Pansies at Green Meadows Farm

Pansies at Green Meadows Farm, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here is another photo that I took last week when we stopped at Green Meadows Farm (in South Hamilton, Massachusetts). I noticed these pansies on display outside the store, and I got up close and took this picture. Tonight I did a bit of retouching and cropping in iPhoto.

Closeup of Definitely Pink, Possibly Honeysuckle (Posterized)

Closeup of Definitely Pink, Possibly Honeysuckle (Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's post was a photo of some flowers that I saw at Green Meadows Farm in South Hamilton, MA. I am not sure if they are honeysuckle, but they have a similar shape. Well, I liked the image that I posted yesterday, but realized that the focus was uneven. (One advantage of posting my images here is that I sometimes see them differently once I have posted them. That might sound like a disadvantage -- and sometimes it feels like a disadvantage-- but if you pay attention and use the new insight to make improvements, it is decidedly an advantage.) So tonight I used iPhoto to create a closer crop of the same photo. Then I used Painter to create this posterized version of it.

Definitely Pink, Possibly Honeysuckle

Definitely Pink, Possibly Honeysuckle, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

On Tuesday, on the way home from the vet, we stopped at Green Meadows Farm, in South Hamilton, MA, which is where I saw a bush filled with these delicate pink and white flowers, so I took a picture. I think these might be honeysuckle, but I am not sure. Anyway, apart from a tiny bit of cropping, this is the image just as it came out of my iPhone camera.

Budding Tree (Digital Sketch)

Budding Tree (Digital Sketch), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I had some time on my hands, so I decided to sketch with the Brushes app on my iPhone. I kept it simple, just a branch of a flowering tree. I worked from my imagination, and had fun playing with the different textures provided by the brushes. (Brushes on the iPad also captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw, but not so on the iPhone, so there is no animation for this one.) I used iPhoto to crop this just a bit.

Little Flowers (Track Pad Exercise)

Little Flowers (Track Pad Exercise), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I got a track pad for my Mac a few days ago and have been trying to get used to it. Once I was able to do the basics (open and close files, scroll down, right click, etc.), and had even used it in Painter to do basic operations. But I hadn't tried drawing with the track pad, so I decided to give it a try. I opened a file and started a little sketch, just to see if I could make curves and straight lines. I kept it simple, but I was starting to have fun, so I kept going. Here is the result, with just a bit of post-production editing in iPhoto.

Chimneys in England (Digital Woodcut)

Chimneys in England (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's post was a posterized photo of these buildings, taken in England last year at the beginning of our trip. This was on a drive from Manchester to Sheffield, as a rainstorm was clearing. I also used Painter to create this digital woodcut of the same scene.

Chimneys in England (Posterized Photo)

Chimneys in England (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began as one of the first photos I took after landing in England, just about this time last year. We arrived at Manchester airport, on a rainy morning, picked up a rental car and drove toward Sheffield and then Hull. I was in the passenger's seat and started taking pictures. One look at the houses and you know you are in Britain. I love those chimneys! Tonight I edited the original photo in Painter. I adjusted the brightness, and then used color overlays and selective posterizing to get this image. I cropped the image once in Painter, and then cropped it again in iPhoto. I also created a digital woodcut from the same image, and I plan to post it here tomorrow.

My Mom with My Daughter (Posterized Polaroid)

My Mom with My Daughter (Posterized Polaroid), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

