Serenade (Posterized)

Serenade (Posterized Photo)

This image began with a family photo, one of my favorites, of my father serenading his sisters (four out of five of them). The scene is a rooftop in New York, probably Brooklyn.  I don't know who took the original picture, but it might be my dad's other sister, or maybe his brother.  And that's the family dog, Queenie.  I already had a digital version of this photo, so today I used iPhoto to clean up some of the scratches and marks, as well as to straighten and crop.  I saved a copy at that point, to have a clean photo for the family.  Then I opened the image in Painter and used some color overlays and digital pastel to add some color.  When I had what I wanted, I added posterizing effect, working with selection tools to get the effect where I wanted it. I did all this today because my dad was born on August 28th, and I am still celebrating that he was my dad. While I worked on this, I thought about my dad, how he could pick up any instrument and start playing by ear, how he could whistle, and how it would be so like him to drop a knee and serenade his sisters, just for fun.

Reflections from Wooden Path

Reflections from Wooden Path, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another photo that I took this weekend at Bradley Palmer State Park. We had planned to visit the Willowdale Estate but it was closed for a private event. (We will try again soon because we want to see the butterfly gardens). But we were already there so we took the dog for a walk. We often stop at Bradley Palmer State Park, but this area is unfamiliar. We saw this raised wooden footpath so we climbed on and started walking. The path borders the marsh so you can see the wetlands up close. At some points, you are right over the water, so the path becomes a little footbridge. This is one of the many photos that I took. I liked this view for the lillypads on the dark water, the dappled light, and the straight diagonals of the wooden railing.

More Reflections

More Reflections, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another photo from yesterday's adventure at Bradley Palmer State Park, same general location but a different view. We planned to see the gardens at the Willowdale Estate, but had to take a raincheck due to a private event. Instead, we found a long wooden "boardwalk" path by the side of the water. This is another photo taken from that path. The water is so dark that at first it is hard to tell whether you are looking at water or at the reflections in the trees. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop the original version to get this composition.

Reflections

Reflections, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today the plan was to stop at Bradley Palmer State Park and see the butterfly gardens at Willowdale Estates. But there was a private event going on there, so that idea had to be scrapped, post-poned for another time. Instead, we explored a nearby raised wooden path along the water. This was a part of the park I had never seen before, very beautiful and a wonderful surprise. There were lots of scenes that I would like to paint and I took a lot of photos with my iPhone camera. This one is my favorite, a view from the wooden walkway at a point where there was a little break in the branches and this scene seemed to suddenly appear. The foliage was so thick and the water was so dark that at first it was hard to tell the reflection from the trees. Tonight when I got the image into my computer, I could see some dead branches that were in just the wrong place for the composition, so I used some digital pruning in Painter to neaten them up just a bit.

Purple Eggplant Orange Bin (Posterized)

Purple Eggplant Orange Bin (Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's image was a photo of purple eggplant in an orange bin, from a set of photos that I took at The Food Project (our local CSA). Tonight I opened the image in Painter 12, did a little digital cleanup, and posterized it. Still love the color combination! This might make a nice image for our food blog . . .

Purple Eggplant in Orange Bin

Purple Eggplant in Orange Bin, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today we went to Long Hill Gardens to pick up our vegetables from The Food Project (a CSA--which stands for community supported agriculture.) I took a lot of pictures, as usual, but as we were loading up the car, more vegetables were being brought out, in bright colored bins. So I took some pictures. I loved the color combination of purple eggplant in an orange bin, with the sage green in the leaves and stems. Tonight I used iPhoto to cropped the original image to get this composition. But the color is exactly as it came out of my iPhone camera.

Summer Evening Light

Summer Evening Light, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a photograph that I took at Obear Park here in Beverly, MA, earlier this summer (July 11th). It was about ten minutes to 8, and the sun was setting. Most of the pictures I took were of the sunset, but this one is a different way of looking at the sunset. I turned away from the sunset enough to get this picture of the fading light on the shore. Tonight I did a little cleanup and cropping in iPhoto.

Another Front Seat Bouquet (Digital Print)

Another Front Seat Bouquet (Digital Print), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Last night I posted a piece of digital art that I made with Painter's pattern pen, using the pattern I made from my photo of a front seat bouquet. Actually, that image was my second try. I wasn't happy with the first try; although I liked the composition, I didn't like the color combination. Tonight, I was looking at that discarded image and realized that I just needed to change some of the colors with color overlays in Painter. So that is what I did, and here it is.

