Hibiscus

Hibiscus
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today as I was heading into the grocery store, I saw hibiscus plants outside. I loved the color against the brick, so I stopped to take a picture with my phonecam. (Seeing hibiscus makes me smile because we used to have a big hibiscus tree which we called Junior and schlepped around the country when we moved.) Once I loaded the image into my computer, I cropped it to focus on the flower, and corrected the brightness to restore the color of the brick, which was too light and looked washed out. It is hard to ignore hibiscus, and I am glad that I didn't even try.

Exercise in Graphing the Curve of a Color

Exercise in Graphing the Curve of a Color
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a piece of digital art I have been working on, inspired by graphs and other mathematical illustrations. I am very interested in the idea that line carries meaning, whether in art or in math. I started this image about a month ago, but have had trouble finishing it. I started it by making some arcs in Painter IX, and then started filling in color with the digital airbrush. At first, I wanted hard, crisp lines. But with the cursor, which is what I use, it is very difficult to make precise lines that are curved or diagonal. Then I decided to soften the edges a bit, and I liked the effect. It also brings the piece a bit closer to what I have been thinking about, the intersection of art and math, and the blurred edges that divide the two fields.

These Pears Are Even Better

These Pears Are Even Better
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday I saw some beautiful pears, and I have to admit, I bought them because of their color! This is just the kind of thing I love to draw with pastels. I didn't have time to draw them last night, but decided to take a photograph before I set them out for dinner. Tonight I loaded the image into my computer. First I cropped it, trying to square the circle, and I liked the result. But although these are beautiful pears, still there were some distracting marks on them, and some of the color had been washed out by the flash. Even though I probably will use this image as the basis of a pastel or watercolor, I decided that I liked the photo well enough to try to improve it. So I opened the image in Painter IX and used some digital pastel to clean up the image and adjust a few areas of color. Now the pears are even better.

Another View of RIo

Another View of RIo
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Mauro is visiting family back home in Rio de Janeiro. This is a photograph I took during our trip to Brazil in 1994. It is a view of Rio (including Corcovado) that I took during our unbelievable cable-car ride to the top of Pao de Acucar. It was an amazing first look at Rio on our very first day there! Tonight I scanned the image into the computer, adjusted the light and cropped it. Rio is certainly worth another look.

Tree with White Blossoms

Tree with White Blossoms
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This has been a very rainy week, with steady downpours, closed highways, and flooded basements. But there is better weather ahead, I am sure. Here is a photo that I took with my phonecam during a recent walk, before the recent string of rainy days began. Tonight I cropped the image to focus on the sunlight hitting the little white blossoms.

More Flowers for My Mom

More Flowers for My Mom
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I was trying to find a photo of myself with my mother, but couldn't find too many. But I did find this one in an old album. Tonight I scanned it into the computer and cleaned up some scratches with Painter IX. Then I considered several ways to crop the image. I thought about eliminating the car, but I like the period feel and the dappled light on the lawn. I also considered cropping the opposite side, which was almost entirely dark in the original version. Instead, I decided to use Painter IX's tools to cut and paste the spirea that was visible in the photo, and put more of it in the dark area. Once I added more white flowers, I was happy with the composition, so didn't crop anything after all, not even the remaining shadow. And it is nice to find a way that I can still surround my mother with flowers on Mother's Day.

Bright Geraniums

Bright Geraniums
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

The other day, I used my phonecam to take a quick picture of the geraniums for sale in front of the grocery store. The color isn't quite naturalistic, even after I invoked "auto-adjust". I could have tweaked this to bring the color into a more naturalistic range, but given the run of rainy days we are having, I like the brightness of the image as you see it here.

Lilacs and Peonies

Lilacs and Peonies
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today I received this bouquet of lilacs and peonies as an early Mother's Day gift. Lilacs remind me of the house where I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, and peonies remind me of our house in Lawrence, Kansas. The arrangement is beautiful and I took some pictures with my new phonecam. When I loaded the images into my computer, I noticed that in the photo I liked best there was some background clutter in one corner. So I opened the image in Painter IX and neated it up with a little cutting, pasting, and digital pastel.