My mother hated having her picture taken, so I have very few pictures of her taken with me as a child. If there were pictures to be taken, she was more likely to be holding the camera! But today I found some snapshots of my mother with my daughter, taken in Pueblo, Colorado. I had moved back home with my baby girl while my husband was in South Carolina for basic training for the National Guard (having won the draft lottery). It was hard to see the up-side of this at the time, but now I know it was an opportunity for me to spend time with my mom and the rest of my family in Pueblo. And it was a chance for her to enjoy her first grandchild. It dawned on me today that she seemed more than willing to have her picture taken holding her grandchild; maybe time had taught her the value of photographs! When this adventure was over and we were leaving Pueblo again, my mom cried and said she had forgotten how easy it is to fall in love with a baby. So the photo I found today was is a Polaroid (one of many), and it is streaked, scratched, and fading! I decided to rescue it, and then transform it. I scanned it into the computer, and then used iPhoto to get rid of the worst of the scratches and marks on both faces. (I left the rest of the marks alone, thinking they might make the posterizing effect more interesting.) Then I opened the image in Painter. I used digital pastel and some cut-and-paste to cover up some cars visible through the window. Then I used selective posterizing and color overlays, using the streaks of the fading Polaroid to suggest the composition. So here's to my mom, on Mother's Day. If your mom is still with you, I hope you take a picture. And if you are a mom yourself, I hope that if someone wants to take your picture, you will smile and say yes. You are making memories for your kids.

Early Bouquet (Posterized)

Early Bouquet (Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I used Painter to create a posterized version of the yesterday's photo, my early-bird Mother's Day bouquet. To make this image work, I also had to adjust the brightness and use some selective color overlays to compensate for color washed out to white when I posterized. Well, I hope you aren't tired of looking at these flowers. I'm not, and I certainly don't mind an extended Mother's Day celebration.

Early Bouquet

Early Bouquet, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is the bouquet that was delivered yesterday, an early Mother's Day gift. Love the color of these roses! I used my iPhone camera to take this closeup view. This is how the image looked right out of the camera. (I uploaded this to Flickr last night, but before I could finish posting, we lost internet connection, so I am going to adjust the date.)

Roadside Lilacs (Posterized)

Roadside Lilacs (Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with a photo that I took of the lilac bushes at the side of the road at Long Hill Garden. I love closeups of lilacs, but seeing them from a distance is nice, too. I liked the shapes of the bushes next to the curve of the road. But the image needed a little work. I used Painter to clean up the background, digitally trimming some high branches of a tree in the background so that the shape of the lilac bushes would show up better. Then I did some road repair with digital pastel. Then I posterized the image, using the selection tool to apply more of the effect to the road. I also used iPhoto to lighten the shadows and do one more crop to get this composition.

White Lilacs at Long Hill Gardens

White Lilacs at Long Hill Gardens, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here are more lilacs from our recent trip to Long Hill Gardens to see the lilacs. I liked the way these white lilacs looked with the barn in the background, so I took a picture. Tonight I edited it to get this slightly quirky composition. When people think of lilacs, they usually do not think of white ones, so they are often overlooked. (Is this even a lilac? Lilacs are supposed to be purple.) But there are all kinds of lilacs, and these are are equally beautiful, in their own way. Sometimes we just need to get past our traditional ideas of what lilacs are supposed to be in order to see the beauty that is right in front of us and accept it on its own terms.

More Lilacs at Long Hill

More Lilacs at Long Hill, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another photo that I took on April 30th when we went to Long Hill Gardens to look at the lilacs. This image is just as it came out of my iPhone camera, although I did lighten the shadows a bit in iPhoto.

River and Trees in Spring

River and Trees in Spring, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today's adventure was a walk by the Bass River, just behind a local Starbucks. I could see the soft golden-green of trees leafing out on the river bank, so I took some pictures. Tonight I used iPhoto to do some basic editing. Whenever I see trees leafing out, a line from Robert Frost always pops into my head: "Nature's first green is gold" (from "Nothing Gold Can Stay"). If you know this poem, then you know that it is not an optimistic poem -- except in the sense that all poetry is optimistic by virtue of its very existence. But Robert Frost is right: first leaves are golden, "but only so an hour", so we had better pay attention! *If you don't know this poem, follow this link: www.online-literature.com/frost/748/

Close-up of Lilacs

Close-up of Lilacs, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a photo that I took last week, during a quick trip to Long Hill Gardens to see the lilacs in bloom, in a group of lilac bushes by the side of the main road. We parked nearby and took lots of pictures. I like to get right up close to catch their wonderful perfume. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop the original to get this close-in composition.

