drawing an ordinary thing

***

Canon 6D

Tamron SP 24-70 f/2.8 lens

Manual Mode

ISO 200

f 3.5  1/25 sec

on tripod

LR preset: kk_likeadream

Texture: kk_follow

Drawing

done with

Prismacolor colored pencils

Sketchbook page

embellished with

stamping ink

paint

collage

I can't prove it,

but I do believe

this pear

tasted

especially

delicious.

***

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 32)

Friday Finds

Texture Tuesday

Sketchbook Skool (Beginnings)

trust: one little word for 2015

I said I wasn't going to do it this year...I can't make up my mind; I don't want to confine myself to just one word; I usually forget about it by February anyway; I have too much else to worry about...

...and then it came to me. In the dark of the night (actually the wee hours of the morning, when I tend to wake up anyway, with my mind/heart in gear for the day):

t  r  u  s  t

Actually, I have been 'trusting' for a few years now - albeit sporadically and in varying degrees - in two important areas of my life: Faith and Art. (Relax, family and friends...you all are in the Love area, which is inextricably linked to these two.) This year I am really going to focus on it, pray on it, and reflect upon it on a daily basis.

1.

Trust in the Lord

Fear is useless,

what is needed is trust.

Luke 8:50 and Mark 5:36

(paraphrase)

(and a favourite of my Canadian husband's)

"Fear is useless, what is needed is trust," seems to be a pastoral translation, and while it strays a bit from the literal meaning of the underlying Greek, it does seem to speak to men of our time. I know many people that have this particular translation memorized instead of "Fear not, believe only," without actually owning a copy of the St. Joseph Ed. NAB from whence it comes. People hear it, remember it, and take it to heart. I was shocked when my search for 'fear is useless' in the 'Faith Database' came back with nothing in all of its Bible translations. That is what lead me to this discussion forum. I am glad to know which Bible translation it comes from so that I can continue quoting the phrase with a bit more certainty.   ~ Carson Parker

detail from the piece

'Faith, Hope & Love'

which I made

a few years ago

And believing that art - whatever form it takes - is my Creative Calling, it goes hand-in-hand with Trust in the Lord. So (note to self)...

2.

Trust the Process

There's been a lot written about the creative process, and I have studied it for many years. At some point, pretty much everyone talks about trusting the process...for good reason. Here are a few of my favorites:

The War of Art, by Stephen Pressfield

The Creative Call, by Janice Elsheimer

The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp

The Everyday Work of Art, by Eric Booth

The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron

Walking on Water, by Madeleine L'Engle

Art for God's Sake, by Philip G. Ryken

and anything by Frederick Franck

A quick google search netted many hits such as these:

10 ways to let go of fear and trust the process
Trust the Process: the Creation of Holistic Art
...and a handful of blog posts by artists like me

It was actually Ali Edwards, one of my favorite artists, who first introduced me to the annual One Word concept many years ago. This year I am finally taking her class: One Little Word Project. I'm hoping - trusting - that it will help me follow through this year.

***

Linking up with

Friday Finds

Ali Edwards

humble of heart

There's something about

dried flowers

that speaks

to me

so

eloquently

of

life.

LR preset: kk_pause
Textures: kk_anne and kk_bamboo

I gathered several of these
'daisy heads'
from my garden
this fall.
I found them
to be
infinitely more
captivating
than their
showy summertime
incarnation,
the black-eyed susan

I set up
this little still life
and captured it
with my iPhone 5
just so I could
experiment
with some apps.

as seen on Instagram

It is a mystery that unless unless the seed falls to the ground and unless it dies, it remains alone. I realize that there are many things in me that must die before He can live: my pride, my ambition, my impatience, my anger. The difficulty in loving my neighbor, or listening to the problems of another. There is much that I must die to. But unless these things are conquered, He cannot live in me.

 Mother Angelica

***

Linking up with

Friday Finds

i'm never really ready for this...

...but after an unusually warm October

(I was just on my bike the other day - in shorts!)

near-zero temperatures

and blizzard-like conditions

are indeed a

shock to the system.

***

Yesterday I watched

out the window

as it began

to snow.

I felt compelled

to draw.

Soon the white stuff

began to collect

on the few remaining leaves

still clinging to

the aspen trees

in our back yard.

As my eyes saw

my hand drew...

and

in my heart

I sensed

their plight.

I felt

their fear.

I knew

how it would end.

***

Early this morning

I felt compelled

to capture

this unfolding drama

with my camera.

It was so cold

I didn't want to risk

damaging condensation

in my 'big' camera,

so I made a few quick captures

with my iPhone 5.

Version 1

Editing done on my iPad

with the following apps:

LEONARDO - adjust exposure, contrast, brightness

PHOTOGRID- create layout

STACKABLES - add textures:

Winter Frost (Multiply 20%)

Glacial Ice (Color 25%)

Bleached (Soft Light 75%)

Worn Canvas (Hard Light 25%)

Version 2

Editing done on my iMac with

LIGHTROOM (preset: kk_truecolor)

and

PHOTOSHOP

The 'platinum' Gradient Map adjustment layer

(Lighten Blend Mode 32%)

toned down the bright

yellows and greens

just a bit.

***

For everything there is a season

and a time for every matter

under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

***

Linking up with

Friday Finds

Texture Tuesday

Thank you Roxi and Julie
for getting me hooked

with your

30 Day Scrap with Apps Challenge.

This is seriously

too much fun!

still life: unwrapped

NOTES:

INSPIRATION

This week's Be Still 52 challenge:

Start with just two things.

