re-group...and a prayer

Lately I've been rediscovering my roots as a Mixed Media Artist. Which means that I am back in my studio: playing with paint and paper, fabrics, laces and trims, found objects and 'bling'...stamping, glueing, hammering and drilling to my heart's content. And, I am happy to report, my studio is a mess! Out of the organized chaos of my eclectic gatherings...I CREATE. Oh how I love this process!

So how does my love of photography and photo editing fit into all of this? If I remember correctly, it has its roots in a desire to use my own images in my art...which makes sense since I make art about my life.

A few years ago I took this online course with the delightful and talented Karen Russell, which started me on the road to 'serious' photography. I have spent the last year or so with Kim Klassen, happily immersed in the study of Photoshop and Lightroom, blogging and creativity.

It is time to stir these skills into the melting pot of my repetroire of methods and media.

I also recently discovered Pinterest, which has ignited an inspiring creative fire in me as well. You can follow me on Pinterest by clicking the gadget in my sidebar. You can also visit my Flickr page, where I will be maintaining a gallery of my work. Warning! It's a bit of a shambles there until I finish reorganizing things. There will likely be other changes to my blog as I grow as an artist, so stay tuned.

***

For now, I just want to share a special piece I made two years ago for my Dad, just months before he passed away. A devout Catholic, he always carried a rosary in his pocket, and prayed the rosary on a regular basis, usually at night before falling asleep. He found it especially comforting in times of anxiety, sickness or grief. I made this little shrine for him, recalling the roadside shrines seen 'round the world.

Dad bought this ruby-colored rosary for his mother when he was away at Catholic University in Washington D.C. She treasured it, and prayed with it until her death in 1968. Dad gave it to me a few years ago, and I have prayed many a time with these beads.

***

I made these two images last year, for Kim's Beyond Layers class...same rosary + my grandmother's prayer book.

***

I, along with countless other students will keep

Kim Klassen and her family

in my prayers.

xoxo

Cindy

c'mon summer

Here it is May 1st, and it's snowing.

Again.

I mean, really?

Sure...we need the moisture.

Indeed...it is a beautiful sight - on the distant mountain tops.

True...it's a spring storm and it will be melted in just a few days.

Flatirons Vista

April 20, 2013

Enough already!

I am so ready to get on my mountain bike and explore new trails.

***

Linking up with Beyond Beyond and Texture Tuesday.

xoxo

Cindy

soulmates

This week I am linking up with Beyond Beyond - inspired by some elegant magazine layouts and Kim's tutorial on tinting in Lightroom, and celebrating a special kind of love with Texture Tuesday.

I spent a good hour perusing the magazine rack at the public library before checking out a couple of back issues of Victoria...then immediately went home and set up two photo shoots, combining family heirlooms and some old snapshots to tell a story or two...

Della & Greg

As did many children of his generation, my father grew up in a bilingual home, where Italian was spoken as often as not. Della Libonati was born in Denver of immigrant parents. Gregorio Notarianni emmigrated to America in 1920, as a young man. Although well-educated he only learned the language upon arriving here; over the years Della was his primary tutor in conversational English. An avid reader and history buff, Greg soon became fluent in the language.

***

These are just a few my grandfather's treasured old books, which I now display on a shelf in my living room. Topics include Italian history - ancient and contemporary early 20th century, especially WWI, in which he served in the Italian Cavalry - as well as an Italian-English dictionary and vocabulary book dated 1905. This little end table also belonged to my grandparents. I re-finished it several years ago.

I have several of these little terra cotta jars - made in Italy about 100 years ago - at one time displayed on a dresser or vanity in my grandparents' bedroom.

***
Edna & Joe

My maternal grandparents, Joe and Edna Toomey, eloped in June of 1921 when she was just 18 years old and he was 27. My mother relayed their wedding story in her genealogy many years later:

Edna's mother, Ida Swanson, was especially suspicious of anyone Irish, and likely to be Catholic. Joe was both...They told her parents that they wished to marry and be married in the Catholic Church. Ida would have none of it so the young couple eloped...When the priest learned that Edna was Lutheran, she was banished from the altar and they were married in a side room. This was an affront to them both.

