Christmas Thoughts, Gifts, and Plans

                            As October wines down, thoughts jump ahead to Christmas.

I love Christmas!  A great excuse that allows me to step out of my normal sane self and make gifts for all those I love.

Over various years my gifts have ranged from quilts, fleece embroidered blankets, quilted handbags, to jewelry.  Each have been passionately made for many in the annual list of 'who gets gifts'.

Last year I sent my family my artwork… I sent off 8 photos in large format size “16X20” and all where sent in one package to my mothers’ address, since Christmas is normally celebrated at her house with my family members.  

My mother is wonderful & We all love Mom dearly!  We feel blessed that she is here, has a full & busy life, plus is doing her own thing in her own home! Now the problem with my dear mother is: she still has all these art pieces.  She never gave them to those who were to receive them.  None of us children ask anymore why she does these things ~ we just shake our heads...

This year I’ll be sending artwork out once again.  But to each family member's home so they may open their gift and keep it at their home LOL unless of course they think it would look better over at Mom’s house.

 

 

Fall in Anchorage, Alaska

September 5th  for Alaskan's means putting up the summer toys and bring out the long winter gear.  Usually for Anchorage by mid-September there is frost on our windows in the mornings and snow on the mountains.  None of this has happen until a few days ago! 

This year I proudly say it has been the most beautiful month for Fall I've ever seen while living 21 years here in Anchorage.

Flowers are still blooming, the leaves of the Birch are golden yellow even though now laying upon the sidewalks and yards in my neighborhood;  many of those golden leaves have just fallen off the limbs within the last couple of days.

Creative Types

Are you a gambler trying new and wild things?  Do you jabber away while creating that next Mona Lisa?  Or are you a silent type whose yearnings can only be read in your eyes? 

I have to admit there are various days that I could be one of the three. 

                  

I’m sure you can add more to the list of ‘creative types’.  I’m just hitting the top of the iceberg for those whose passion is some form of art or crafts!

Many of my friends on Facebook and Twitter are the creative type.  It is so enjoyable to see pictures of their latest creations and even pics of their old stuff.  

Artists across the world seem to encourage each other, tease and taunt each other, plus sometimes even become sponsors for another.  That makes me so glad… in this day and age of so much pain and grief that one sector of life remains constant – art and those who encourage folks to be creative.  

Art is a passion.  You either love it or you don’t.  Once it has its hands around your throat there is no surrendering.

Freedom in Art

I've been exploring new filters on my Adobe Photoshop Elements. 

Its a blast being creative - 

a wild abandonment of being safe 
&
uninhibited has flooded my photo folders.

Various filters and layers have been applied...

Frozen in Time

Cycle of Life

Happy Feet

All I can say is this is keeping me happy until summer arrives when flowers are blooming!

Amazing Race

On Sunday night the team of two women won the Amazing Race.  A team I had been rooting for since the beginning of this season's start.  Finally two women beat out all men teams and man/woman teams.  I just about roared out a cheer but I just the the womanly thing and silently clapped my hands and said "YAY!"

Amazing Race has been since the first season one of the handful of programs this household follows. 

Dreams of being a team lurks in my brain. 

Fantasy of winning has been often replayed in my mind.  Except this is a household of two medical problematic folks.  Both heart patients.  And one has had two serious back surgeries and he medically could not do some of the stunts.  Then some of those things; I myself would balk at doing.  But the temptation to apply is always in the background when watching the teams race to the next stop along the race.  I think he would be a great partner to see the world with...I'm sure he thinks I would be an okay partner - I can be a bit of a nag, jump on his case for any reason, and I think things need to be done my way.  Other-words I have an attitude. 

I've never been out of the States.  He traveled once to England.  The cities on Amazing Race are ones I would love to race through.  He would rather do others, ones with more ancient history esp any that have a Roman history surrounding them.  He is an ancient history buff!  I'm just a time traveler to any city on the map of the world.

With a new season starting in January for teams that didn't win any race but became favorite of the viewers I can hardly wait to relax each Sunday night, dreaming of far off places and cheering on my next team to victory!

                                                 My guy racing each day in his own way

Technology Dreaming

Today a contest ends.  The winner receives a brand new Canon Rebel Camera.  Sweet!  I entered the contest; something I rarely do.  

I have a little Samsung 10mp digital pocket model camera that I’ve used for the last two years.  I have dropped it more times than I should admit – so it at times acts up – the back is a tad scratched up from roaming in my camera bag with car keys and other countless items a woman carries when one does not take a purse.   Although most of the accidental drops of camera where from when my bike would toppled over on uneven ground  as I was loading everything back into the small basket on my front handle bars on various bicycle rides visiting gardens around town.

As far as one can tell my photos are not affected by the dropping of the camera.  There are times I need to gently tap the camera to get the lens to move out of the camera body so it is operable or for it to focus.  Not a big deal when one knows about the camera’s slight problems.

When one depends on a camera to create art one has dreams of newer and better cameras to enhance ones work and play load!

Last night out of boredom and wistfulness I visited Ebay.  Technology is a powerful entity.  My mouth was drooling over several specimens in both categories that I was clicking through:  large format printers and cameras as the viewing selections. 

If one has $1,500 to $2,200 lying around an 18mp digital camera by a couple of manufacturers where placed high on my dream list.

For $1,000 more selections were added to my list. 

And several winners I found for the under $500 with 14mp – enough pixels for large format photos up to 30 inches.

The large format printers’ price range was $2,500 to over $6,000.  These printers were more for the professional photographer who was well on their way to recognition and one who has a large studio that one could take in work to help fray cost factors.  Ink and photographic papers are more expenses than the average person realizes.

It is always fun to look at what is available, enticing one to dream and wish.  No one is too old to dream and have wishes. One never knows when the dream fairy can bring a wish to you.

Faking It

There are days one simply must fake it.

What one sees on their computer and then what one sees when the product is produced.  

 

Until you are holding that artwork in your hands; viewing all the colors, reliving the moment, and  looking at the scale of your photo's size - it is fake on your laptop or desktop.  A wonderful and delightful fake but not tangible.

Since I'll be doing a show soon my ole fishlips felt many of the 8"x10" are not large enough.  That is a wonderful size for quick hanging on the wall and is most pleasing, plus it's a size I can print myself - I know both of my printers inside and out.  Both are excellent, both produce awesome photos. 

I need Shock Value! I want my customers to walk into that show: Gasp with the beauty of my work, plus desire that piece of art.

Many of the newest photos are on a whole different level from my past photos.  A style that completes me as an artist is emerging.  Tis more outside the box of 'everyday botanical or landscape art'.

Picking up photographs in 16"x20" size put me in a state of anticipation just like a four year old on their birthday party day.  Wildness cloaks you.

Trusting another with ones photos takes control of everything out of ones hands...

Slowly taking the photo's out of a huge envelop, then spreading the photos over the counter - ooohs and aahs burst forth from my ragged fishlips.

I was not faking it any longer. 

Wacky Tacky Mondays

Mondays are wacky. 

Period.  

As a person with no real life job other than my art - Mondays are nothing to get excited about. 

Mondays are tacky.

Weekends are nothing more than days making the week longer. 

Days run together.  Weeks have no end.  Months add up to years.

Wacky.

My art is getting wacky but I like that!