A Quiet View of the USS Constitution

A Quiet View of the USS Constitution
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Several years ago, Heather and I decided to go see the tall ships when they came to Boston. To get there, we caught a water shuttle from the Charles Navy Yard. While we were waiting, we had a chance to look at the USS Constitution, and used it as a backdrop for souvenir photos of our adventure. But tonight I opened the photo in Painter IX and did a little bit of digital editing to get an image of the USS Constitution, because I think it is worth looking at for its own sake.

Spring Nor'easter

Spring Nor'easter
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

We have been having heavy downpours just as the trees are leafing out and blooming, so here is a photo to match the day. Tonight I cropped this image from a photo that I took with my digital camera around this time last year. Last year we were having a spring Nor'easter, just as the dogwood was blooming, like it is right now. It's hard to have cold, wet days just when trees are blooming, but we need the rain, and every once in a while, the sky brightens, and then the colors seem to glow like mad.

Portrait as of May 9, A Post-Script

Portrait as of May 9, A Post-Script
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a digitally modified version of a portrait that I painted for my friends. In February, I mailed the painting to them. But I had the painting scanned before I sent it because my friends want to make copies for family. Scanning turned out to be a good idea because it gave me a chance to make a post-script modification, to soften a small area of shadow that turned out to be distracting. If I still lived down the block, I could have run over and fixed the problem in five minutes (and maybe I can still do that on my next trip home.) But meanwhile, I was able to use Adobe Photoshop to modify the digital image of the scanned portrait, and here it is. Does it matter that I made the changes digitally? To me, that is less important than making sure my friends are at peace when they look at the portrait. Whether I used paint or pixels, this image is the work of my hand, start to finish.

Red Violet Cliffs

Red Violet Cliffs
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here's another painting inspired by memories of the Colorado mountains. This painting was done with acrylics used as water media. Although this painting is from my imagination and is not an attempt to capture realistic detail, it is inspired by the colors found in the Colorado landscape and the proportions of sky, mountain, and horizon that you see when you drive through the mountains of my home state.

Geraniums

Geraniums
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Geraniums are on display at the grocery stores, which I take as a hopeful sign that it is going to stay warm enough to plant a garden without worrying about cold weather. (But then this is north of Boston, so nothing is certain.) Several years ago, I took a picture of geraniums at a local greenhouse. Not too long ago, I cropped this closeup to focus on the patterns of the geraniums and of the roof. Tonight I came across this image, and wondered why I hadn't posted it. When I looked closely, I could see some distracting dried leaves in against the roof, so I opened the image in Painter IX and fixed it up with some digital gardening.

View of Arno River, Florence

View of Arno River, Florence
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Last night, Mel came home from the conference in Turin, Italy. I didn't get to make this trip, but I do have nice memories of Italy from the European trip we all made about ten years ago. This picture, from my album, is a view of the Arno River, and was taken during our short stay in Florence. Today I scanned the image, then cropped it just a bit and corrected the color.

Flower Boats at Xochimilco

Flower Boats at Xochimilco
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here's a nice memory from a trip to Mexico City in 1993. Heather and I went to Xochimilco to ride the beautiful flower boats. I recently came across this photo in my albums, so decided to post it today for Cinco de Mayo. I experimented with the contrast and the saturation, trying to find the best possible solution, given the bright reflections and dark shadows on the water. In this version, the color is slighly intensified to convey the vivid colors and the excitement of this adventure in Mexico.

Driving in the Foz in Porto

Driving in the Foz in Porto
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Why do I take pictures from the passenger seat of moving cars? I guess I get excited about what I see and don't want to miss any opportunities. I took this photo during my first trip to Portugal. Ordinarily, I would crop the photo to eliminate the dashboard and windshield wipers. But in this case, I left enough of the dashboard and windshield wipers to put the viewer in the passenger seat, where I was when I took this photo, and convey a sense of the fun of driving down the narrow and winding old streets of the Foz in Porto.