It wasn't until several months later that they revealed their marriage to Edna's parents...when she realized that she was expecting.

***

This sterling silver dish was the only wedding gift that Joe and Edna received, given to them by Joe's friends, the Mulrooneys. Their only "wedding photo" is a snapshot of Edna wearing her brown taffeta wedding dress. The handkerchief was Edna's.

***

I followed Kim's tutorial on Tinting in Lightroom using Graduated Filters; after adjusting the colors to get the right feel, I made it a preset, which I call Peachy Blue Vintage. I also applied my own Soft White Vignette preset to all of the photos here. I softened the color photos with Kim's Berrily preset.

In Photoshop I treated all photos with a layer of kk_carmel (Soft Light blend mode @ 60-70%), which I brushed away via a layer mask to recapture some details.

xoxo

Cindy

the colors of spring

This collection of images is from a "photo walk" excursion three weeks ago, on a warm - but dreary - spring day in the Highlands neighborhood in northwest Denver. There's just a different kind of energy in this trendy, upscale, re-born old neighborhood, so I knew it would be rich with colorful imagery. It did not disappoint. Here, ordinary everyday details are presented with an artistic flair.

On the way back to my car I spied this little shop -  Garnet Gecko - and ended up spending over an hour there. I don't normally consider shopping a hobby, but I was intrigued enough to step inside this one boutique.

Even though the "Asian import" style is generally not my thing, I was drawn to this collection like a moth to a flame. It truly was a feast for the eyes - a bounty of beautifully hand-crafted textiles, jewelry, and assorted accessories. And I enjoyed a delightful visit with the proprietress, Sharon, chatting as though we were already old friends. It elevated an enjoyable excursion to a memorable experience.

Okay, so I did take home a lovely hand-dyed scarf and some silver earrings...that still doesn't make me a real "hobby shopper." I'll be back for more. Photos, that is. And there was this other scarf...

***

Linking up today with Walk and Click Wednesday: Making the Ordinary Special, and Beyond Beyond, where we got a refresher tutorial in making a colorful storyboard, and Texture Tuesday.

Both storyboards were textured with

Kim Klassen's kk_coolgrunge: Soft Light blend mode @60%

and kk_3101: Multiply blend mode @ 30 - 50%

Fonts: Eccentric Std and Cheboygan

xoxo

Cindy

rescuing a caterpillar

Today I am linking up with Photo Heart Connection, Kat Sloma's monthly retrospective review of 'the photo that best connects to your heart.' I made this shot while on a little hike with my daughters last Saturday. I was trying out my new Canon 6D, getting acquainted with all the buttons and dials, so I wasn't expecting anything special. We were just walking along, 'dishing' about this and that, when Erin spied this little fella trying to cross the trail. Immediately, simultaneously we all thought the same thing: he's going to get trampled before he can make it across! Without hesitation, she gently scooped him up, and while we debated where to put him (which direction was he actually heading?...we didn't want to make him start all over again), I made this shot. On the fly...the spur of the moment. I hardly had time to even focus. Then Kelly chimed in with this quote she'd once heard...

mouse over to see the original

...and a precious memory was born.

When I reviewed my shots in Lightroom and zoomed in on this shot I was amazed at the detail I had captured. 20 megapixels. Wow!

It got me thinking of the days when we used to hike and camp with the girls...and I recalled this snapshot I took many years ago.