Necklace with Wooden Beads on Red Suede Cord

Necklace with Wooden Beads on Red Microsuede Cord, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I had some waiting around to do today, so I decided to use the time to make a necklace. It really did make the time pass more quickly, and I was happy with the result.

Paper Flowers (Collage) Posterized

Paper Flowers (Collage) Posterized, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Back in September of 2006, I was working on a collage, a floral bouquet made of pasted paper. Today I thought of the image to use on Zazzle.com, to make cards and gifts using the image. But because I thought I might use the image to make repeated patterns, I didn't want to use the finished version because it includes a vase. But I posted the way the project looked each day, so I decided to use "day 3". The next step was to duplicate the image and open it in Painter. I enlarged the image and then posterized it, trying different levels of posterizing until the colors and textures looked right. Then I uploaded this version into Zazzle and had lots of fun, making everything from aprons to gift boxes to iPad covers. (If you want to see what I made, go to zazzle.com/randiart )

Colorado Drawings Aspen

Colorado Drawings Aspen, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I created this drawing, part of a series of drawings based on a small (5"x 8") sketchbook that I took with me on a trip home to Colorado during the 1980s. I was drawing from the passenger seat of a moving car, just trying to capture the lines of the mountains, and sometimes I wrote down the location, as in this one. For this series, I am scanning the sketches into my computer and printing out copies which I then use to trace into a new sketchbook. (I put the print-out copy over graphite paper and trace over the lines.) The original sketch is posted here on April 25th. This trip took place during the summer, but the color scheme for this drawing is inspired by the accidental inspiration of a printer malfunction when I printed out the copy for tracing. The printer heads weren't working and instead of black and white, I got turquoise and white, with faint red lines. (See post for April 27th.) I liked the look of the blue and white mountain, and tried to maintain some of that, which gives this the look of a winter scene, even though the original sketch was created during the summer. I also used the turquoise background and pink stripes from the printing mishap. (After I printed out a duplicate version of my accidental inspiration, I spent some time cleaning the nozzle heads on my printer today!) If you want to see other drawings in this series, search my posts for "Colorado Drawings" and "Colorado Sketchbook".

Chicken Collage Day 22 (As of May 2, 2012)

Chicken Collage Day 22 (As of May 2, 2012), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This morning I spent some time in the studio working on this project, a collage of a chicken. This project was inspired by some real live chickens that I saw at Long Hill Gardens last year. I was admiring the beautiful patterns in their feathers, and an image came in to my head of a chicken made up of geometric patterns. (Some people wait all their lives for a stroke of inspiration; wouldn't you know that when it finally happened to me, it would be a chicken!) Today I added some pieces of black and white polka dot pattern, working on the long and tedious task of filling in gaps in the wing and tail. I also added another row of white triangles on the chicken's body.

"Landscape in Four Colors" at Porter Mill's Transformation Show

"Landscape in Four Colors" at Porter Mill's Transformation Show, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I went to Porter Mill Studios to attend the opening of an art show with the theme of transformation. It was very interesting to see all the different interpretations of the theme. This event was also co-sponsored by Art Throb, a local art magazine and there were a lot of people in the gallery, but I took advantage of a quiet moment and used my iPhone to take a quick photo of my painting, "Landscape in Four Colors".

First Lilacs (Cummings Center Pond)

First Lilacs (Cummings Center Pond), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Every year, I go out looking at lilacs with my daughter. This year, the lilacs are blooming a few weeks early, probably because of the warm temperatures we had a few weeks ago. Yesterday we saw some lilacs at the Cummings Center Pond, here in Beverly, MA. Tonight I edited this picture in iPhoto, cropping it to focus on the flowers, and still show a bit of the pond in the background.

Tree with Pale Pink and White Blossoms

Tree with Pale Pink and White Blossoms, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I posted a closeup view of pale pink and white blossoms on a flowering tree. Today's image is a different view of the same tree. I took both photos last week at Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, Massachusetts. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop the original photo to get this composition, showing how the tree looks from far away.