Horse at Russell's Orchard

Horse at Russell's Orchard
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday Heather took a detour, and we were suddenly on a beautiful back road. Although this area is known for the ocean, it is also horse country. Tonight I found a photo that I took at Russell's Orchard in Ipswich a few summers ago. The photo had potential, but needed a little work. I rotated it to get the vertical lines straight, then cropped the image to focus on the horse, and to line the roof up with one corner at the top of the picture, and the end of the fence with the bottom corner on the other side. Then I enhanced the saturation just a bit for contrast, and that brought out the beautiful color of the horse.

Mountain in Blue

Mountain in Blue
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today I used my recently rescued Clie handheld to sketch this image of the Colorado mountains. The image is from imagination and memory, but also is inspired by photos I have taken on trips back home. I have been trying out some new techniques with the Clie, using a thinner "brush" to make layers of color. After I loaded this image into my computer, I cleaned it up a bit with Painter IX's digital pastel, but one of the benefits of the technique I have been using is that I don't need to do as much cleaning up of the image. This is pretty much what the image looked like on the screen of my little Clie handheld.

Road from Lisbon to Porto

Road from Lisbon to Porto
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a photo from my trip to Portugal in July of 2001. I took this picture from the car as Mauro drove back to Porto from Lisbon. It is fun to drive through the countryside of Portugal and see the patterns in the landscape. Tonight I cropped the photo just a bit, and adjusted the contrast to restore the color.

Buds on the Fruit Tree

Buds on the Fruit Tree
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Fruit trees are getting ready to bloom around here, so today I took some pictures with my phonecam. Later, I cropped this closeup image out of one of the pictures, trying to focus attention on the brightly colored buds against the sky.

Violets are Blue

Violets are Blue
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

That's what they say, though I have always thought they look more purple than blue, but nothing rhymes with purple. I have been noticing the violets coming up everywhere, so I took a picture with my phonecam.

Late Afternoon at the Pond

Late Afternoon at the Pond
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this photo yesterday with my phonecam. I liked the reflections in the water and the soft afternoon light. I am still exploring what this new cameraphone can do, and I can see that it can capture a lot of detail. This image was cropped from the original photo, to get the composition I wanted, and then I reduced the image to half its original size (in pixels)for posting

A Quiet View of Bom Jesus, Braga

A Quiet View of Bom Jesus, Braga
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is the staircase at Bom Jesus, near Braga, Portugal, that I mentioned a few days ago. Recently, I was looking for a good photo of the place, but realized that I only had one photo of the staircase, taken by a friend while Mauro and I stood in front of it. I was so happy to have finally made the trip to Portugal! After I found the photo, I decided to see if I could copy it and use it to create an image with an unobstructed view of the staircase. I opened the copy in Painter IX, did some cut and paste and used a little digital pastel. Then I cropped the image to improve the composition. The original photo is intact, and naturally I will always prefer that image as a wonderful souvenir of my very first trip to Portugal. But still, I had fun practicing some digital sleight of hand, and creating a little disappearing act with Painter IX.

Necklace with Rose Quartz and Jade

Necklace with Rose Quartz and Jade
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday I phoned my aunt in Colorado. She has recently started making jewelry and she loves it! We compared notes on the fun of making jewelry and talked about the addictive quality of bead stores. When you travel or go shopping, you are always on the lookout for beads to buy. Here is a necklace I made last year; I remember finding the jade in a little bead shop on 7th Avenue in New York. Anyway, it was fun comparing notes about jewelry-making with my aunt, and I am looking forward to seeing her work the next time I get a chance to take a trip back home.

Blossoming Tree in the Morning

Blossoming Tree in the Morning
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Due to an unfortunate mishap, my old cellphone is no more. (I shall remain silent about the details except to say that the mishap was hilarious and that it involved water.)So now I have a new cell phone with a new camera, which I tried out on my walk this morning. I love the way the morning light looks on flowering trees, so I took this picture. I also wanted to get a sense of what this new camera would do, and I learned that this camera has a much sharper resolution (see the details in the background). Even though I did like the soft effects of the lower resolution in my old phonecam, it will be nice to be able to get this much detail, especially considering that I reduced the size of the image for posting. In art, each tool is different, and that goes for cameraphones, too. The trick is to learn to use each tool, and figure out what it does best.