Kelly & Erin

Three Sisters Park

near Evergreen

1995

***

I'm also linking up with Beyond Beyond 'cause I started with Kim's tutorial on creating my own hazy preset...but as happens so often with my creative process, I end up not quite where I thought I would be when I started. I played around with several Lightroom presets, finally settling on one of David duChemin's - Iceland Split Blues. Then I added Kim's texture - kk_prague - Soft Light blend mode @39%...all of which gave it the spring/hazy feel I was after in the first place.

xoxo

Cindy

redemption & resurrection

In my world, blogging takes a back seat to everyday life, so sometimes a post will appear to be a bit 'behind the times.' Ideally this would have been posted in time to greet the world early on Easter morning. In reality, here's how it came about:

1. I made the photo Saturday afternoon while on an impromptu little hike with my daughters in the foothills just west of Denver. I was trying out my new camera for the first time - a full frame Canon 6D. We ventured to a place we used to hike when they were little: Matthews Winters Park and encountered a tiny 19th century cemetery.
2. I played with the image on and off all day Sunday - while pondering the significance of Easter - in between a fabulous bike ride with my husband and preparing Easter dinner.
3. I was too tired to finish it up last night...so here I am Monday morning, sitting at the computer before I head off to work.

The prayer - an acclamation of the Catholic 'mystery of faith' - is said immediately after the consecration of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, acknowledging the reality of His death and proclaiming our faith that He is alive and that He will come again.

Linking up with Beyond Beyond and Texture Tuesday...just playing, as Kim suggested this week. Springtime in the foothills/plains of Colorado can be quite dry, with only a hint of growth and new life. I really struggled with the color - or lack thereof - with this image, and even toyed with converting it to b&w, but that didn't fit my vision for this photo. So I played with it in Lightroom to bring out the subtle browns and greens, then, in desperation, applied a combination of Rad Lab filters (Flora, Antique Tone, Boutwell Magic Glasses II, EZ-Burn 2...each tweaked as needed), which seemed to do the trick. Then into Photoshop, where I applied Kim's BeStill and ChalkMagic textures, and a bit of text (University Roman font).

It was not a very efficient process, but that's how I roll.

And anyway, who said that the creative process is an efficient one?

xoxo

Cindy

spring...again

It is Spring. It is also Holy Week. So you'd think I'd have put a Scripture passage with this classic image, rich with Paschal significance. Nope. That's not where my muse took me this time.

My mind was a mixture of thoughts and feelings as I shot this tiny crocus...tentatively, bravely, humbly rising up on the first day of spring in a little urban garden in northwest Denver. I saw it as a sign: of spring. And hope. And new life. You know, the usual stuff.

But the more I thought about it, the more I sensed something deeper within this iconic image: the cyclical, repetitive nature of it all. And how it is tied to God's unending mercy. We can count on the return of spring, heralded by this tiny little flower, no matter how bleak the winter preceding it...every year. And we can count on God's loving mercy, no matter how bleak our situation...every time. Again and again, we stumble and fall. Again and again, He forgives and absolves...when we accept His mercy.

Fitting this image with a caption was the hardest part of this post. I knew what I was looking for, but I couldn't quite put it into words. It was more a feeling than a thought. After searching in vain for much of the day yesterday nothing seemed to say what I wanted it to say. I almost gave up on the whole thing. Then I googled one more time: 'spring quotes.' Almost magically, a 'secular' bit of prose from a favorite poet appeared...to illustrate - to me at least - the seemingly cyclical, repetitive nature of God's loving mercy that is at the core of Christianity. This is our path to Eternal Life, which Christ died for, and then rose again, showing us the way...

An artist's highest calling is allowing God to communicate through him. The gift of creativity. I immediately saw it in Her Rilke's little verse. I can only hope that I accomplish it through my own work.

According to His great mercy,

He has caused us to be born again

to a living hope

through the resurrection of

Jesus Christ

from the dead.

1 Peter 1:3

xoxo

Cindy

Linking up with Beyond Beyond and Texture Tuesday. I texturized with Kim's kk_naturally, coolgrunge, and musiclight, and used one of my new favorite fonts, Matilde.

how does one become a butterfly?

mouse over to see the original

Dear "Enna," on the brink of your hope-filled journey to health:

You are my little butterfly, with elegant wings tattooed on your delicate porcelain skin, right between your shoulder blades...where logic would dictate they would be attached.

