Saturday, May 31, 2008

Heart Shaped Box, Edge of Top (As of May 29)


Heart Shaped Box, Edge of Top (As of May 29) Originally uploaded by randubnick

I went to the studio on Thursday to work on this project. (This is a collage and decoupage project made by pasting pieces of printed metallic ribbons onto a box that once held a Mother's Day gift from my daughter.) Yesterday I posted a view of the box seen from above. Here is another photo of it as it looked on Thursday. This view shows the progress on the edge of the lid, which I am covering with red and gold paisley patterned ribbon. I don't have much of this pattern left because I used a lot of it in my last decoupage and collage project (see Ribbon Roses Tray).I have been worrying about not having enough of this pattern to cover the entire rim, but I keep finding more scraps of red and gold paisley.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Heart Shaped Box (Collage Day 7)

Heart Shaped Box (Collage Day 7) Originally uploaded by randubnick

I finally was able to get back to the studio this week! (I have been coughing for a few weeks, the after effects of a cold combined with spring allergies and asthma. I was trying to avoid the dust and fumes typical of a studio environment, so I concentrated on computer art and photography instead.) But I went to the studio for a short time on Thursday, and I was really glad to get back to this project. This is going to be a keepsake box covered with collage and decoupage. The heart-shaped box originally held a gift from my daughter for Mother's Day. I am using printed metallic ribbons to create the patterns. On Thursday, I did some work on the top of the box, trying to finish it up, using a combination of light and dark brown ribbon. I also finally resolved the bottom of the heart's shape by using a trio of metallic leaves. The top is almost finished, but not quite. I also worked on the edge of the top, not visible here, of course, but I will post a photo of it tomorrow.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Lilacs and House at Long Hill (Digital Woodcut)

Lilacs and House at Long Hill (Digital Woodcut) Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a digital woodcut that I made in Painter IX, using the photo that I posted yesterday. This is an image of lilacs in front of the old Sedgwick house at Long Hill Gardens here in Beverly. The color is more muted than in the original photo, but the textures are emphasized by the digital "black ink".


Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Lilacs and House at Long Hill

Lilacs and House at Long Hill (Originally uploaded by randubnick)

Yesterday and the day before, I posted images of lilacs, taken on an overcast day at Long Hill Gardens. Here is another photo of lilacs, taken that same overcast day, but this time with the house at Long Hill in the background. I took this photo because I liked the way the lilacs looked against the brick and architectural detail of the house. This house is now a public building rather than a private residence. Although I usually just refer to this place as Long Hill, the official name is Sedgwick Gardens at Long Hill, run by The Trustees of the Reservation. The house was once the home of Ellery Sedgwick (of the Atlantic Monthly) and his wife, Mabel Cabot Sedgwick. Now it holds a horticultural library and administrative offices. I have only been inside the house once or twice, and it is beautiful, inside and out. But for me, the grounds are the main attraction, a great place to walk, relax, watch the seasons go by, and take pictures.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Lilacs and Cloudy Sky (Posterized Photo)


Lilacs and Cloudy Sky (Posterized Photo) Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a posterized version of the photo I posted yesterday: lilacs in bloom at Long Hill Garden here in Beverly, taken on a cloudy day. I used Painter IX to add the posterized effect to capitalize on the diffuse light toward the top of the lilac bush and the purple shadows in the flowers.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Lilacs and Cloudy Sky

Lilacs and Cloudy Sky (Originally uploaded by randubnick)

This time of year, I am on the lookout for lilacs. I love the scent of lilacs. Whenever I can, I pull the lilacs close to my face and inhale their perfume. A good place to hunt for lilacs is Long Hill Gardens, and lately the lilacs have been blooming. This photo is from a recent outing. I liked the look of the lilacs against the overcast sky, so I took some pictures. Tonight I cropped this photo to get the composition I wanted.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Penobscot Bay in Belfast Maine


Penobscot Bay in Belfast Maine (Originally uploaded by randubnick)

On Thursday, I drove up to Belfast, Maine. A close friend from high school back in Colorado now lives in Maine and we try to together when we can. She invited me to meet her in Belfast, Maine, to attend the opening of the art show where she had a painting on display. She is one of my very favorite people, so of course I said yes. I was also curious to see Belfast, Maine, because I have spent a little time in Belfast in Northern Ireland. By the time I arrived on Thursday afternoon, it was pouring buckets, raining too hard to take photographs, but I could see that the town is very inviting, especially for artists, and I hope to go back sometime to see more of it! Despite the rain, the art show was terrific and it was great to spend time with my friend. The weather was sunny on Friday morning and I had just enough time to get a few photos of the view of Penobscot Bay from the hotel before I had to head back home. The color in this shot is just as it came out of the camera. All I had to do was crop the photo to get the composition. Now I have a nice souvenir of a very short but sweet vacation in Maine.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Celebration of Azaleas

