Snowball Bush and Fence (with Prisma filter)

Lately, I have been spending a lot of time in the back yard watering newly planted vegetables and flowers. This gives me time to enjoy what is blooming all around me: flowers in my own backyard, but also my neighbors' flowers. Here is the snowball bush from next door, peeking over the fence into my yard.  I took a picture and added the "Watercolor" filter with my Prisma app. Tonight I did the final crop to get the compositon.

Rhododendrons Everywhere

Rhododendrons seem to be everywhere.  They started to bloom at the end of May, but the ones in front of my house took their time.  I took this picture on June 1.  Despite a run of hot days, we are back to cool weather here North of Boston. That can be frustrating if you are waiting for summer, but cool temperatures keeps the blossoms on the trees and shrubs a bit longer.  These are still in bloom! Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Hopeful Flowers

This is the little drawing I started yesterday.  As I worked on it, this drawing became more complicated, and then I simplified it.  Now it is finished, although I plan to do some cleanup on a digital version.  I drew this with Sharpie markers on paper, 6 x 6 inches.

 

Hopeful Flowers (as of June 4, 2021)

It has been a while, but I pulled out my Sharpie pens today and got this little drawing started. This little flowers reflect a guardedly hopeful season, and are just beginning to bloom.  I will continue this drawing tomorrow.

Bachelor Buttons (with Prisma filter)

Over the weekend, my daughter brought me a bouquet of bachelor buttons, with a patriotic color scheme for memorial day.  I took some pictures, and later added a filter with the Prisma app I also used Painter's cut-and-paste to simplify the background.

Lots of Lilacs (with Prisma filter)

I am a little late posting this; the lilacs are fading.  But there were lots and lots of them this year.  Here is one of my recent photos of lilacs.  I used the Prisma app on my phone to add a filter.  

Making Jewelry with Aunt Edy (photo from 2008)

My Aunt Edy started making jewelry at the age of 87, after cataract surgery.  She took some lessons at a jewelry store to learn the basics.  She had a great eye for color and design, and her jewelry was amazing.  We could talk about jewelry-making at length on the phone, and when I visited, we would make things together.  She taught me how to attach findings and clasps. Sometimes we worked on pieces together.  She made the necklace she is wearing in this picture. I chose the beads for the necklace she is working on here in this photo, but she put it all together and made it look good. Aunt Edy made and sold jewelry till she was just about 100.  Edy was like a second mother to me all my life, and I miss her for all kinds of reasons. It was a special gift to be able to connect with her by making jewelry together.  Posting this today because Aunt Edy was born on May 29th, and would have been 102 today.

Ocean View from Lynch Park (with Prisma filter)

Here's another ocean scene, from my May 12th photo shoot at the water's edge at Lynch Park, here in Beverly, MA.  To get this image, I cropped the original version and used my Prisma app to add this filter (Speed Boat). 

Rocks at Lynch Park Beach (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday's post was a photo that I took at the beach at Lynch Park, the rocks at the edge of the water.  Here is the same image, this time with the "Surf" filter from the Prisma app.

Rocks at Lynch Park Beach

I took this photo back on May 12 at Lynch Park, here in Beverly, MA.  It is a beautiful park, with ocean on three sides. We walked on the beach.  I took some pictures of the sky and the ocean and the horizon in the distance. But this time, I also took pictures of the rocks at the water's edge. 

Late Afternoon in Spring (with Prisma filter)

Back on April 27, we took a walk in the neighborhood.  The trees were leafing out and turned golden in the late afternoon light.  I took some pictures. A few weeks later, I added the Prisma filter, and am finally getting around to posting this today.

Bright Pink Tree (with Prisma filter)

This image began with a flowering tree that I saw during a walk in the neighborhood. I edited the original photo to remove some wires and background clutter, then used the Prisma app to add my favorite filter, called "Watercolor."  We can ignore a tree like this or we can celebrate it.  I think we should notice the beauty that takes us by surprise, and makes our lives better.

Our Lilacs

It has been a long, cold spring, here north of Boston, and we are impatient as we wait for warm weather.  But the lilacs seem to like the cool weather. This is the best our lilacs have ever done!  Something more to celebrate as the world begins to open up, along with the flowers.

Kalimba and Lexi (Painting, now in Tennessee)

Here is my double portrait of Kalimba and Lexi, two lovely greyhounds.  Yesterday I received this photo, showing how it looks on the wall, at home in Tennessee. 

