Attack of the Cute

I get the sweetest photographs in e-mails, you know, "to make your day", "to share a smitle", etc. and as much as I enjoy them, they go by the way side.

Today I received an e-mail from my friend Janet titled "Attack of the Cute" which was so adorable and just couldn't let it slip by.  I selected a few of the photos, rendered them, then decided to make a storyboard to post and share.

I will never have enough room on my hard drive to save every single cute photo I get, but I certainly had fun playing with the ones I received today; thank you Janet!

"The little furry buggers are just deep, deep wells you throw all your emotions into." Bruce Schimmel

Photo Art Friday/Feb. 24th - 26th

This week Bonnie gave us three suggestions to choose from for our submission: 1) any piece we wanted to submit; 2) a piece using a layer mask; and 3) a piece of photo art that is not pretty.

I decided on number 3, and misread the suggestion; I worked on a photo that "wasn't pretty", rather than photo art that wasn't pretty and this is the photo I picked!

Original Photo

Now of course, I have it in my mind that I was to take this rather ugly, mundane photo and improve upon it, turn it into something that if not "pretty", at least interesting.

The process involved poster edges, cutout filter, and dry brush filter effects on the original photo; I then added Bonnie's textures, Happy Day and Fanciful, along with a texture I made called Grass.

Baling Wire I

Was having so much fun, that when I merged the piece, went on to playing with it some more!  I am attempting to learn a "recipe" for giving portraits an edgier look . . . so practiced on the merged piece.  The recipe involves gaussian blur and feathering and using different blending modes.

Baling Wire II

Turned into a great project for me even if I did read in haste or maybe I created #1!

"Do nothing in haste, look well to each step, and from the beginning think what may be the end."  Edward Whymper

Texture Challenge

Nancy Donaldson at all pulped out has once again created several magnificent encaustic textures and is challenging us to push our creativity and play with her!  Nancy is a fantastic artist and has a broad interest in many types of art; if you have the opportunity, I encourage you to visit her site.

Gerbera Daisey/Encaustic textures 2, 4 and 5 with levels adjustment and gradient map.

The gerbera daisies were sorta wilted; a hold over from Valentine's Day and shop, or I should say grocery store worn!   Was thankful for Nancy's textures, which brought them back to life.

I've not really had the opportunity over the past month to hang out with my DSLR, so I've been depending on my phone camera.  While fun . . . it really is not nearly as expressive as a "real camera"!  

Can't remember, but I think the ground hog saw his shadow, which means more winter.  Our winter hasn't been harsh, we have had some magnificent snowfalls and fairly warm weather . . . but I'm ready for spring to spring into action.

“Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"" Robin Williams

Spring Dawn

OFF TOPIC:  This is my rendering of one of the photos provided by the Yahoo Group DigitalNuts for their challenge this week; maybe this is why my mind keeps wandering off into spring!

PhotoArt Friday ~ February 16 - February 10

I simply enjoy participating in Bonnie's Photo Art Friday; her prompts, her tutorials and her creativity and sorry that I haven't had an opportunity to play since January.

The challenge this week was to either post any piece of our own photo art or share a piece where we have used one of Bonnie's textures with a layer mask.  I chose the latter and used a beautiful new texture Bonnie has created called "A Splash of Gold" as well as one of her earlier textures, Old Ornate Linen.

Splash of Gold/Darken @ 86% + layer mask on blue tops and Old Ornate Linen/Linear Light @ 58% with a light layer mask on the front blue top.

Splash of Gold, Color Burn @ 100% with layer mask on blue top and Old Ornate Linen/Linear Light @ 100%

The photos were taken at a winery in Italy, where my Lori and I joined a motor scooter tour of the hills in Chianti Country.  We both own motorcycles and though it would be a hoot to to try out Italy's well known Vespas' for a quick tour of the country side - and it was!

Lori

{Your Sunday Best}

Can't say that I have a Sunday Best . . . but I did take a couple of photos (with my phone camera) of Easter bunnies that were stacked up in a display at the grocery store . . . the only place I seem to go these days . . . 

But I did have fun manipulating them, and decided this is what I'd enter for the weekly challenge hosted by Nancy at A Rural Journey.

Texture by Nancy at All Pulped Out "Encaustic 2"

Texture by Nancy at All Pulped Out "Encaustic 2

ALL I EVER NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
There’s no such thing as too much candy.
All work and no play can make you a basket case.
A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention.
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
Some body parts should be floppy.
Keep your paws off other people’s jellybeans.
Good things come in small sugar-coated packages.
The grass is always greener in someone else’s basket.
An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare.
To show your true colors – you have to come out of your shell.
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.
Author Unknown

Intense yet exhilarating . . .

The New Mexico Legislative Session ended on Thursday, February 16th; I love the process and as much as I love it, I also enjoy the end!  

The session is an intense time, and while few believe it, the process is open to all . . . if you have the desire and are willing to put in the time, energy, and passion.

Below are the last of  photo's taken with my phone during the waning days of the Legislative Session . . . 

East Capitol Entrance/French Kiss Texture "Paris Papers"

View From The North Side/French Kiss Texture "Paris Papers"

Self Portrait/French Kiss Texture "Paris Papers"

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire."  Aristotle