Fur Rondy 2011

Anchorage’s winter festival ‘Fur Rondy’ had its kick off on Friday!  The festival is a two week event with dozens and dozens of action packed fun for children and adults.  Fur Rondy is the prelude to the great 'Iditarod Race'.

The city closes several main streets downtown for various daily events.  Dog sled racing, Outhouse racing, the carnival, and then throughout Anchorage a wide variety of things are happening.

The Anchorage Senior Center maintains the most activities for all.  Down at the Senior Center you will find the Seniors Annual Art Show, lots of food, tons of different type games and more games.  Snowshoe baseball anyone?

On Saturday I did my best in partaking different activities by dressing in some warm clothes and walking the streets snapping photos.  I lasted about an hour downtown before my hands were frozen, my nose was a running faucet and I think half of my toes fell off on 4^th Avenue.

Today I plan on dressing warmer so I can stay out longer and getting more photos!  Right now Anchorage is besieged by bone chilling wind at about 20/30 knots.  

I entered the Fur Rondy Amateur Juried Photography Contest.  Seven favorite photos were entered; one photo for each category of the show.  

This year 516 entries were received for judging.  180 were selected for public viewing.  If you made the cut even this is an honor.  Of my seven; five were included in the public viewing.  Of my five photos - 1 received a 3^rd place ribbon for my Flora entry!  I was jazzed in a way you cannot imagine!  It confirms that my photos are wonderful and that I have developed a style of Art that is worthy of the attention I give it.  Confirms to me I am an artist.

                                                               'Thrills & Spills'

                                       b/w with forge filter Fur Rondy Carnival 2/26/2011

Digital Photography

As a photographer I dearly enjoy taking a photo.  My passion is playing within my Photoshop Elements and turning an  ordinary photo into a new something I feel is fun, exciting or totally different.

I just discovered a whole world of additional Plug-in's for my Elements program. 

It is so much fun to discover new ways of making a photo 'sing' to me.

 

this filter gives an old world look to the photo

If you haven't been to the your local book store lately and visited the magazine aisle - my advise is: Do It As Soon As Possible.  A new photographers rag is out!  C'T Digital Photography.  It's printed in the UK cost $14.99us

Since Borders Books is closing over 200 stores across the United States, I took advantage of the 40% off and got the launch issue (first issue) for this new rag!  Love it!  If you can find it at your local book store get it.  Has free CD crock full of fun things for one to play with in various photo programs!

Altered Art Techniques

As you all know, one of my greatest pleasures on my laptop is creating digital art from my photos.  My desire presently is to take my photography into new realms.  

As an artist one needs to grow and challenge one’s self along the way.

Anchorage’s Library as any library brings in new books on a regular basis.  A thrill beyond anything is when I located a book on a subject matter that takes my type of art into a new arena for me.   Right now I’m awaiting 10 new purchased artsy books to arrive.  My mouth drools just at the thought!

In the meantime two books I’ve discovered fascinate me!  Both are fine examples of where I desire my art to go and also give me new ideas on how to expand my artist skills.

Two books from 2007 that I highly recommend:

Mixed Emulsions/altered art techniques for photographic imagery - by Angela Cartwright

Digital Photo Art/beginner’s guide to – by Theresa Airey

Then I found a brand new published book 2010 that grabbed me by the ears because it also deals with using Photoshop to create art.

            Digital Art Revolution/creating fine art with photoshop by Scott Ligon

So the next few weeks I’ll be trying some new techniques that each of these books discuss.

So until the snow melts I’m letting books be my moment’s journey and excitement.

                                                           Red Challenge - #9