Celebration of Azaleas (Originally uploaded by randubnick)

It is May and azaleas are blooming everywhere. I took this photo during my most recent visit to Long Hill Gardens. It looked like a fiesta! I loved the color of these hot pink flowers combined with the bright green leaves (just beginning to show), and the blue forget-me-nots peeking through in the lower right corner.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Stage Front Park Seen from Beach in Gloucester MA

Stage Front Park Seen from Beach in Gloucester MA (Originally uploaded by randubnick)

I took this photo with my digital camera last weekend while taking a walk in Gloucester, MA. From the beach, you can see Stage Front Park in the distance. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Gazebo at Long Hill Gardens


Gazebo at Long Hill Gardens (Originally uploaded by randubnick)

There is always something to see at Long Hill Gardens here in Beverly. But in the spring, the scene changes very quickly, so it was worth going back this week to see what was in bloom! This time, the azaleas were blossoming near the gazebo. It looked like a fantasy landscape, so I took a picture.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Many Tulip Tops

Many Tulip Tops (Originally uploaded by randubnick)

Yesterday I posted a photo of a tulip blossom, digitally modified and posterized in Painter IX. I also used Painter IX to create a pattern from the image, and this is what it looks like.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tulip Top (Digitally Edited and Posterized)

Tulip Top (Digitally Edited and Posterized) Originally uploaded by randubnick

For the past few days, I have been posting photos of last week's excursion to Long Hill Gardens. The first photo that I took that day was of a single tulip with an orange and pink blossom. I thought the flower was amazing, but I didn't pay much attention to its surroundings. When I loaded the image into my computer, I noticed how distracting the background was. The leaves and stalk of the tulip were obscured by other plants. This wasn't a problem that I could solve with cut and paste or even a little retouching with digital pastel. But I really liked the tulip top, so today I tried to salvage the image. I cropped the image to focus on the top of the tulip, and then opened the image in Painter IX. I used opaque digital pastel to replace the foliage of the flowerbed with a simple dark background. Then I posterized the image, and here it is. I also made the image into a pattern, which I will post tomorrow.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Looking Up at Blossoming Tree (Posterized Photo)

Looking Up at Blossoming Tree (Posterized Photo) Originally uploaded by randubnick

Here is another view of blossoming trees. The original photo was in the same batch as yesterday's post, all taken during a trip last week to Long Hill Gardens here in Beverly, MA. The originally photo was a wider shot that showed more of the tree, but you couldn't see the detail very well. So I decided to show more by showing less, so cropped the photo, and then posterized it. Then I cropped it a second time to get the composition I wanted, making sure that I had a square format.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Trees in Bloom at Long Hill

Trees in Bloom at Long Hill (Originally uploaded by randubnick)

Here is another photo from a recent outing at Long Hill Gardens in Beverly, MA, where there are rows of blossoming trees lining the roadway. I was so excited to see the trees in bloom, and thought, as I always do, of A. E. Housman's poem, "Loveliest of Trees", and caught myself reciting some of the lines. It is a poem about cherry trees in bloom, but it is also about life and beauty and time. (I posted the entire poem here on April 30 of 2005, but it is found in many anthologies, and it is worth having a look.)

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Lilacs and Barn at Long Hill (Posterized)

Lilacs and Barn at Long Hill (Posterized) Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is an image from a recent walk at Long Hill Gardens in Beverly. The lilacs are beginning to bloom, so I took some pictures. It was a windy afternoon, and the lilac branches were dancing in the wind. I liked the composition in this shot, with the barn in the background. But the foreground was distracting. I adjusted the focus in that area and then used a transparent color overlay, and it looked better. Because I was planning to posterize the image, I also used a color overlay to even out the color in the sky, to avoid getting bands of color that I didn't want. After I posterized the image, I cropped it to get the composition I wanted.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Heart Shaped Box, Edge of Top (As of May 15)


Heart Shaped Box, Edge of Top (As of May 15) Originally uploaded by randubnick

Yesterday I went to the studio to work on this project, a keepsake box. The heart shaped box once held a gift from my daughter, and I always kept the box. Now I am making it into a keepsake box. I am covering it with collage and decoupage designs made of printed metallic ribbon. Yesterday I worked on the top, adding some brown ribbon for the background (see yesterday's post). But while I was doing that, I stumbled across some more scraps of the red and gold paisley print that I am using on the edge of the box top, so I also worked on that. Here is a picture that shows a view of the edge.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Heart Shaped Box (Collage Day 6)