Closeup of Pink and White Blossoms at Long Hill Gardens

Closeup of Pink and White Blossoms at Long Hill Gardens, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here is another image from last Sunday's walk at Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, MA. Everything seemed to be blooming at once. I saw a beautiful tree full of delicate white and pale pink blossoms, so I got up close and took some pictures with my iPhone camera. But I wanted an even closer view, so tonight I used iPhoto to crop the original to get this composition.

Accidental Inspiration for Colorado Drawing (Aspen)

Accidental Inspiration for Colorado Drawing (Aspen), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image is a photo of a printing mishap that turned into accidental inspiration. This is a print out of a pencil sketch that I scanned into my computer on Wednesday. It is from a little 5 x 8" sketchbook from a 1980's trip through the Colorado mountains. I am making a series of drawings based on these old sketches. using these old sketches to create a series of drawings. I scan them, print out the scans in the same size, and use graphite paper to trace the image into a new sketchbook, so I can draw into the sketch with marker and colored pencil and conte crayon. Well, when I printed this sketch out, I was expecting it to be just black and white, but this is the image that came out. (Apparently the printer heads need cleaning, big time.) My first reaction was to laugh because I immediately liked the way the image looked in blue. I had been wondering how I would handle the dark shaded areas in the drawing, and now I know. I even like the striped pattern in the background. Maybe there is a way to use that, too.

Sun on the Water at Lynch Park (Beverly, MA)

Sun on the Water at Lynch Park (Beverly, MA), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday we went for a late afternoon walk at Lynch Park, an ocean-front park here in Beverly, MA. The weather did not look promising for a walk. (This week we are back to cloudy weather, cooler temperatures, and rain.) But shortly after we arrived, there was a break in the clouds. The sudden sunlight created a beautiful streak of bright light at the shore line, so I took some pictures with my iPhone camera. Tonight I edited this one in iPhoto, straightening, adjusting highlights and shadows, and cropping to get this composition.

Colorado Sketchbook Aspen

Colorado Sketchbook Aspen, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Several months ago, I came across an old sketchbook from the 1980s that I had taken along during a trip home to Colorado. The sketchbook is 5 x 8 inches, a great size for travel. It was summer, approximately 1986 or 1987. We drove into the mountains and when I was in the passenger seat, I would grab a pencil and the sketchbook so I could try to capture the contours of the mountains as they rushed by. Sometimes I would even write down the approximate location. Well, this fall I started a series of drawings based on this litte Colorado sketchbook. I made a good start with this series (even had one in a show). Although I have been busy and working on other projects, I haven't forgotten this one. I have been wanting to get back to it, so today I got started. This is one of the quick drawings from the original sketchbook, a view of Aspen. Today I scanned this drawing into my computer, which is the first step. I am glad to have this image scanned because I do like it just as it is. The next step is to print out a copy the same size as the original, and trace over it with graphite paper, to create a new version that I can draw into with conte crayon, pastel, colored pencil, and marker.

Unexpected Sun at Obear Park

Unexpected Sun at Obear Park, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

The day started with rain and cool temperatures. By afternoon, it was still cloudy and cool, but we went to Obear Park anyway. Obear is a little ocean-front park here in Beverly, MA, and it is usually windy there, so I was expecting to be cold. But the sun came out just as we got there. I liked the look of the water shining in the sun, so I took some pictures. Tonight I edited this one in iPhoto. The back-lit clouds were interesting, but creating some visual problems as well. I toned down the highlights and muted the shadows, and then cropped the photo to get this composition. I think I might want to paint this scene sometime.

Red Bud Tree at Long Hill Gardens

Red Bud Tree at Long Hill Gardens, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

We went to Long Hill Gardens over the weekend, and everything was blooming at once! I loved this red bud tree, so I took some pictures of it against the dark tree in the background. I am partial to red bud trees, not only because they are so beautiful, but also because they remind me of the University of Kansas, where red buds are planted all along the main road on campus (Jayhawk Boulevard). At KU In late April, you walk under a purple canopy of red bud branches.