Under a Pink Tree

I like to take walks, and I often stop to take pictures.  Here's a photo from a neighborhood walk last Friday (May 14th). I found myself standing under a pink tree, looking up at the sky. So I took a picture. Tonight I edited the photo to get this composition.

Coral, A Color Field Cod (finished)

Time for a last look at Coral, my color field cod.  At the moment, she is all packed up in bubblewrap for the ride to Marblehead, where I am heading this afternoon to drop her off.  She is my entry for the Marblehead Festival of Arts yearly Cod Auction. Coral will be photographed, along with some 50 other decorated cod fish, and will soon appear on the auction website so people can bid.  (In past years, each decorated fish was also displayed in downtown Marblehead, but I am not sure if that will happen this year.) Although it is time for me to say goodbye to Coral, I will see her online (and so can you!)

Path at Lynch Park

On Wednesday, we took a walk at Lynch Park.  The trees were leaving out, casting interesting shadows on the path. I loved the dappled light, so I took some pictures.  I cropped this one to get this composition.

Coral, A Color Field Cod (on wall, from side)

Here is "Coral (A Color Field Cod)", hanging on my wall. (I needed to test out the hanging hardware.) I took a photo from the side to show how she looks in 3-D.  (Coral is my contribution to the Cod Auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.) She is a coral cod, a real live species with a bright orange body and blue spots, that reminded me of the color field paintings I did in back in college.  I have been painting the sides and back, and finally added the hanging hardware.  She is just about done, though I may add another coat to the back, which is painted blue, like her spots.  On Sunday, I will drive down to Marblehead to deliver her.  I will miss her. . .

Pansies at Marini Farm Stand

Last weekend, we took a ride to the Marini Farm Stand up in Ipswich, where we saw big trays of pansies on display outside.  Of course I bought some flowers, and of course, I also took some pictures.  I cropped this best photo to get this composition

Coral, A Color Field Cod (as of May 12, 2021)

Here is Coral as she looks today.  (I am painting this wooden fish cutout for the annual "cod auction" to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.) I was inspired by a photo of coral cod (a real species) Coral cod have bright orange coloring and blue dots, which made me think about color field painting, which often uses bright complementary colors.  I have been working on Coral for the past two days.  The front is basically done, though I may do more cleanup.  Still have to paint the sides and the back. . .

Coral, A Color Field Cod (as of May 9, 2021)

I am painting this wooden codfish cutout for the Marblehead Festival of Arts Cod Auction.  I have participated for several years, apart from last year when the event was cancelled due to Covid.  This year, I decided to paint a coral cod, a real species that really is bright orange with blue spots.  Photos of coral cod made me think of the bright color field paintings that I did in the sixties.  So here is Coral as she looked on May 9th.  I am trying for the flat colors and precise lines of the hard-edge color field style, which is not easy to do on wood.  I have been working slowly and using a small brush, and the pace slows down as I approach the edges.  To be continued. . . .

Coral, A Color Field Cod (as of May 8, 2021)

I am decorating a wooden cod, to be part of the Cod Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  I am painting a coral cod (an actual species) that is orange with bright blue dots, reminding me of a color field painting. This is Coral as she looked on May 8.  I managed to get the first coat of background color on the body of the fish, and on the edges of the fins, but stopped there because the lines on the fins needed some work first.  To be continued.  

Mother's Day Flowers with Border (with Prisma filter)

Friday I posted a photo of my Mother's Day flowers, delivered early.  They are still beautiful, so here's another version, this time with a Prisma filter added, as well as a blue border. Great memories of a lovely day!

Coral, A Color Field Cod (As of May 7, 2021)

This is the codfish cutout that I am painting  as it looked yesterday. This is for Marblehead Festival of Art's yearly codfish auction.  Yesterday I finally started to carefully apply the orange paint, starting by outlining with a small brush.  Because I am trying to approximate the color field approach (smooth, flat color), I am using color out of a tube, no mixing.  The orange is beginning to pop, and is pretty close to the photos of coral cod that I looked at. Even so, I have been thinking about following with a translucent layer of red just to punch it up just a bit.  But we will see if I need to and if there is time.

Mother's Day Flowers (Early Delivery)

This bouquet arrived this afternoon, an early Mother's Day delivery.  I love the bouquet, and the colors are amazing.  Of course, I took some pictures.  The flowers looked great in the original version of this photo, but I used Painter to simplify the background just a bit.