Heart Shaped Box (Collage Day 6) Originally uploaded by randubnick

I finally had a chance to get back to the studio to work on this project today! This is a decoupage and collage project made from a box that originally held a Mother's Day gift from my daughter. I am using printed metallic ribbons and acrylic medium to create the designs. Today I worked on the top, mostly adding pieces of brown ribbon for the background, and occasionally adding a leaf or flower. I also worked on the side edges, which aren't visible here, but I will post a photo tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Closeup of Crab Apple Blossoms (Posterized)

Closeup of Crab Apple Blossoms (Posterized) Originally uploaded by randubnick

It has been a long wait for spring. But over the weekend, the crab apple trees finally decided to bloom, just in time for Mother's Day. I took some pictures while I was out walking. This image is a close-in crop from one of the photos that I took. I posterized the image in Painter IX to emphasize the excitement of seeing the brightly colored blossoms against the grass on a sunny day.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Closeup of Pear Blossoms (Digitally Edited and Posterized)

Closeup of Pear Blossoms (Digitally Edited and Posterized) Originally uploaded by randubnick

Time for one last look at the pear blossoms. This is the same image as yesterday, but cropped. I think the cropping makes the composition stronger, and it also makes it easier to see the effects of posterizing.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Under the Pear Blossoms (Digitally Edited and Posterized)

Under the Pear Blossoms (Digitally Edited and Posterized) Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a posterized version of yesterday's image, a picture of a pear tree in bloom. Yesterday I used Painter IX's digital pastel to remove the tiny electric lights and wires (strung year-round on the trees in downtown Beverly). In this image, the posterizing is subtle, but you can see the color variations in the sky and in some of the leaves.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Under the Pear Blossoms (Digitally Edited Photo)

Under the Pear Blossoms (Digitally Edited Photo) Originally uploaded by randubnick

This morning, while waiting to get into a local restaurant, I took some photos of flowering pear trees in downtown Beverly. (There was a wait to get in the restaurant because it was Mother's Day.) I was standing under this tree, and I loved the flowers against the blue sky. Tonight when I transferred the photos into my computer, I could see that there were wires and tiny electric light bulbs, hidden under the pear blossoms. (Like a lot of cities, Beverly keeps lights on its trees all year. North of Boston you need all the light you can get! I had forgotten about that when I was taking the picture this morning.) Well, I was disappointed but not defeated. I opened the photo in Painter IX and got to work with some digital pastel. The wires were everywhere. But I liked the challenge and it was good practice at drawing on the computer. I went through the photo looking for bits of the twisted wire and tiny bulbs, and used digital pastel to transform wire and bulbs into sky or blossom or leaf or branch, whatever was closer, and whatever would work. While I was at it, I cleaned up a few scraggly branches. Now it looks a lot better, and I am glad I went to the trouble, because now I have a nice souvenir of a wonderful day.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Two of a Kind (Digitally Modified and Posterized Photo)


Two of a Kind (Digitally Modified and Posterized Photo) Originally uploaded by randubnick

A few weeks ago, on a walk around the Cummings Center Pond, I saw these two geese who were quite willing to sit still while I took several quick photos. I was so excited that they didn't fly away, and pleased to see how much detail I could see in the feathers. It was only later when I transferred the images into the computer that I realized that the two beautiful birds were standing on black plastic and a little bit of cedar mulch. Tonight I decided to see if I could salvage the image, so I opened it in Painter IX. I used digital pastel and several other little tricks to try to get rid of most of the plastic (accomplished more easily in art than in reality, unfortunately). Then I cropped and posterized the image.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Mother's Day Surprise (Posterized Photo)


Mother's Day Surprise (Posterized Photo) Originally uploaded by randubnick

Yesterday I posted a photo of the bouquet I received as an early Mother's Day gift. I also posterized the image in Painter IX, and I really liked the effect. Here it is.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Mother's Day Surprise

Mother's Day Surprise Originally uploaded by randubnick

I received an early Mother's Day gift today, a beautiful bouquet of roses, hydrangea, and lilacs. It is fun to get a gift when you least expect it! The bouquet looked so beautiful in the afternoon light that I just had to take a picture. I cropped the image to improve the composition a bit, but the light and the colors are just as they came out of the camera.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Many Many Magnolias

Many Many Magnolias Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a pattern that I made with Painter IX, using the posterized photo that I posted here yesterday. The lines of the branches create the repeated geometric shapes in this pattern. Magnolias don't last long, so I think it is good to make the most of them while I can.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Blossoms on the Magnolia Tree (Posterized Photo)

Blossoms on the Magnolia Tree (Posterized Photo) Originally uploaded by randubnick

Yesterday I posted a photo of a magnolia tree, taken during a recent walk through Long Hill Gardens here in Beverly, MA. This image began as a different photo from the same batch. I did a close-in crop to focus on a few blossoms, and then I posterized the image using Painter. I thought it might make a nice pattern, but more on that tomorrow.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Looking Up at Magnolias