Pink Dogwood (Posterized Photo)

Pink Dogwood (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I have a great view of pink dogwood out my window, and a few days ago, I stopped what I was doing to take some pictures. I liked the bright green of the trees leafing out contrasting with the beautiful flowers. Today I used Painter 12 to posterize and crop the original photo to get this image. I decided to post this for Earth Day. Sometimes the big questions are hard to think about, and it is easier to start with what is close at hand. When you look out your window, you are looking at the planet Earth! How is it doing where you are? How's the weather? Are the flowers blooming earlier than they did last year? Is there enough rain? Do you see bees buzzing around your flowers? It is easier to love the flowers out the window than to love the planet in the abstract, but really, it's the same thing.

Bright Flowers

Bright Flowers, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I saw these flowers outside the grocery store this morning. I had a list of things to do today, but the colors were beautiful, so I stopped to take a picture with my iPhone camera. Tonight I adjusted the shadows and did a little retouching in iPhoto. I am glad I took a few minutes to look at these flowers because it reminded me to stop rushing and focus. The day goes so much better if I remember to pay attention to the good things happening right under my nose.

Field of Forget-Me-Nots (Digital Woodcut)

Field of Forget-Me-Nots (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's post was a digitally modified and posterized photo of forget-me-nots. I took the original photo at the beginning of April at Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, MA, and used Painter 12 to modify it. Last night I also used Painter to create this digital woodcut version.

Field of Forget-Me-Nots (Posterized Photo)

Field of Forget-Me-Nots (Posterized Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began as a photo that I took on April 1, during a walk at Long Hill Gardens. We had an early warm spell and so many things were in bloom at once that day that I almost didn't notice the forget-me-nots. They appear every year around the same time, and they usually bloom before most other flowers, so they are easier to notice. Although each of the little blue flowers is quite small, together they create big areas of blue under the trees. Once I noticed them there, I took a picture with my iPhone camera. Tonight I edited the original photo in Painter, cleaning up some weeds with digital pastel. Then I posterized the image and cropped it to get this image. (I also created a digital woodcut of this image, which I plan to post tomorrow.) When I was younger, I used to wonder why these are called forget-me-nots. What do they remind us not to forget? But now I know more about forget-me-nots, and about the importance of remembering, and the gentle caution of these flowers makes more sense to me now.

Riding Trail (Bradley Palmer State Park)

Riding Trail (Bradley Palmer State Park), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday, on the way home from the vet, we stopped to walk the dog at Bradley Palmer State Park (near Topsfield, MA). We have stopped there often, but this was the first time we decided to walk along this riding trail. The trees and shrubs along the path were just beginning to leaf out. I took a couple of pictures with my iPhone camera. Tonight I edited this one with iPhoto, cropping it to get this composition. I also kicked up the saturation just a bit to bring out the gentle green-gold haze of the young leaves.

Chicken Collage Day 21 (Apr. 17, 2012)

Chicken Collage Day 21 (Apr. 17, 2012), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I went up to the studio this afternoon and spent about an hour working on this collage, a chicken made up of paper patterns. (This is an idea that came to me last year while I was admiring some real live chickens at Long Hill Gardens.) Today I added some more white pattern to the body of the bird, and also added more pattern to the wing. This project is slow going, but working on this chicken always makes me smile.

Magnolias in Boston's Back Bay (Digital Woodcut)

Magnolias in Boston's Back Bay (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

On March 20, during a trip into Boston, I took pictures of the magnolia trees in bloom in Boston's Back Bay. Although I have already posted the original version of this image, as well as a posterized version, tonight I decided to see what it would look like as a digital woodcut. I opened the image in Painter 12 and got to work. There was a lot of trial and error as I adjusted the controls. The problem was to get just the right amount of black line where I wanted it, to accentuate the architectural lines without overwhelming the delicate magnolias. After many failed attempts, I decided to use the magic wand tool so I could apply the woodcut effect selectively, and put it just where I wanted it. So here's an image of magnolias in Boston Back's Bay; like the Boston Marathon, it happens every spring. And it is still amazing, every time.