I never really thought about it until recently, but sometimes it takes courage to hope - especially in a dire situation. It is so much easier to give in to despair. It's safe there. No risk of disappointment.

It also takes an iron will. To persist. To persevere. To get up after you stumble and fall...and to keep going.

You've got what it takes - already wired into you from birth. Also known as Stubborn in other situations. Hard-headed. Single-minded. Determined.

Don't forget...I have known you longer than any other person. Twenty-two years + nine months to be exact.

Only God knows you better. You are my child...and His. And whether you believe it or not, He is still right there with you at every turn. Always.

H.O.P.E.

Hang On. Pain Ends.

xoxo

Mimi

***

Next Tuesday I will accompany Erin and her fiancé to L.A., where we will meet with  Dr. Matia Brizman, who will be treating Erin in the coming months.

***

Linking up with Beyond Beyond and Texture Tuesday.

This silver butterfly brooch belonged to my maternal grandmother, Edna Swanson Toomey. When I saw it among my mother's jewelry, I chose it for Erin, who has for years been attracted to butterflies - both for their natural beauty and for their philosophical significance.

I had a real time of it with this seemingly simple still life. It was fun...but challenging. Initially I shot this from above, with not much thought of light, beyond adjusting my camera settings to get a 'good' shot. After playing with the image in Lightroom, following Kim's tutorial on a matte finish, and applying some textures in CS6...I let it go for a day, planning to upload and write the accompanying blog post. 

The image was okay. Just okay.

Then I happened to be reading in David duChemin's Photographically Speaking how to both be aware of and consciously use light to make a stronger image: an image that communicates my intent, my vision. I realized that I had dropped the ball: my image was flat and lifeless...because I had not asked what David says are "two of the most important questions you can ask - mindfully, intentionally - as you look throught the viewfinder:

     1. What is the light doing in this frame?

     2. Is it doing what I need in order to create the photograph I want?"

 Definitely not what I had envisioned for this photo, or this subject: Hope in the midst of darkness.

As they say: back to the drawing board. I set up the shot again, this time determined to better communicate my intent instead of just 'taking a picture.'

photo taken with my iPod Touch

After setting things up with the ceiling light on, I turned off the light and played with assorted slow shutter speeds, ISO (all the way down to 100 so that I could play up the light-dark contrast and use multi-second exposures) and shining the flashlight in different directions/angles to play up the luminous, dimensional qualities of the brooch, as well as moving the light source during the long exposure to try and imply a sense of fluttering movement (I stumbled upon this effect accidentally and liked it.)

At some point in all this it dawned on me that I was being true to my One Little Word Challenge...that word being 'Light.'

I again played around in Lightroom and CS6 as before, with my vision and intent in mind, choosing a much more subtle texture - kk_storm - and finally adding a pastel rainbow Gradient Fill Adjustment Layer (14% opacity) to bring in some color and life. I loved what the matte finish did for the image, but my efforts at chalk lettering were not fruitful...some tools/settings were grayed out or didn't function. Another time maybe. No worries...Kim's prompts are always a good starting place.

diligentia

mouse over to see the original

Diligence is a very great help,

even to a mediocre intelligence.

There was lots to play with this week in our Beyond Beyond class (nicknamed 2B). Shooting from above; Kim's brand-new Cloth & Paper Collection of textures (I used Bamboo, Cameron, and MagicFilm); another preset in Lightroom; and Kim's own brand of heartfelt wisdom. I am being sufficiently challenged...and enjoying every minute of delightful diligence!

You gotta make art with what you've got around...with what's in your heart and what's on your mind. At least that's how it has always worked best for me, whatever the medium. I had to remind myself of this yet again as I tried to make something happen with this assignment. And then I slowed down, stopped worrying about what it was finally going to look like (i.e. what other people might think), and just went with my own instinct.

So, I dug into a box of my father's old school books, and chose three Latin primers. Young Aldo's photo was tucked in amongst them (honestly...that part was true serendipity!). I included his old typewriter, and rounded it out with some artificial greenery that provided a little "organic" contrast...and just felt right. I arranged everything on a piece of white foamcore board, got out my camera and a stepladder and the rest is history.