Coral, A Color Field Cod (As of May 6, 2021)

This is the wooden codfish cutout that I am painting for this year's Cod Auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts. I usually participate in this event, but last year's event was cancelled due to Covid. This year I am painting a coral codfish, which is a real species of cod that is bright orange with blue markings.  Photos of coral codfish reminded me of the color field paintings I did in the sixties, with flat shapes and vibrant colors.  You may notice that at this point Coral does not look very coral. Today I worked on refining the blue markings, dots and lines.  I am sufficiently happy with them to be able to start applying some orange paint tomorrow. To be continued. . . .

Coral, A Color Field Cod (As of May 5, 2021)

I am painting a wooden codfish that will be part of the codfish auction for Marblehead Festival of Arts. (There was no auction last year due to Covid.) This year I am painting a coral codfish, a species that is bright orange with blue dots. Seeing photos of a coral codfish made me think of the color field painting of the sixties, hence the name.  Although this is a real species of fish, I am not going for realism.  Yesterday I sketched out the position of the blue markings.  Today I refined the spacing with a blue sharpie, and then started painting the markings with light blue acrylic.  I also added the lines on fins and tail.  To be continued. . . 

Coral, A Color Field Cod (as of May 4, 2021)

This year, I am participating in the cod auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts, something I do every year -- except last year, when the event was cancelled due to Covid.  This year I am painting a coral cod, a real variety that is bright orange with blue dots and kind of reminds of a color field painting, hence the name. Today, once the surfaces of my wooden form were primed and dry,  I was able to get started.  Yesterday I posted my "digital rehearsal" of the project, created on the computer with digital color overlaid on a photo of the wooden cutout (see post from May 3). Today I used a print out of my "digital rehearsal" as a guide as I sketched in lines with pale gray chalk.  I also used the chalk to mark the position of the markings.  Then I used a little bit of blue paint to revise the position of the markings.  The shapes are justed roughed in, but I am pretty happy with the layout. To be continued. . .

Coral, A Color Field Cod (Digital Rehearsal)

I am still putting gesso (primer) on my wooden codfish cutout, but I tried out my idea for Coral on the computer.  This is a photo of my unpainted wooden cutout.  I added the patterns and colors in Painter with digital pastel.  (I also added posterizing effect to the background.)  I will use this as a guide when I paint. I think these colors will work.  I want them to "pop" like the colors in a color field painting.  To be continued. . .

Coral, A Color Field Cod (Wood Cutout with Sketch)

Next up, the codfish auction for Marblehead Festival of Arts. This is the wooden form that I picked up from Marblehead, and I am getting ready to paint it. This year I plan to paint a coral codfish, a real live species that is bright orange with blue dots. Seeing a coral codfish made me think of a color field painting, hence the name.  If you want to get an idea of where this is headed, here's a link to my project in 2019,  Pearl: https://www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/47054886914

Goose at Kelleher Pond

Yesterday we took a walk over to Kelleher Pond.  As we headed toward the path that leads around the pond, I saw a goose gliding toward us, so I stopped and took this picture.  Tonight I cropped the original just a bit to get this composition.

Kalimba and Lexi (Double Portrait)

I finished this painting back on March 16, but more recently I have been getting it ready to ship.  This week I signed it, finished sealing (painting) the edges, and added a wire for hanging.  Then I wrapped it up and delivered to the UPS store, and now it is on its way to its home in Tennessee, where it belongs.  I have enjoyed spending time with these lovely dogs, and glad I was able to create this remembrance of them.

Azaleas with Column (Lynch Park)

Here's another photo from yesterday's walk at Lynch Park.  Azaleas were blooming inside the walled garden.  I liked the way the pink flowers looked against the column, so I took some pictures.  Tonight I edited one of the photos to get this composition.

Looking at Magnolias (at Lynch Park)

We went for a walk at Lynch Park today.  There was a lot to see, including this amazing pink magnolia tree.

Spring Sky

I took this photo during a walk on April 27th. I looked up and saw the late afternoon hitting the trees, leafing out in green gold, and leaving the white pear blossoms in shadow. This is one of the pictures I took, edited to get this composition.

A Good Look at Daffodils

Once the weather finally started warming up a bit, we began to see daffodils here and there.  I took a photo of some daffodils during a neighborhood walk on April 23, 2021.  I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Red Pergola at Long Hill

This is from a walk at Long Hill this weekend.  I haven't been there in well over a year.  It was nice to see one of my favorite landmarks, this red pergola.

Stone Wall and Forsythia

We went to Longhill Gardens today.  I hadn't been there in well over a year.  Things are changing there, lots of new features still to come.  But some things haven't changed, and it is still a wonderful place, so close to home.  I took lots of pictures, but this is one of the best, an old stone wall framing forsythia in bloom.

