Crab Apples on the Tree (Posterized Photo)

I few days ago, I posted a photo of a heavily laden crab apple tree.  Today I used my Painter program to add posterizing effect.

Crab Apples on the Tree

On a recent neighborhood walk, I saw this crab apple tree, so full of fruit that I could hardly believe it.  I took out my iPhone camera and took some pictures.  Tonight I cropped this image out of the original photo.

Basket of Peaches (Posterized Photo)

Last night, one of the couples in our Wednesday night ballroom dance class brought in a beautiful basket of peaches to share.  They looked so beautiful that I took a picture. Tonight I used Painter to simplify the background and add some posterizing.

Berries on Japanese Dogwood (with Woodcut Effect)

Here's one more version of my photo of berries on a Japanese dogwood tree.  This time I used Painter to add a woodcut effect.  I had to do a lot of fiddling with the controls to get just the right amount of black line.

Berries on Japanese Dogwood (Posterized Photo)

Yesterday I published my photo of red berries on a Japanese Dogwood tree.  Today I used Painter to add some posterizing effect. While I was at it, I punched up the saturation.  I also created another version with a woodcut effect, which I hope to post here tomorrow.

Berries on Japanese Dogwood ("Wonder Trees")

Last week we went to Beverly Cove Community Center and saw loads of these berries on a couple of Japanese (or Kousa) dogwood trees.  Before I moved here, I had never seen anything like these berries. I used to call these trees "wonder trees" because I wondered what they were. I had to use a search engine to find out out.  Now I know what they are, but I still call them "wonder trees" because I am still amazed when I see them. 

Red Berries in September (Posterized)

Yesterday I posted a photo that I took at Long Hill Gardens, a picture of a branch of red berries.  Today's post is the same photo, but this afternoon I used Painter to add a posterized effect.  I also used Painter to change the focus of the background. I think this might make a good reference photo for a painting.

Red Berries in September

This is one of the photos that I took at Long Hill Gardens a couple of weeks ago.  (Long Hill Gardens, aka Sedgwick Gardens, used to be a private estate, but the house and gardens are now open to the public.) The main road to the house and formal gardens is lined with trees that flower in spring. But in September, they are covered with berries, each tree a different color.  I took a lot of photos that day. Today I cropped this image out of one of the pictures.

Stone Wall at Long Hill's Children's Garden

This is a photo that I took last Thursday. We were at Long Hill Gardens, where we pick up our farm share from The Food Project (our CSA).  We took a walk over to the Children's Garden.  I liked this stone wall, so I took a picture. Tonight I cropped the original to get this composition.

Apples for a Sweet Year

I posted this photo of apples at the beginning of September.  Tonight I used Painter to add the border so I can use this image to wish friends and family a sweet year ahead.

Yellow Daisies at Long Hill (with Woodcut Effect)

Tonight I used Painter to add a woodcut effect to the photo that I posted here yesterday

Yellow Daisies at Long Hill Gardens

On Thursday, we went to Long Hill Gardens to pick up our farm share at the Food Project. I liked these yellow daisies growing in front of the yellow house, so I took some pictures.  Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Quick View of Zakim Bridge (Posterized Photo)

Here is another image of my favorite bridge.  This started with a quick photo that I took as we were driving over the bridge on Tuesday night, on the way home from Boston.  Today I cropped the original photo, then used Painter to add some posterizing and color overlays.

A Glimpse of Blue (Zakim Bridge at Night)

We drove in to Boston Tuesday night, and on the way home we drove over the Zakim Bridge.  I almost forgot to get my camera out in time, but I just made it and caught a glimpse of blue.  Today I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

"Bright Tree at Long Hill" at Historic Beverly Exhibit

This is another oil bar painting that I did a couple of years ago, working  from a photo that I took at Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, MA.  (Long Hill, aka Sedgwick Gardens, was once a private estate but is now open to the public. The gardens are amazing!.)  I am reposting this now because this is the second  of two paintings that are on display in an art show at "Historic Beverly" for an art show celebrating Beverly, Massachusetts. The opening reception is tonight, September 13, at 6 pm at the John Cabot House, 117 Cabot. The show will be up through December 8. If you want to know more about Historic Beverly, visit http://www.historicbeverly.net 

View of Boston from the Taj (with Prisma filter)

Last night we drove into Boston to have dinner with visiting family.  They are staying at the Taj (formerly  the Ritz-Carlton), and after dinner we went up to see their hotel room.  I was interested for all the usual reasons, but in addition, I am a fan of the Robert Parker detective novels and many scenes were set in the Ritz-Carlton.  Let me just say that I was not disappointed in the room, which looked out on the Public Gardens and the Boston skyline beyond.  I took a couple of pictures of the view. I liked this image because of the reflections: inside and outside (and a bit of a self-portrait).  Tonight I added a Prisma filter and cropped it to get this composition.