The precise arrangement of it all was a process that I found meditative, relaxing and oddly rewarding: achieving just the right compositional balance via the placement of elements, the amount and use of negative space, noticing every little nuanced line, shape and color. I learned this years ago by studying - and imitating - the work of British textile artist Janet Bolton. You know you're having fun when you look up at the clock and realize that it's been hours - not minutes - that you've been playing around with this stuff...and that you'd better wrap it up or you're gonna be late for work.

All the while I was remembering Dad, the diligent scholar, and his love of languages, especially Latin and Greek. As I paged through his Latin books, I remembered my own high school Latin class back in 1978, which I took just for fun my senior year. It was the best class ever. Far from a "dead" language, studying Latin helped me learn much about the roots of my own language, got me translating bits of wisdom from Cicero, Virgil, Seneca, St. Augustine.

Tell me again why we stopped teaching Latin in our schools?

I am linking up with February's Photo-Heart Connection 'cause I did most of the "work" last week. Thanks Kat for reminding me what it's all about.

xoxo

Cindy

a mother's prayer

mouse over to see the original

Why the interest in genealogy and family heirlooms, especially personal effects, photos and life stories? Really, beyond a casual curiosity, what does it matter what these people looked like, where and how they lived, what joys and sorrows they experienced, or who these people were?

I suppose you could say that these items intrigue me...tangible reminders of my own ancestors, sometimes haunting me for days, months, years. I have always been drawn to true stories of old: of faith, hope and love; of honor and dignity; of survival and endurance in hard times: war, poverty, illness, desolation. These folks passed on their wisdom, their values to their children and - directly or indirectly - to their grandchildren.

Lately I find myself thinking of the mothers in my own family in this light. Being women of faith - specifically Roman Catholic - they each prayed the rosary on a regular basis. It's not about worshiping Mary, but rather asking her to intercede, or pray for us and with us, much as you might ask a friend to pray for you or a loved one.

I think of it most often as a mother's prayer, and find myself praying for my own children and for the children of other mothers that I know. You know: from one mother to another. After all, Mary's own son was born to suffer. She will understand...

This little still life is a compilation of some of my grandmothers' things, passed on to me by my mother. The rosary and the Italian ceramic jar belonged to my paternal grandmother, Adele Libonati Notarianni. The handkerchief - adorned with embroidered rosebuds, a symbol of Mary and of the rosary (rose-ary) - is from the collection of my maternal grandmother, Edna Swanson Toomey. They would understand...

***

Linking up with Beyond Beyond, Day 5...creating light via post-processing. I used Kim's "Let There Be Light" Preset in Lightroom, and bumped up the exposure a bit. I also pulled down the yellow/gold tones, which bothered me. Then into Photoshop, where I followed Kim's "Sybil Trick" tutorial; the Color Burn layer brought back the unappealing yellow tones, so I applied a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer to the background layer and reduced both yellow and green. I tried Kim's "blanket of light, " but it was a no-go for this photo; it took away from the rich textural detail of the jar, which the previous processing seemed to enhance so nicely. Gotta know when to quit.

xoxo
Cindy

cash for junk

Kim's challenge this week for our Beyond Layers class was almost - well, beyond me. It wasn't until a couple days later, when I had shelved the idea...fortunately not too far in the back of my mind, that I found my subject. That's usually how it works for me.

The assignment was simply this: bring the indoors outside, and shoot something with that in mind. Well, I have driven past this little second hand store hundreds of times over the years, and have often thought that I should stop and do a photo shoot. There is always an interesting, random collection of odd things on display in the parking lot out in front; some you might even call "antiques."