Front Seat Bouquet (Digital Print)

Front Seat Bouquet (Digital Print), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday I used Painter to create a pattern from a photo of a bouquet that was in the front seat of my car. (See the post from yesterday and the day before.) Tonight I decided to see how the pattern would work for a digital print. (This is something that I came up with on my own; I call the result digital prints because the process and the resulting images kind of remind me of mono printing.) Here's how it goes: I start a new image in Painter and pick a background color. Then the pattern pen as a marker and set the brush size as large as possible. In this case, I used the pattern I created last night. Then I make some strokes, trying to control where things go and to move in straight lines. This is the hard part. Then I posterize the result and sometimes add color overlays too. I thought this pattern might be tricky to use because of the combination of geometric lines and floral images, and I was right. I ended up using some color overlay to make the background color darker and make the composition more harmonious.

Front Seat Bouquets (Pattern)

Front Seat Bouquets (Pattern), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with the picture that I posted here yesterday, a photo of a little bouquet -- taken in the front seat of my car. I had altered the original photo in Painter, using digital pastel to simplify the background and then applied Painter's woodcut effect. I thought that it might make an interesting pattern because of the diagonal lines and strong contrasts. So tonight I captured the pattern in Painter. Then I filled a new image with the pattern, using the Paint Bucket tool. I set the offset at 50% and the scale at 33%. Then I cropped the result to get a symmetrical image.

Front Seat Bouquet (Digital Woodcut)

Front Seat Bouquet (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Thursday was pickup day at the Food Project (Community Supported Agriculture) over at Long Hill Gardens. Just like last week, we walked over to see "Fields of Flowers" where I took pictures, the dog sat in the shade, and my daughter picked a bouquet. We had lots of vegetables in the car again, so just like last week, the bouquet rode in my front seat cupholder on the drive home. So of course I took a picture of it. Tonight I used Painter's digital pastel to transform the car interior into abstract shapes. Then I posterized the image, and finally applied the digital woodcut effect.

Chicken Collage Day 26 (August 17, 2012)

Chicken Collage Day 26 (August 17, 2012), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I went to the studio this morning and worked for an hour on this collage. The idea of making a chicken out of patterned paper came to me while I was admiring some real live chickens with beautiful feathers. Although the idea came suddenly, carrying it out has been slow going. But I am getting there. Today I filled in the neck with more white triangles, and then used smaller triangles to outline the head. (I am figuring this out as I go; there is no predetermined plan.) Since the last time I worked on this, I have been trying to figure out what to do about the tail. There are some gaps where the cardboard shows through, and they are very tiny and hard to fill. I have been resisting the temptation to grab a fineline felt-tip pen and fill in the gaps, maybe even in red. But today what I decided to do is to fill in the gaps I can and leave the rest, using the cardboard as part of the pattern. So I cut tiny pieces, only big enough to have one polka dot, and fit them into the larger gaps. Anything bigger won't fit, and anything smaller is too small to handle! It was getting too hot in the studio, and I needed to stop anyway, but I was happy because I had figured out what to do about the tail and will continue with that next time. Meanwhile, I am thinking about how I want to finish the chicken's head. I begin to believe I may actually finish this project!

Quiet Sunset

Quiet Sunset, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's post was a photo of a dramatic sunset with an electric blue sky and hot pink clouds. Tonight I am posting another sunset scene, also taken at Obear Park here in Beverly, MA, but the colors and mood are very different. This was from a series of photos that I took last Sunday (August 12). This photo was taken around 7:40, and you can see the red sun sinking behind the trees. This image is exactly as it came out of my iPhone camera.

Sunset in Pink, Yellow, and Electric Blue

Sunset in Pink, Yellow, and Electric Blue, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here is another photo from the set that I took back on August 7th, watching the sunset from Obear Park, here in Beverly, MA. The sky was changing every few minutes, and there was a beautiful view in all directions. So I kept taking pictures with my iPhone camera. This photo was taken around nine minutes past 8 PM. Tonight I used iPhoto to straighten the image, and lightened the shadows just a tiny bit. Apart from that, I left the image as I found it, including the colors.