Street Near the British Museum

Street Near the British Museum
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this picture during my short stay in London a few years ago. We went to the British Museum on a rainy day. Afterward, we explored some bookstores close to the museum. I remember standing in the doorway of the bookstore and taking this picture of the street scene across the way. Tonight, Mel was watching "84 Charing Cross Road," a movie (based on the book) about a small London bookstore. Well, this is definitely not Charing Cross Road, but the movie reminded me of London bookstores and of this image. The picture was easy to find, but not quite ready to post. So I cropped it, then opened it Painter IX and cleaned up a bit of street litter with digital pastel. Then I added a little color to the sky and intensified a few lines on the buildings just to add contrast, using colors that were already in the photo. I wouldn't call this image a fantasy, but it has been digitally modified, so I guess you could say it is a bit of a London daydream.

Magnolia Blossom Up Close

Magnolia Blossom Up Close
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

The magnolia trees are in bloom. It was too cold and rainy today to go out and take pictures, so instead I cropped this image from a picture I took last spring with my digital camera. Magnolia trees bloom all of a sudden, and often, the blooms don't last. But the photos do!

Sunset Over the Rocky Mountains

Sunset Over the Rocky Mountains
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this picture on my most recent trip to Colorado. I love the way the mountains look at sunrise and at sunset.

An April Celebration

An April Celebration
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here is a photo I took recently with my cameraphone. These tulips look they are having an April celebration!

Lembrancas do Bom Jesus

Lembrancas do Bom Jesus
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a picture I took during my first trip to Portugal. This is the outside of a souvenir shop in the park at the top of Bom Jesus (famous for its enormous white staircase that leads up the mountain. Yes, I did climb all the way to the top.) I certainly enjoyed the vistas panoramicas (panoramic views), but even more I enjoy just visiting and experiencing life in Portugal. I took this picture because I loved the tile, the sign in Portuguese, and the little red bench in the shade.

Little Pink Tree

Little Pink Tree
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

When the weather warms up, everything seems to bloom at once. While I was taking a morning walk on Sunday, I came across this little tree with pink and red blossoms. Because the tree was small and was growing right next to the sidewalk, I had an opportunity to get a closeup picture with my phonecam.

Forsythia Up Close

Forsythia Up Close
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Over the past few weeks, we have had some warm days, interspersed with cool ones because, after all, we are north of Boston. And now bright yellow forsythia is blooming all over the place. The sun was shining when I took this picture, but I think that forsythia looks like sunshine, even on a cloudy day. I have tried to get some good pictures of forsythia, but usually the bushes are too far away, and the color just doesn't hold up at a distance. But on a recent walk, I came face to face with a forsythia bush, so I took this picture with my phonecam. After I loaded the image into the computer, I still had to play with the saturation just a bit to get that bright, sunny yellow.

Path Seen From Above

Path Seen From Above
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

The other day, walking where I often do, I looked down and saw a path I had never noticed before. I liked the shapes of the rocks, and the trees, and the path itself, so I took this picture with my phonecam. Isn't it funny how easy it can be to miss a clear path? But sometimes all it takes is a change in perspective, and there it is!

On Boyleston Ave, Boston

On Boyleston Ave, Boston
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a picture I took on a slushy winter day as we were driving down Boyleston Avenue. I always think of Boyleston Avenue during the Boston Marathon (which is tomorrow) because that is where the finish line is. What I like about this image is the juxtaposition of two Boston landmarks, the John Hancock Building and the Boston Public Library. I thought the weather was against me when I took this picture, and you can certainly see its effects in the photo. At first, I defined that as a problem and tried to fix it, but have decided that I kind of like the effect. Anyway, this seems an appropriate image for the Boston Marathon, and for all those runners who carry on, even when it seems that the weather might be against them.

