Photo Art Friday/Abstracts

For real this time, below are two abstracts created from the same three photos and a background photo.  In the first abstract I added a cutout filter to the photos prior to applying Bonnie's filters.

Abstract I/pdpa textures Off Kilter and Chinks of Light

In the second abstract, while I used the same three photo and background photo, rather than creating a cutout, I layered the photos on top of each other, applying different blending modes, interspersed with Bonnie's textures.

Abstract II/ pdpa textures Off Kilter and Chinks of Light

Here is the background photo and three accent photos that I used, which were taken at the Carson Ranch last spring.  The difference from the originals amaze me.

I thought I'd have more time to play this week, but I didn't!  For those that found my blog via Photo Arts Friday, I confused my dates on the abstract posting and did a posting last Friday as well if you'd care to see what I did, here is the link. January 14, Photo Art Friday.

"When realistic images or patterns are seen in an abstract painting, they are often parallels brought about by processes in painting which echo processes in nature." (Darby Bannard)

52 Week Project:: A time to share { Color w/ Emotion }

Bella's challenge this week is to post a color that evokes emotion, whether in nature, our home, our clothing......

Green is a predominate color in my life, but it is the many colors of the tropics or semi-tropics that truly get my juices flowing.  The varying greens, the bright colors of orange, pink, purple, red; the color of the sky at sunrise and sunset over water, the color of the ocean at different times of day . . .

Hibiscus in Bloom

Sunset on the Gulf of Mexico

Being from the high mountain desert, I have always loved being near the water, no matter where it is and have always managed to be near water as much as possible and I have found that the colors of the tropics evokes pure emotion for me!

Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday ~ "open"

This weeks challenge was themed around the word "open" using one of Kim's marvelous textures.

Kim's Textures:  Annabelle (darker color@83%), Evolve (overlay@50%) and Providence (overlay@50%)

I choose roses in full bloom, or open roses and the quote is from from Frank Zappa.  Personally, I  believe that I need to keep an open mind in all things; it is an open mind that has given me and will continue to give me the opportunity to grow and learn.

Kim's Textures:  Empty Page (color burn@50%), Providence (overlay@100%)

And now for a little tattle; the photos were taken yesterday afternoon as my sister Melinda and I ran errands which included a quick trip to Michaels.  The roses are 100% artificial and taken with the camera on my phone while we were there . . . and I think they are rather lovely!

“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind”  Gail Rubin Bereny

Texture Challenge/Nancy Donaldson

Nancy Donaldson (all pulped out) is the individual who introduced me to textures and the many uses for textures.  

Right after the first of the year Nancy gifted eight new images for us to experiment and play with, and below is what I did.

Nancy will be posting a sample of our work on her blog on Tuesday night, but because I have a full week coming up, I am posting them on musings a couple of days early!

Young Boy, Chengdu with Nancy's textures: Pole3, Pole7 and Encaustic with additional two backgrounds in varying blend mode.

I knew I wanted to render the photo of this little boy I took in Chengdu, and after finishing it up, decided to stay on an Asian theme, particularly with the Chinese New Year coming up on January 23. Below are the digital pieces I rendered:

Fresh Fruit with Nancy's textures: Pole2 and Pole5 with levels adjustment on both textures with one background in blend mode..

Year of the Dragon with Nancy's textures: Pole3 and Pole2 with levels adjustments and 3 backgrounds in varying blend modes.

For fun: Your Chinese horoscope for the Year of the Dragon (2012): Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.  If you are unsure of what your Chinese Zodiac is, you can get additional information at chineseculture.about.com.

Nancy wowed me with screenshots of a project where she used both textures and backgrounds, varying the blending modes and opacity; the photo she used in her art was of a chair.  I didn't have a photo of a chair, but I did have a scan of a Coldwater Creek catalog from about 10 years ago that I used in a piece of paper art . . . so here is my rendition!

In Vacation Mode with Nancy's textures:Pole8 with levels adjustment/Pole 1 and 1 background layers in blend mode.

If you would like to take a look at the sample that Nancy posted on her website, you can find it here: time to play

Always welcome the new morning with a new spirit, a smile on your face, love in your heart and good thoughts in your mind.