Just for Fun

Just for Fun, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

After a busy day filled with items on my to-do list, I used the Brushes app on my iPhone to create this little digital design, just for fun. And it was! I cropped it a bit in iPhoto to make the design a bit more symmetrical. Even though I did this just for fun, I might find some practical uses for it on Zazzle.

Rainbow over Roofline

Rainbow over Roofline, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday around 7PM, we had a rainstorm while the sun was shining. (I always love that combination. It reminds me of Colorado and the light is beautiful.) The storm ended quickly, and there was a rainbow against the clouds, so I took a few quick pictures. I thought about taking out the electric wires, etc., but then realized that I like the juxtaposition of rainbow and power lines, so I decided to leave it as it is.

Bouquet in Sunlight (Digital Woodcut)

Bouquet in Sunlight (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's post was a digitally modified and photo of a little bouquet. The flowers were in the cupholder of my car, so I used Painter's digital pastel to cover up the dashboard, the phone charger, etc., and then posterized the image. While I was at it, I made a second version of the image and applied Painter's woodcut effect. I also cropped it just a tiny bit more.

Bouquet in Sunlight (Posterized)

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

On Thursday we went to Long Hill Gardens to pick up our veggies from the Food Project CSA (community supported agriculture). You can also pick your own cut flowers in a field right next to the Food Project. So on the way home, I had bags of vegetables in the back seat (and the dog), and my daughter's flowers in my cup holder. It was a very festive ride to back to her house. When I parked the car, the flowers looked great in the sunlight, so I took a few quick photos. Of course, I ended up getting a lot of the car interior, dashboard, the phone charger, etc. So tonight I opened this image in Painter and used digital pastel to simplify the background. The result was a little rough, but I still like it. Then I used this image to create a digital woodcut, which I plan to post here tomorrow.

Crazy Pink Sunset

Crazy Pink Sunset, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

One more photo taken during a recent evening walk at Obear Park, here in Beverly, MA. The sky kept changing and I kept taking pictures. Tonight I used iPhoto's retouch tool to take out a distraction in the distance (maybe a microwave tower?). I straightened and cropped the image to keep all the lines from radiating out from dead center. I also brought the shadows up just a little bit, but I didn't do a thing to those crazy pink colors.

Sunset Composition

Sunset Composition, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another photograph that I took at sunset, night before last. This was at Obear Park here in Beverly, MA, one of the few places in town where you can look west and see the sun setting over water. The shapes and colors in the sky and water were very interesting! Tonight I edited this image in iPhoto. I had to adjust the exposure and contrast to take the highlights down a bit, especially on the right side of the image. I also lightened the shadows a bit and then cropped the original image to get this composition.

Blue and Pink Sky at Sunset

Blue and Pink Sky at Sunset, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Last night we took the dog to Obear Park here in Beverly, MA, for a little stroll after dinner. We go in the evening because dogs are allowed in the park after 7:30. The sunsets are a bonus due to western views over the water from OBear Park. We got there shortly after eight, and the light was amazing. The sky looked like a painting, with big strokes of blue and pink, so I took a picture. Tonight i did a little editing in iPhoto, just brought the shadows up a bit and cropped the original image to get this composition. The sky was changing quickly, so I took more pictures. . . .

Pendant with Four Beads and Two Knots

Pendant with Four Beads and Two Knots, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I took a break today and created this simple pendant with just four beads. I thought the incised black bead would look good with the red and textured silver metallic beads. I used a cotton cord and put this together with just two knots and no findings (metal clasps, etc.). It looks casual enough to wear with jeans and t-shirt, but I think it would also work with a simple dress.

Many Leaves Black and White (Posterized)

Many Leaves Black and White (Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

The image that I posted yesterday was a digital pattern created in Painter from my pen and ink drawing of some leaves (posted here August 4, 2012). Last night I also tried applying Painter's posterizing effect to the same image, and I liked the result. Posterizing emphasizes and simplifies shapes and colors. In this case, the subtle shadow and light of the drawing paper became a second pattern. This was accidental, but I really liked the result.

Many Leaves in Black and White

Many Leaves in Black and White, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Last night I posted a little black and white drawing of some leaves. Tonight I opened the image in Painter and "captured" it as a pattern. Then I used the paint bucket tool to fill this new image with the pattern. On a whim, I decided to see what would happen if I posterized this image. It was surprising, and I will post it here tomorrow.