Clear View of Casa Velha, Cascais

Clear View of Casa Velha, Cascais
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

It's time for another nice memory of Portugal. Mauro showed me around Cascais when I visited in July of 2004. Cascais is a very lively beach town, with lots of white buildings and colorful flowers. I took pictures of one of the main streets, but sometimes it is better to capture the feel of a place with a closer look. So tonight I cropped this image from one of my photos. I think it communicates a sense of Cascais looks like. Taking photos in the bright sunshine of Cascais was a challenge; I adjusted the contrast, but not too much because the bright light and dark shadows are part of the experience. But after all that, there was a pesky television antenna that was creating a distraction in the background, so I opened the image in Painter IX, and used a little digital airbrush to create a clearer view.

Mom in Print Dress (Restored Photo)

Mom in Print Dress (Restored Photo)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I was looking for a nice picture of my mom, and I found a snapshot that I liked in an old album. I especially liked the patterns in black and white. But there were some problems in the original photo: lots of clutter on the coffee table, and in the background, and even an upended porch chair visible though the window! But I really thought the snapshot had potential. So I scanned the photo and opened the image in Painter IX. I used some cut and paste to get rid of the porch furniture, and digital airbrush to neaten up some stray marks (and while I was at it, her cigarette). Then I cropped the image to get the composition that I wanted.

Times Square Daydream

Times Square Daydream
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today a cousin called me from Times Square; she is in New York for Passover. It was fun hearing about her visit and comparing notes on seders we have known over the years. As we talked, I could hear the sounds of Times Square through the cell phone. Afterwards, I found myself daydreaming about New York City. So I cropped this image out of the background of a photo I took in Times Square several years ago. Then I opened the image in Painter IX and used digital airbrush to add some color and contrast. I call this a daydream not only because I was remembering great visits to Manhattan, but also because this image has been digitally modified.

Parsley

Parsley
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I used my phonecam to take this picture during my pre-Passover grocery store run. I noticed the slogan on the matza box (Streit's) said "the taste of memory." I think that's right, so if it's Passover, then it is time to cook and make memories.

Dock at Marblehead, Massachusetts

Dock at Marblehead, Massachusetts
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this photo of the Marblehead dock last summer, using my cell phone camera. I have been picturing this dock for the past few days, because I have started reading a new Robert Parker novel called Sea Change, set in a Massachusetts town north of Boston that strongly resembles Marblehead. Part of the action takes place at the city's dock, as in this photo. I started reading Robert Parker novels when we moved to the Boston area. They are great reading, and as a bonus, a great way to explore the Boston area.

Purple Pansies in the Sun

Purple Pansies in the Sun
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

No time for a break today, but I did have to make a grocery store run. And I was happy to see pansies for sale outside the store in the afternoon sun. Here north of Boston, that's a sign of spring (and the optimism of New Englanders). I liked the way the dark purple pansies looked when the sun hit them, so I took a picture with my cameraphone. Later, I loaded the image into my computer and cropped it just a bit. Pansies always make me stop, look, and smile.

Oxford (You Are Here)

Oxford (You Are Here)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this picture in Oxford during a trip a few years ago. We were driving down to Heathrow so I could catch a flight. We only had time to stop for dinner, but I could tell I would like the place! It looked like a typical university town, lots of fun to visit! Too bad there was no time left. This is the only picture I have (I guess I was out of film as well as time). Mel is making another quick trip to another British university town, so I decided to post this little souvenir of Oxford. But first I opened it in Painter IX and cleaned it up with photo tools and digital air brush.

First Pink Blossoms

First Pink Blossoms
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today it was cloudy and almost cold, so I was surprised and excited to see these first pink blossoms. I took a picture with my phonecam, then loaded the photo into the computer and cropped it to improve the composition. But after taking a look at the image on the computer screen, I decided that there were too many distracting areas in the background. So I opened the image in Painter IX, and with the airbrush tool, did a little digital yardwork.

A Cape Cod Beach

A Cape Cod Beach
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I was looking through my pictures tonight, and found one that needed to be rescued. I took this photo at the beach during our very short trip to Cape Cod a few summers ago. But the original version had problems with the color and composition. I started by corrected the color of the sky, which was almost chartreuse (which can be interesting, but not in this case.) Then I cropped the picture to focus on the visual information that was the most interesting: the lines of the horizon, the beach and the fence, framed by the dark foliage in the foreground.