I had found my assigned subject matter! It dawned on me as I was spinning at the gym early last Friday morning while studying photographer David Duchemin's book Within the Frame. He was talking about shooting on location, and capturing how the place feels to you, as opposed to just recording what it looked like. With only my cellphone camera on me, I decided right then and there to stop on my way home and shoot as many photos as I could before rushing off to work. There was a blanket of fresh snow on everything, heightening the drama of these "relics" which now exist out of context...exposed to the elements. What I felt was the rather forlorn quality of a place where the personal possessions of assorted nameless people - quite likely gone from this earth - are unceremoniously dumped onto the pavement, to be sold to some sharp-eyed, thrifty shopper.

I don't have anything against thrift stores or antique malls, having frequented them myself in years past, both to buy and/or drop off something. But with the recent passing of my father, and the heart-rending but necessary distribution of his possessions, I feel a little bit saddened by this sight. Dad (the ever-pragmatic lawyer, who handled many estates over the years, and himself an avid antique collector) would be the first to tell me that this is all just an inescapable part of life.

All of this has, in recent months, caused me to re-evaluate my own state of affairs, so to speak; I can't help but think about what will happen to my things one day. These ruminations have unexpectedly influenced my recent creative endeavors: what used to put me off about digital art was that you couldn't touch it...it existed only on your hard drive or on some blog server somewhere. For many years I have felt the need to make a tangible creation. Now when I ponder creating something I can't seem to avoid thinking, "What am I going to do with this when I finish it?" At least a digital file it won't end up in some thrift store or tucked into a box on a shelf.

all photos shot with my Samsung 4G cellphone

The best things in life aren't things.

***

I emailed the pix to myself and saved them to my hard drive, then did some basic photo editing in Lightroom. I applied a RadLab filter - 60's Beach Recipe - before moving on into Photoshop, where I applied two texture layers (kk_crackerjack/Multiply 60% and kk_mary/Soft Light 50%) and then a Photo Filter (Cooling Filter #80/Normal 100%).

Linking up with Beyond Beyond and Texture Tuesday.

xoxo

Cindy

hidden harmony

Linking up with Beyond Beyond, in which our assignment this week was quite simple: Play with aperture/depth of field and then watch the video and play with some photo editing and a texture, and maybe a quote.

Okay. So that's not exactly what Kim said, but that's what I took away from the lesson.

And also, I had floating around in my mind the upcoming Texture Tuesday challenge: Include a POP of color in your photo, and add at least one layer of any of Kim's textures.

So I went in search of a POP of color, contained in an image that would rely on depth of field for expression. Well, this is a somewhat drab, colorless time of year in these parts, with only our beautifully brilliant blue Colorado sky (hard to make a little POP of color out of a whole sky)...and a plentiful selection of gaudy suburban colors - signage, vehicles, architecture. Nothing inspiring between home and work.

Time for a still life set-up...miraculously pulled together in my studio, focusing on a red bowl full of some old spools of thread...sitting on a shelf inside this rusty old dental cabinet/autoclave. I played around with several variations, adding the old medicine bottles and a tiny cup of acorns (I figured I could place them in the blurred zone). Moved stuff this way and that. Opened the door. Closed it. Focused on various elements. Tried several different f-stops and points of view. All the while I could feel it in my bones: there's a Subject here somewhere...

I loaded all 25 shots into Lightroom so I could cull them. The last shot was It, I was sure.

Funny thing, though: out of all the somewhat contrived compositions...there was this one that cried out in a small voice,

"pick me"

I've learned to listen to small voices...

mouse over to see the original

After a careful bit of straightening and cropping in Lightroom (I can spend a long time with this, trying to achieve just the right balance and harmony among the elements within the frame, as well as determining the proportions of the frame itself), I played around with white balance, exposure, and split toning, following Kim's video. But I was distracted by the tiny bit of distortion in the strong - and crucial horizontal and vertical lines, so I went to the Lens Correction panel, got out my Scott Kelby book to see how to straighten things out. Just a little "stretching" this way and that was all it took.

Then I jumped over to Photoshop, where I continued with Kim's video for guidance, adding a texture (kk_minus43 @Soft Light 49%) then toned down that layer with a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, pulling down the yellow quite a bit and bringing back the color to my original vision (that special vintage-enamel-dentist's-office-sterile-white-with-a-turquoise-color-cast)...and which complements the red so nicely.