Leaves in Black and White

Leaves in Black and White, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This morning I was admiring some leaves that I saw growing at the side of a path. I really liked the shape of the leaves and the pattern that they made on the branches. I was in a hurry and didn't take a picture. And I don't know what kind of tree it was. But this afternoon, I decided to try to sketch the leaves, so I grabbed a Sharpie and a sketchbook and started to draw based on what I remembered. This composition is my second attempt, ink on paper. Of course, by the time I realized I was using a dark blue Sharpie instead of black, I had drawn too much and didn't want to start over. But when I got the image into my computer, I used iPhoto to transform it into black and white. Then I opened the image in Painter 12, and cleaned up a few mistakes with digital pastel. (I have been doing pen and ink drawing since high school, and what I wouldn't have given back then to be able to correct my mistakes with a computer before I turned in my work!) Finally, I applied Painter's woodcut effect just to make the lines show up a little better.

Composition in Blue with Lines and Rectangles

Composition in Blue with Lines and Rectangles, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I made this little digital painting on my iPhone using the Brushes app. I created a blue background and then used two different patterns with a lot of hot colors to get this design. This was fun to do, and I might try to make something with this image on Zazzle.

Evening Peace

Evening Peace, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's one more peaceful image from our recent sunset walk at Obear Park here in Beverly, MA. I did some cropping and just a touch of digital retouching in Painter 12 to make this image even more peaceful than the original photo, which had few power lines in the background and some stray weeds and sticks in the foreground. It's a bit of a bother over a photo, I guess. But I want this image to communicate the sense of peace I felt looking at this scene.

Setting Sun

Setting Sun, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here's another image taken from Obear Park at sunset (two days ago). This is a waterfront park here in Beverly, MA. It has a western view over the water (unusual here in Eastern Massachusetts). They say you can't look directly at the sun, but apparently my iPhone camera doesn't know that. Tonight I used iPhoto to crop the original version and get this composition.

Evening Sky

Evening Sky, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Last night we went to Obear Park to walk the dog. After 7:30 PM, dogs are allowed in Beverly's waterfront parks. It's a great little park, and it has the best views of the sunset in town, because you can look west and see the sunset reflected in the water.We arrived around 7:40, which is when I took this picture. The sun was heading toward the horizon and the sky and water were apricot and blue. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Heading into Boston (Digital Woodcut)

Heading into Boston (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This image began with a photo that I took yesterday on the way into Boston (heading to the MFA to see the Alex Katz exhibit). I had the luxury of being a passenger, so I got out my iPhone camera and tried to capture Boston. I love the Zakim Bridge, never get tired of it, and never get tired of trying to photograph it. In this shot, we are headed up the Leverett Connector with the bridge in sight . Tonight I took the original photo and used Painter 12 to posterize it and then apply the woodcut effect. I did a lot of fiddling with the controls and used the selection tools to try to get the effects to land where I wanted them to be. Then I did some more editing in iPhoto, quieting the colors a bit. I considered straightening the image out, but I like it as it is. It captures the feeling of being following the rapid curves of Leverett Connector, careening towards Boston.

Alex Katz Banners at the MFA

Alex Katz Banners at the MFA, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I took this quick photo this afternoon on the way into Boston's Museum of Fine Arts to see the Alex Katz show. It was almost noon when my daughter called to say this was the last day of the show. This was something that we had talked about doing, but the closing date came as a surprise. It was too impractical to just scrap everything else and drive into Boston at the last minute. But that is precisely what we did.

Chicken Collage Day 25 (July 28, 2012)

Chicken Collage Day 25 (July 28, 2012), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today I went to the studio and worked for a while on this collage, an image of a chicken made up of patterns. (The idea for this chicken was hatched while I was watching some real live chickens and admiring the patterns in their feathers.) Today I spent most of the time fitting tiny little pieces of black and white polka-dot pattern into the tail feathers. This part is excruciatingly slow because the remaining spaces are so small. And I also pasted in another row of white triangles above the wing. That part was very quick because the pieces are bigger and easier to handle.