Little Flowers Like Purple Stars

Little Flowers Like Purple Stars
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

The weather is slowly improving, and we have better walking weather. This is a picture that I took with my phonecam on a recent walk. I spotted these little purple flowers next to the sidewalk. I don't know what kind they are, but I call them those little flowers that look like purple stars.

Early April Snow

Early April Snow
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

We had a surprise snowfall this morning, great big flakes coming down thick and fast. I grabbed my digital camera and took a few pictures through the window. I didn't think the snow would last, and I was right. The snow soon turned to rain, and it has been raining the rest of the day.

Electric Bouquet

Electric Bouquet
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I call these electric flowers because they are made of pixels. This is a piece of digital art that I started on my Clie handheld paint program. I have been getting a "fatal exception" message when I try to synchronize my Clie, and though that only affects the Palm software, still it might be time to look into a new handheld and the new Palm Paint program. But I love my Clie and I hate change. So I am trying out a new cradle to see if that does the trick. We shall see. Meanwhile, while I was sitting at the computer waiting for my Clie's batteries to charge, I decided to finish this little digital sketch. So I opened it in Painter and used digital pastel to add more flowers, clean it up, and use some transparent layers to soften the image. In the midst of my frustration about my handheld, it is good to remember that technology can be a good friend to art; you just have to take the time to get acquainted.

Newlyweds April 4 1943

Newlyweds April 4 1943
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a picture of my parents, during their honeymoon trip to New York. I found the original image tonight, a small snapshot in my mother's album. (She pasted photographs on black paper and wrote about the pictures in white ink.) I didn't remember seeing this image before, but I liked it immediately. So I scanned the image into the computer. First I restored the black and white image, cleaned it up with digital scratch remover, and rotated the image to straighten it out.. Then I opened it in Painter IX and did a little cut and paste to get rid of a distracting tree trunk. Next, I cropped the image, and saved it as a black and white picture, which I like enough to keep just as it is. Then I created a copy in Painter IX, and used transparent digital watercolor to see if I liked the effect. I decided that I liked it so I kept going, and here is the result. It's a lot of fuss over a snapshot, but I was very happy that I found it!

Tree Trunk and Moss

Tree Trunk and Moss
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today it was cool with gentle rain and mist, a reminder that it is still very early spring. Here's a photo to match the day. This is from a batch of photos I took in early spring of last year, on a misty spring day when the daffodils were in bloom. It was a Sunday and I took a morning walk on the campus of Endicott College, taking pictures with my phonecam as I walked along. I was following one of the many paths across the campus when I saw this tree. I liked the pattern that the moss made on the tree, so I took this picture.

Colors at Singing Beach

Colors at Singing Beach
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today Heather suggested a walk on Singing Beach, so we took the dogs up to Manchester-by-the-Sea. It was warm but windy, and as usual, loads of people were walking up and down the beach, most of them accompanied by their dogs. Besides the hilarity of hundreds of dogs playing on the beach, we had a beautiful show of sound and color. The water seemed to sparkle because of the wind, and the waves were crashing and roaring on the sand. I was looking at the different colors that were in the water today, from the deep blue at the horizon to the subtle periwinkle blue reflected by the water over the wet sand. I wanted to capture those layers of color, so I took a few pictures of the ocean with my phonecam, and this is the one I like the best.

Crocus Convention

Crocus Convention
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday the temperature shot up to 75 degrees, and apparently the flowers took notice! A bunch of crocuses that had been closed the previous day were suddenly wide open! I liked the patterns and colors so well that I took a picture with my phonecam. When I looked at the image today, I was bothered by one flower in the upper left that looked more white than purple, and because it was in the corner, was too much of a distraction for the composition. So I opened the image in Painter IX and using digital airbrush, I put a transparent layer of very light purple over some areas of the flower. It is a very subtle change, but I am announcing it here in the interest of full disclosure.