World Trade Center from Empire State (Revisited Photo)

I took the original version of this photo during a visit to New York City in 1988. I was taking a tour of the Empire State Building and I took a photo of the New York skyline. Although I have visited New York City many times (especially while I was living in New Jersey), I don't really have that many pictures of the Twin Towers. So today I went back to this photo and re-cropped it and I also kicked up the color saturation.  It's a view that only exists in memory, so maybe the repetition isn't a bad idea. We need to keep that memory alive.

Rosh Hashanah Still Life (Drawing)

Yesterday I posted a little animation that I made using the Procreate app on my iPad.  Procreate captures a little video as you draw.  Tonight's post is the drawing itself, the final frame of the video. It needed a little cleanup so I opened the image in Painter. I used some digital pastel and cut-and-paste to fix some mistakes and to improve the lettering.  Seems appropriate for Rosh Hashanah. There is always room for improvement.

Rosh Hashanah Still Live (Video)

This is a little animation that I created on my iPad using the Procreate app.  Sending this out to say L'Shana Tova (Happy New Year) to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah, and to everyone, a sweet year ahead.

Pink-Purple Petunias (Posterized Photo)

Yesterday's image was a photo of some purple and pink petunias that I saw on a walk in my daughter's neighborhood. Tonight's version is the same photo with Painter's posterizing effect (which flattens shapes and enhances colors). I also created a version with Painter's woodcut effect, which I plan to post here soon.

Pink-Purple Petunias

Yesterday I saw a lot of petunias growing in front of an apartment building in my daughter's neighborhood.  I took some pictures.  The ones in this photo were hot pink heading toward purple. Tonight I cropped the photos to get this composition.

"First of May at Long Hill" at Historic Beverly Exhibit

This is an oil bar painting that I did a couple of years ago. I worked from a photo that I took at Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, MA.  (Long Hill, aka Sedgwick Gardens, was once a private estate but is now open to the public. The gardens are amazing!.)  I am reposting this now because this is one of two paintings that I delivered today to "Historic Beverly" for an upcoming art show. It will be fun to see it in a show celebrating Beverly, Massachusetts. If you want to know more about Historic Beverly, visit http://www.historicbeverly.net

Back Bay Doorways (with Prisma filter)

A couple of days ago, I posted a photo that I took in Boston's Back Bay on Sunday.  I had added a Prisma filter and cropped the image, but kept second-guessing the composition.  I kept thinking that there were two images that I wanted to get in the photo, and that was making the cropping so complicated.  So I decided to try again, cropping two images out of the original photo.  Yesterday's post was one of those two new images, a view of the roof line. Today's post is another of the new "crops", showing two neighboring Back Bay doorways.

Back Bay Roof Line (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday I posted an image from Sunday's trip into Boston's Back Bay: a building on a tree-lined street.  I took the photograph from the passenger seat of a moving car. Later, I cropped the image and used a Prisma filter on it. I liked it but cropping it was tricky, and I kept thinking that there might be two images in there. Today I decided to see if I crop out two images:  this one, of the windows, and another view of the doorways, which I plan to post here tomorrow.

In the Back Bay (with Prisma filter)

Here's another image from yesterday's trip into Boston's Back Bay.  I love the tree-line streets and the old buildings. I applied a Prisma filter to this one, and also did a little cut-and-paste in Painter. Then I cropped it to get this composition.  That was the hardest part and I am not sure I got it right.  Maybe what I have here is two compositions: the two doorways on the left, and the row of windows upper right. I like this as is, but I might try again tomorrow to see if I am right.

Marlborough Street, Boston (with Prisma filter)

This morning we drove into Boston.  We were headed to the Prudential Center. I have always loved driving into the Back Bay. I love the old buildings on the tree-lined streets. I was in the passenger seat, so I took a few pictures. This is at the corner of Essex and Marlborough Street, the latter a famous location in the detective novels of Robert Parker. When I got home, I added a Prisma filter and cropped the image to get this composition.

Closeup of Apples in August (Posterized)

Yesterday I posted a closeup cropped from a recent photo of a neighborhood apple tree. Today I opened the image in Painter, did a little cleanup with color overlays and digital pastel, and then posterized it. I also kicked up the saturation. I think this is best image for Rosh Hashanah greetings.