And then a quote. ..maybe. I wasn't sure if I even wanted a quote; I didn't want to disturb the balance and harmony I felt I had achieved. Well, I might as well try...I can always leave it out if it doesn't look good. I think I googled something like "hidden quotes" And there it was...a valuable lesson for me from a true Master. Sometimes it is better to be open to what is already there, instead of trying to make something appear.

xoxo

Cindy

vision

The first assignment for Kim Klassen's Beyond Beyond year-long class, and I'm actually on time.

A simple assignment such as this - one subject + several shots/settings/views - made it irresistible to me: I just had to get out my camera and shoot something. No time for over thinking..."Think YOU," she said...so I grabbed the first thing I thought of.

Kim's thoughts about being in the moment also resonated with me. It seems I am always trying to squeeze in a swim workout or a bike ride. So I pondered this part of the assignment as I swam my laps Thursday morning before work. It's pretty hard not to be in the moment when you are swimming, especially just as you get into the water (my least favorite part of the whole routine). Once I am warmed up and gliding through the water it becomes a soothing, insular, other-worldly experience. Oh, I stop now and again to catch my breath, wipe the fog from my goggles and adjust my earplugs, sometimes chatting briefly with the swimmer in the lane next to me. But it's mostly just me and the water. And the breathing. And my thoughts.

Swimming is for me a meditative, contemplative, often visionary experience - and a great way to start my day. I often climb out of the water with a great idea or some sense of clarity on some subject in my life.

Or at the very least, peace in my soul.

***

Pretty simple post-processing here: I imported about 30 shots into Lightroom, where I culled it down to three, which I fine-tuned a bit and cropped into squares in the Develop module and arranged into a custom Print Module layout. Then I applied a couple RadLab filters: Contrast and Highlight Separator at about 50%. Then I edited in Photoshop, applying two layers of Kim's kk_chill texture - at 60%Soft Light and 20% Multiply blend modes.

xoxo
Cindy

a cuppa...with meaning

I love Kim's challenges in her Beyond Layers class...only I am usually late completing the assignment. Today's post is almost two weeks late. By the time I receive it in my inbox, read it, mull it over in my mind, come up with a photo-op, shoot it (several takes...and I do mean several), load them into Lightroom, choose one, and edit it some more in Photoshop....well, you can see why it often takes me a couple weeks to get it up on my blog, where I then write about it.

All of this is done in a piece-meal fashion - a bit at a time, slotted in amongst the daily routine and events of Life.

So Kim's Cuppa Challenge involved a cup, a book, and an accessory. I more or less followed Kim's recipe, but it needed Something Else, so I experimented with several of her textures, finally settling on her kk_addsomenoise1 (Screen layer mode 77%) because it added some nice wrinkles...like this well-worn favorite book.

I first read this little gem a few years ago, and recently was inspired to pull it out again and glean something new from it. Dr. Frankl did not disappoint.

Oh, and BTW, one reason I shot so many takes is because I was desperately trying to fit the flame-in-darkness image on the book cover into my still life set-up, but it just didn't work.

Flame. LIGHT. My One Word for 2013. On my honor, it was just one of those serendipitous happenings you stumble upon occasionally in the creative process.

***

The sweet old-fashioned teacup is a family heirloom that belonged to my late mother-in-law, Vernetta Swainson, whom I never met. I do know this: she lived for her family, delighting in being a wife and mother. I'm going out on a limb here, but I suspect that she didn't have to search very hard to discover the meaning of her life.

***

He who has a Why to live for can bear almost any How.

Friedrich Nietzsche

as quoted by Viktor Frankl

what Christmas is all about

'And there were in the same country

shepherds abiding in the field,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,

and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:

and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them,

Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people. 

For unto you is born this day in the city of David

a Savior,

which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you:

Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,

lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,

and saying,

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.'

Luke 2:8-14

In the immortal words of Linus, "...That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

***

Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Cindy