Looking Up at Magnolias (Originally uploaded by randubnick)

Magnolias have been blooming around here. The Boston version of spring seems to be a few very warm days, interspersed with long stretches of cool weather. This makes it impossible to put away winter clothes, but it does make for a long season of blossoming trees. If you like magnolias, this is great because they usually don't last very long in warm weather. Here is a photo that I took during a recent walk at Long Hill Gardens, standing right under a magnolia tree and looking up. I used my digital camera. When I got the image into the computer, I adjusted the brightness just a bit, though it wasn't absolutely necessary, and apart from that, this is how the image looked directly out of the camera.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Heart Shaped Box, Edge of Top (As of May 1)

Heart Shaped Box, Edge of Top (As of May 1) Originally uploaded by randubnick

I am making a keepsake box, using printed metallic ribbons to create collage and decoupage patterns. I love the heart-shaped box, which originally held a Mother's Day gift from my daughter. A few days ago, I took a little break from a hectic week to work on this project for an hour. Even though the top of the box isn't yet finished, I have been working on the edge of the top, trying to use a scrap of ribbon in a red and gold paisley pattern that I knew it would be very hard to find if I put it aside. I recently found another scrap of the same pattern, but there was a lot of gold in it, so this time I used it, making sure to distribute the gold pieces all the way around the box. Making this project might sound tedious, but I love, love, love working on it.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Rocky Slope and Blue Sky (Chine Colle)

Rocky Slope and Blue Sky (Chine Colle) Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is the fourth and last of the images that I made Tuesday night in printmaking class at Red Brick. We learned to do Chine colle monotypes this week. The process combines collage and printmaking. I used two plates with all the images, one to attach pasted paper to the print, and the second plate to apply the ink. Another member of the class brought in some great paper to share, and I used two different textures for this print. My imagery comes from my memories of the Colorado mountains. Well, there is certainly an element of surprise in this process. You can't completely control what happens in the printing press. In this piece, the brown mountain shape moved in the press, and slid down a little bit (which is why I thought about calling this piece "Slippery Slope".) Then, when I put the second plate (the inked plate) into the press, I didn't line it up exactly where the first plate was, so I got a double imprint. That created some extra horizontal lines which I like, so I didn't mind that at all. Even though it didn't turn out exactly as planned, I like this image. Art reminds us to be open to the unplanned and random workings of the accidental.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Western Landscape (Chine Colle)

Western Landscape (Chine Colle) Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is the third of four prints from Tuesday night's printmaking class at Red Brick. This week we learned to create Chine colle. The process combines collage with printmaking. I made four pieces that night, and for each of them, I used two plates, one to press the collage material onto the paper, and a second to apply blue ink. (You don't necessarily need to do two plates or even use ink at all for this process. However, I wanted to learn as much as possible, which can mean making mistakes. And I did.) I started with a mountain shape cut out of some paper that had an interesting texture, and combined it with the pink paper at the bottom of the composition. I liked the composition of the papers on the plate. I also got a second plate ready with blue ink. But I was disappointed with the result for two reasons. First, when I ran the print through the press the first time, I could see that all that interesting texture had been completely flattened by the press. Then when I ran the inked plate through the press, I was disappointed because I had put too much ink on the plate, so the color was too thick, making it hard to see the mountain shape. But all of this has to do with expectations: if I just look at the image for what it is, rather than for what I expected it to be, I think it is fine. In fact, it does still look a little bit like the mountains in a thunderstorm. So let's just say that I am not sure that this piece is finished. I am considering painting or drawing into the image to make the mountain shape a little bit easier to see. (Chine colle often includes drawing at some point in the process, so this is an opportunity to learn another approach.) More later on this one. Maybe.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Landscape with Pink Mountains (Chine Colle)

Landscape with Pink Mountains (Chine Colle) Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is the second piece that I made in printmaking class on Tuesday night. This is a Chine colle, a process that combines collage and printmaking. Another person who is taking the class brought a lot of interesting paper for everyone to use. I made this image with two plates (a "double drop"). I cut two shapes for my mountain landscape out of pink and brown patterned paper, then applied paste to the back, and arranged them on the first plate. I prepared a second plate with blue ink, applied with a brayer in areas where I thought I wanted to apply color to the image. Then I ran my paper through the press with the first plate, to get the pasted papers to stick to it. Then, leaving my paper in the press, I removed the first plate and immediately substituted the second in exactly the same place. Then I ran the image through the press a second time to get the blue areas. The result wasn't perfect; the pink piece at the top was a bit off-center, but it looks fine with a bit of cropping. Even so, this is the best print that I made Tuesday night. I was (and still am) very excited to see what can be done with this process.