Weeping Cherry (with Prisma filter)

This image began with a photo that I took on April 14, of a weeping cherry tree at Lynch Park.  Here is another version of the image, this time with the "Watercolor" filter in the Prisma app

Reposting: Earth Rising (Collage)

I created this image decades ago, but first posted it here in 2009. This is a collage, acrylic paint on paper.  Well, for some reason, I thought Earth Day was April 20th, so I already posted  image for the occasion.  But I decided to post another image today because it is so important that we keep in mind that there is no Planet B.

Magnolia Blossoms in the Rain (with Prisma filter)

Here north of Boston, the magnolia blossoms are starting to open; I have two trees, right in my front yard.  I had planned to go out and take pictures today, but it started to rain.  I decided not to let the rain spoil my celebration, so I went out and took some quick pictures anyway.  I used the Prisma app to add the "Watercolor" filter to this one.

Reposting: Earth Rising (Digital Painting)

Here is my image for Earth Day. Well, it's late but I am trying to get this one in under the wire.  I first posted this back on Earth Day in 2013.  I made this image with the Brushes app on my iPhone. Back then, I said,  "This little fantasy of earth rising is  inspired by photos of the earth seen from space.  From an Apollo mission in the 1970s, we got our first view of the earth from space and saw it as a'big blue marble'. Thanks to the NASA, we saw beautiful pictures of earth taken from the surface of the moon.  But as beautiful as these images are, seeing the Earth rise from another planet is not the view I would wish for future generations.  The best views of Earth are the close-ups." This year, we have a Mars landing, but it is still the Earth that needs our attention.  Global warming still looms, but there is hope for change ahead. We have hopes of emerging from the pandemic that has plagued us for over a year.  And today's verdict in Minnesota provides a glimmer of hope for more justice in the world. Is earth rising? Maybe. I hope so.

First Look at Forsythia

This is a photo that I took during a recent neighborhood walk.  Spring usually takes its time, here north of Boston. So I always like to see forsythia in bloom because it is one of the first signs that spring is coming.  This is a welcome sign in a hopeful season.

Behind the Walled Garden (with Prisma filter)

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved stories about walled gardens. Well, there actually is one at Lynch Park, here in Beverly, MA.  On Wednesday, we took a walk at the park. It was too cold to walk near the ocean, so we took a different route, around the back of the walled garden.  In the original photo, the bricks are discolored and there is some litter on the ground.  That can be fixed with retouching (and I plan to do that). But for now, I just applied a little magic with my Prisma app and the "Dance" filter.

Weeping Cherry

I took this picture on April 14, 2021, during a walk at Lynch Park.  The weeping cherry was just starting to bloom.

Flowering Tree at Lynch Park (with Prisma filter)

I recently posted a picture of a flowering tree at Lynch Park, taken during a walk over the weekend.  Here is the photo again, with the same crop, but with the "Watercolor" filter in the Prisma app. 

Flowering Tree at Lynch Park

We had warmer weather over the weekend, so we took a walk at Lynch Park.  I finally saw some flowering trees, magnolias I think. Apparently magnolias are starting blooming in Boston, but these are the first I have seen here.  Temperatures here (Beverly, MA) are often cooler than in Boston,  Anyway,  I took a quick picture, and today I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Wedding Cake 1943 (with Prisma filter)

I have posted other versions of this image in the past, but it is a classic. My parents were married on April 4, 1943, so I am reposting in honor of their anniversary.  (This image began with a sepia photo taken at their wedding breakfast at the Vail Hotel in Pueblo, Colorado.) I love the traditional pose of bride and groom cutting the wedding cake, and it probably appeals to me now because I saw it again just last week at our son's wedding. Another bride, another groom.  Today I edited the image with my Prisma app, and chose the "Watercolor" filter which provided the color.  I also did some final editing in iPhoto.

Guest Artist Alan Braunstein: "The Balloon Man" (Pencil Drawing)

Alan Braunstein is my first cousin. He has worked in the theatre and travel industries, but during this year of Covid, he has taken some time to re-discover drawing, something he liked to do as a child. Last week, he sent me this charming sketch, and I liked it so much I asked him to be a guest artist on Randiart.  This drawing really communicates a sense of this character, using simple but very expressive lines. 

Juniper Branches (with Prisma filter)

Here north of Boston, we seem to be stuck between winter and spring.  But still, we are going for more walks.  This is from a walk in the neighborhood last week; this is some kind of juniper shrub that our dog loves to sniff.  I cropped the original photo, and used the Prisma app to add a filter ("Sea Turtle").