Many Pink and Blue Squares

Many Pink and Blue Squares, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Yesterday's post was a "digital print" made with Painter 12's pattern pen and a pattern that I created from one of my photos. (The original photo was of a square concrete and metal grid, posted here June 28, 2012). Today I decided to use yesterday's post and see what it would look like as another pattern. (So if you are following this logic, I am making a second pattern from an image I made with the original pattern.) Anyway. I used Painter 12 to "capture" yesterday's image as a pattern, and then used the paintbucket tool to fill a new image with that pattern. I fussed with it a bit to get the right size pattern, then I cropped and posterized it. I like the result, and might try to make things with it on Zazzle. Anyway, I decided to do this today because in a few minutes I plan to update Painter 12, and when I do that, I usually loose any patterns I have "captured" and have to recreate them (not hard, just annoying).

Pink and Blue Composition with Square Grid (Digital Print)

Pink and Blue Composition with Square Grid (Digital Print), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I decided to make another image with my square grid pattern, which I created from a photo of a concrete and metal grate. (I posted the original photo here on June 28, 2012, and have done a lot with it since.) I "captured" a pattern from the image in Painter 12, and tonight I used a pattern pen and selected my square grid pattern. I hike the brush size way up and then just make a few strokes in different colors, and then I posterized the result. (These aren't really prints, but they kind of look like mono prints, and using that great big pattern pen reminds me of using an inked brayer.) It took many tries to get the strokes where I wanted them, and after than, I cropped the image at least six times to get to this composition. Sometimes you have to take more trouble with something simple if you want it to look good. When I began to feel peaceful about this image, I decided it was done. So here it is.

Liberty Marina in Danvers

Liberty Marina in Danvers, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Today it seemed like all my time was already spoken for when I woke up (it was), and I spent most of the day working against the clock to meet deadlines. But I did have an appointment to get my haircut which is always relaxing and a nice break. For some reason, there wasn't much traffic today so I arrived 15 minutes early. So I decided to use the time for a micro-vacation and check out the nearby marina (Liberty Marina in Danvers). The weather was great and I liked the view, so I took a few pictures. It was hard to get a good angle for the shot. Tonight I picked this one to edit in iPhoto and did some careful cropping to get a good composition.

Boats on the Water (Digital Woodcut)

Boats on the Water (Digital Woodcut), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here is one last version of my photo of boats on the water (at Independence Park, here in Beverly, MA). Last night I used Painter to apply a woodcut effect to the image. (That sounds simple, but I had to do several tries and fiddle with the controls to get the right amount of black to show up where I wanted it.) I also cropped it just a bit to get a little bit more balance in the composition.

Boats on the Water (Posterized)

Boats on the Water (Posterized), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a posterized version of the image I published here last night, a picture of boats on the water (taken in early June at Independence Park here in Beverly, MA). I opened the original version in Painter tonight, adjusted the focus and contrast, and then posterized it. Somewhat better, or at least a little more interesting. What I really like is the composition; I also cropped it just a bit in iPhoto and I think that helped a bit. Tonight I also used the image to create a digital woodcut, which I plan to post here tomorrow.

Boats on the Water (Independence Park)

Boats on the Water (Independence Park), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is something simple, just a photo I took in early June, of boats on the water at Independence Park, here in Beverly, MA. The boats looked very peaceful, so I took a picture. I used the zoom on my iPhone camera. I captured the composition, but the image isn't as clear as I would like it to be. I could certainly paint from this image, even as it is. But I am thinking that later this week, I might try to see what I can do with the image in Painter.

Bright Circles Lines Rectangles

Bright Circles Lines Rectangles, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is another little digital image that I made with the Brushes app on my iPhone. (I made this image while I was in a waiting room, waiting for an appointment at the doctor's.) This image is very similar to one that I posted just a few days ago (on July 17). I made this one the same way, but with a brighter color palette. (As with the other version, I kept the original iPhone format because I may try to make an iPhone case with this design on Zazzle.) I was interested in the overlapping shapes and transparent layers of color. I am using this image to send happy birthday wishes to several family members with overlapping birthdays.

For Colorado

For Colorado, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Thinking of my home state tonight.

After the Storm

After the Storm, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Here north of Boston, yesterday we had big loud thunderstorms and heavy downpours starting in the afternoon. But by 4 PM, it had cleared up, so the trip to the author's expo at the Danver's Yacht Club was back on. Afterwards, we walked around outside. I liked the line of tall grasses setting off the rest of the scene, so I took some pictures. I think this is the best one.