Marsh Grasses in Spring

Marsh Grasses in Spring, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a photo that I took back on April 3 during a walk at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, MA. Marsh grasses were just beginning to emerge. I liked the way they looked in the water, so I took some pictures with my iPhone camera. Later, I did a little editing in iPhoto and cropped one of the images to get this composition.

Toward Spruce Head

Toward Spruce Head, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another image from a day trip to Maine. We were driving toward Spruce Head Island, trying to arrive by 3 PM. This picture was taken at 2:40 while we were still lost among the coastal islands. I was in the passenger seat, trying to navigate, but also snapping a few photos of the scenery with my iPhone camera. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop out the side view mirror and car interior. Then I did some basic editing and adjusting to get this composition.

Under White Blossoms

Under White Blossoms, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

The weather was warmer today, near 60, so we took the dog to Obear Park (Beverly, MA). The pear trees were blooming, as they are all over town. Some of the branches were low enough that I could get a close-in view, so I stood right underneath the tree and took pictures with my iPhone camera. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop this image to get this somewhat quirky composition.

Flowering Quince and Stone Wall (Digitally Modified Photo)

Flowering Quince and Stone Wall (Digitally Modified Photo), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another image of flowering quince, taken during yesterday's walk at Lynch Park, here in Beverly, MA. When I originally took this picture, I was thinking about the contrast of bright blossoms overhanging the stone wall and the spiny branches against the soft sand. But when I transferred the image into my computer and looked closely, I could see a big piece of rusty old machinery sitting on the wall, right in the middle of my photo. It was an interesting object in itself, but it was ruining my composition. So tonight I opened the image in Painter 12 and used cut-and-paste and digital pastel to cover up metal with stone. Then I posterized the image just a bit, to cover my tracks. Then I did a final crop to get this composition.

Flowering Quince

Flowering Quince, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today we went for a walk at Lynch Park. While we were walking along a beach, I saw some flowering quince. It was beautiful, bright flowers overhanging a stone wall bordering the beach (and at eye level, which I always appreciate!) I used to have some flowering quince in my backyard in Lawrence, Kansas, so I am partial to it. I like the contrast of the lush blossoms on the branches, still nearly bare in early spring. I took several photos, then tonight used iPhoto to crop this image out of the best one.

Hot Pink Daisies

Hot Pink Daisies, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I was rushing around doing errands this morning, and on my way into the grocery store, I noticed that the flowers are on sale outside, so it must be officially spring here north of Boston. I strolled on over to the flowers to have a quick look. What I expected pansies, and I wasn't disappointed. But I was surprised to see this bright flowers that look like daisies, but are hot pink (almost fuschia). So I stopped and took some pictures. Tonight I used iPhoto to edit what I had, and this is the best of the bunch. I forgot to look for a label, to find out what kind of flower this is. I search Google tonight and did find some bright pink daisies that look like this.

Forsythia at Long Hill Gardens

Forsythia at Long Hill Gardens, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here is another photo from last week's walk at Long Hill Gardens (April 1, 2012). The forsythia was in bloom. I liked the bright yellow and the curving lines of the branches. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop the image to get this composition.

Evening Light in Maine

Evening Light in Maine, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is another image from last weekend's trip to Maine. By the time we left Spruce Head Island, heading for home, it was early evening. The light was beautiful so I started taking pictures with my iPhone camera. This photo was taken around 6:45 PM, and according to iPhoto and Google Maps, this is the Sheepscott River near Wiscasset Maine. In the original photo, the side-view mirror and part of the car interior are visible (I was taking photos from the passenger's side) as well as the guard rails on the bridge. But I was concentrating on the light and this view. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop this image out of the original photo. I sharpened it just a tiny bit to compensate for the radical crop, but the colors are just as the image came out of the camera. I think this might make a good subject for a painting; it would certainly be a challenge. Although the composition is simple, the colors are very subtle.

