixed Media Mavens will join me. We will see if they decide to play.

Happy New Year everyone!!!