Kindle Case with Stone Spiral Design

Kindle Case with Stone Spiral Design, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I recently used one of my images to create this Kindle case (on Zazzle.com). The image is called "Stone Spiral (Digital Woodcut)," made from one of my photos. I decided to order the case as a birthday gift. The package arrived today, and I decided to take a photograph before delivering the case to its rightful owner. If you want to see the image I used, it is posted here on June 6, 2012 -- or you can follow this link www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/7350043454/

Circles Squares Lines

Circles Squares Lines, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight I made this digital drawing using the Brushes app on my iPhone. I used four different digital brushes to get the geometric patterns. I might usually consider cropping the image to get a more traditional format. However, I am thinking I might be able to use this pattern to make an iPhone case on Zazzle, so I left it alone. Because I used Brushes on my iPhone instead of my iPad, there's no stroke-by-stroke video for this one.

Ripening Berries (Mapleleaf Vibernum)

Ripening Berries (Mapleleaf Vibernum), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This morning we stopped at the Starbucks to get a coffee and took a very brief walk with the dog in the tiny park beside the Bass River. This was a nice little break at the beginning of a hectic day. I stopped to take a picture of a some beautiful berries. Tonight I tried to find out what they are by searching images on Google. I thought they were bunchberries, but the leaf shape looked wrong. But when I put "maple leaf" and "red berries" into the search engine, I got some matching images for Mapleleaf Verbenum. Tonight I used iPhoto to do a little retouching and then cropped the image to get this composition.

Crazy Daisies (Digital Sketch)

Crazy Daisies (Digital Sketch), a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Life has been too busy and my schedule has been crazy. But I will be crazy too if I don't make art. So tonight I decided to do a quick digital sketch with Painter 12, working from my imagination. These are just some crazy little daisies drawn with digital pastel on a dark brown background. I worked on this for about an hour. I am still struggling to get the hand of drawing with a track pad, instead of a mouse. When I was about done, I tried posterizing the sketch and it made the colors pop, and I liked it. These crazy little daisies make me smile.

Ripples in the Water at Sunset

Ripples in the Water at Sunset, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is another photo taken at Obear Park, here in Beverly, MA, as the sun was setting. I was interested in the patterns made by ripples in the water, so I took this photo. This image is very close to the way it came out of my iPhone camera, but I used iPhoto to lighten the shadows just a hair, and then cropped the image just a bit at the top.

Necklace with Wood Beads in Blue and Blond

Necklace with Wood Beads in Blue and Blond, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

This is a necklace that I made today. I used round wooden beads stained a soft blue and light-colore...

Wrist Purse with "Nine White Roses"

Wrist Purse with "Nine White Roses", a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

I used my image of "Nine White Roses" to create this wrist purse on Zazzle. I ordered it as a gift for my daughter's birthday. It came in the mail today, and I took this photograph before I delivered it. The original image began with a photo of a rose which I made into a pattern in Painter, and then posterized. If you want to see the image I used to make this, it is posted here on July 26, 2011 -- or follow this link www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/5979971138/

Quiet Sunset at Obear Park

Quiet Sunset at Obear Park, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

Tonight we went to Obear Park here in Beverly, MA. We took the dog, so we waited till after 7:30 pm because in the summer, that's when dogs are allowed dogs aren't allowed at BE when dogs at Beverly's waterfront parks. The sun was low in the sky, and we took our time, hoping for a nice sunset. When the colors began to change, I started taking pictures. This one was one of the best, and just took a little bit of straightening and adjusting in iPhoto. I have seen more spectacular sunsets (many of them at Obear Park), but this one was quiet and very peaceful, which is what I was hoping to capture.

Composition with Branches, Clouds, and Sky

Composition with Branches, Clouds, and Sky, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.

The other day, I was trying out a new lawn chair in the back yard--not so much a test-drive as a safety inspection. The chair was in a reclining position, so this was my view, and it dawned on me that I was admiring it, so I took some pictures. When I was a kid, I liked to lie down on the ground and look up at the sky. And I still love a view of the sky through the trees. This is one of the best photos, and tonight I used iPhoto to adjust the shadows. Then I cropped the photo, working carefully and trying to showcase the way the shapes of the foliage mirror the shapes of the clouds and blue sky.