Matza Ball Soup

Matza Ball Soup, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I made this little drawing of chicken soup with matza balls to use as an illustration to accompany a recipe in our food blog. This was for a family recipe, and I had been thinking about this drawing for about a week. Yesterday, before breakfast, I sat down and sketched imy idea in pencil. Then I finalized the lines with fineline marker and used my trusty crayons to add color. I had a great time! (If you want to see the blog post, go to Seasonings for Every Palate (seasoningsforeverypalate.wordpress.com) and find the post for April 6th, "Grandma Aptaker's Chicken Soup with Matza Balls."

Looking Up at Spring Blossoms

Looking Up at Spring Blossoms, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

It was a busy day but we managed to fit in a walk at the Cummings Center Pond, despite pre-holiday weekend traffic tie-ups and last-minute errands. It was beautiful at the pond. The pear tree is in bloom, and I liked the way it looked against the bright blue sky so I took this picture. And as usual, when life seems too crazy is when it is most important to stop and look at nature, notice the changes that mark the seasons, be aware of the passage of time, and grateful for the blessings all around.

Weeping Cherry at Long Hill

Weeping Cherry at Long Hill, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Last Sunday, we went to Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, MA. I had a lot of work to do, and thought I couldn't spare the time. And the weather wasn't great, too cold to tromp around the gardens. But as usual, when I saw the gardens, I changed my mind. Due to the spike in temperatures that we had a few weeks ago, lots of things are blooming early, so there was a lot to see. Even from the parking lot, I could see that this weeping cherry was in bloom. I took this picture when we got closer, shooting up towards the sky. Tonight I edited it in iPhoto, adjusting the lighting and saturation (to compensate for the colors I lost by shooting towards the white sky), and finally, cropping the image to get this composition.

Mom and Dad's Duet (Digital Woodcut)

Mom and Dad's Duet (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

A few months ago, I stumbled across a fading Polaroid snapshot of my folks playing piano. Although my parents played duets all the time, this was the only photo that I found of them at the piano. I might have taken it myself because it was in my own album, with other photos that I took during the 1970s. When I found the old photo a few months ago, I put it aside because I knew I wanted to do something with it. Today I scanned it in to my computer, then opened it in Painter. First, I used cut and paste and some digital pastel to simplify the background. Then I posterized it and added some color overlay, going for the iconic fuschia wallpaper (though perhaps this room was chartruese, but I am not sure.) Then I added the digital woodcut effect, applying it selectively to get the right amount of black where I wanted it. The last step was to straighten, crop, and retouch a bit in iPhoto, and here it is. This is a lot of work for a little photo, but it means a lot to me because this is how I remember them best. My mom played from sheet music and my dad played by ear, songs like "Taking a Chance on Love" and "Tea for Two" and other forties hits. I am posting this today because they were married on April 4, 1943. And although they have both been gone for some time now, there is still time for me to celebrate my luck in having such great parents.

Staircase in Camden, Maine

Staircase in Camden, Maine, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is another photo from last weekend's trip to Maine. I loved this staircase that leads to the water front, so I took a picture with my iPhone camera. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop it to get this composition.

Chicken Collage Day 20 (April 2, 2012)

Chicken Collage Day 20 (April 2, 2012), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I went up to Porter Mill Studios and worked for a while on this project, a collage of a chicken made up of patterns. I spent about an hour working on the tail feathers, pasting in small pieces of polka-dot pattern. It is like working on a very tiny jig-saw puzzle. I think I made progress, but it is hard to see. I am prepared to be persistent.

Near Spruce Head, Maine

Near Spruce Head, Maine, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday we drove up to Maine, heading for Spruce Head. The coast of Maine is unknown territory to me, so I had my camera ready. I was taking photos from the passenger seat; the views were too amazing to pass up. Tonight I edited this one in iPhoto. First I had to crop out the car mirror and interior that I had capture with my iPhone camera. Then I adjusted the shadows, highlights, and exposure. Then I cropped again to get this composition. This is quite an amazing place!