CAMERA

Canon EOS 6D

Tamron SP 24-70 f/2.8 lens

Aperture Priority Mode

on tripod

ISO 400

f/5.0 1/200 sec

original photo SOOC

LIGHTROOM

Preset: kk_truecolor

PHOTOSHOP

I've been revisiting Kim's

Photoshop Recipe Book

which, BTW, is now

included in a subscription to her

Photoshop Test Kitchen

There is so much goodness here,

you gotta check it out.

I experimented with

a few recipes

and ended up with my own.

Playing with filters is fun too!

'distress'

is one of Kim Klassen's classic textures

from her

Texture Collection 1

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 24)

Texture Tuesday

Friday Finds

comic relief

Lately I've been exploring

iPhoneography

thanks to my friends

Roxie, Sarah, and Viv

who have been tempting me

for months

with its

myriad of

creative possibilities.

So much to learn!

I have only just

scratched the surface.

Spontaneity

was not exactly at the top

of my list;

however, one day last week

as I was sitting down to

draw this little dried rose petal

- in a quiet, contemplative, Zen-like state of mind -

who should happen along

and plant herself

right in the middle

of things?

Lillian
couldn't resist
this set-up.
Immediately,

my plans were

up-ended.

Literally.

I am always fascinated

by the dexterity of her

comma-shaped paw

as she daintily
sweeps small objects

hither and yon.

And then she glanced back at me,

as if to say,

'Well, what did you expect?'

God bless

Lillian

for her

gift of

comic relief!

Good thing I had

my iPhone

handy.

***

Notes:

CAMERA

iPhone 5

APPS

ProCamera

initial capture

(rapid fire mode)

Snapseed

Details: Sharpening ~25-30%

Drama: Bright 2 - default filter strength

which nicely lightened

Lillian's 'darker side'

and oh-so-subtly

brought out just enough

detail in

the sketchbook.

Image Blender

Second layer: kk_tuesday texture

Blend Mode: Soft Light 20%

I wasn't really after any

'dramatic' texturizing,

but rather to see how

subtle texturizing could enhance

an image.

***

Linking up with

30 Day Scrap With Apps Challenge (Day 6)

Texture Tuesday

Friday Finds

weekend walk: just up the street

Most of us lead far more meaningful lives than we know.

Often finding meaning is not about doing things differently;

it is about seeing familiar things in new ways.

~Rachel Naomi Remen

There is an irrigation ditch at the top of our street,

and the path alongside it

is a popular destination for folks

in our little neighborhood

to go for a stroll.

Recently I took

my iPhone camera there

for a little spin

(funny how I think of my iPhone

primarily as a camera -

probably because that's the main reason

I got an iPhone in the first place)

No definite intentions

or real plans

for what I might

capture...

...just delighting

in the

serenity

and

simple beauty

of the place.

The dirt path is shaded by

many big old trees.

A couple of these

big trees

had been recently

cut down.

I mean

b i g.

Someone had

gathered some apples

...

and then left them

to rot.

I was of course

drawn to this rusty old

piece of machinery;

I think it controls

the water flow

somehow.

The entire ditch property is bordered by

several fenced-in back yards

with gated access

to the trail.

Lucky for me

the gates are weathered

and rather rickety.

One property

has this little old cottage

on the banks

of the ditch.

I like to imagine it

as an artist's studio.

October is a beautiful time of year,

with its contrasting colors

of early fall.

This was my favorite

wabi-sabi

fence/gate shot;

I am fascinated by the

tenacity of nature

as it overtakes

man's efforts.

Notes:

CAMERA

iPhone 5

ProCamera app

I love how I can control

focus and exposure

independently,

especially useful

on a hazy-bright day

with plenty of

dappled sun and shadows.

LIGHTROOM

I haven't yet figured out

how to efficiently

edit a batch of iphotos

(I'm sure there's an app for that)

so I just imported everything

into Lightroom.

Minimal editing:

just a bit of the basics

and minor cropping.

Then I auditioned several presets

and finally chose Kim's

kk_earthy.

PHOTOSHOP

No texture work needed;

I tried a few but found

that it interfered with

the clarity,

and literally

muddied the waters.

Linking up with

A Weekend Walk

Friday Finds

Be Still 52 (Week 22)

unforgettable: fen meets kermit

Have you ever
been
inspired to
grab your camera
and just
'shoot from the heart'
?

I mean
what's the worst
that could happen?

The photos
might not
'turn out,'
technically-speaking

or you might
fall flat,
not capturing
that special
'something'
that made you
pick up your camera
in the first place.

You might even end up
deleting
each and every
shot
in frustration.

Or...

you just might

end up

capturing

something

truly

unforgettable.

***

I did just that

one afternoon last month

when Fen came over to

Grandma & Grandpa's house

to play.

Recently

I have been reading

The Unforgettable Photograph

by

George Lange

who says,

"Which moment will provide the unforgettable picture isn't much in your control...If you can't see the moments, you can feel their flow, like feeling the flow of music. That feeling is essential to taking good pictures; it's as important as having a good eye...I shoot using my heart more than my eyes."

I highly recommend

this book.

***

Someone's nose is out of joint

whenever

the

'noisy little bald kitten'

comes to visit.

Time

 for a nap

- safe and secure -

in Grandpa's arms

***

Notes:

CAMERA

Canon EOS 6D

Tamron SP 24-70 f/2.8 lens

Manual Mode

hand-held

ISO 3200

f/4.5-3.5 1/125 sec

LIGHTROOM

Minimal editing:

just a bit of the basics

and minor cropping.

How often does that happen?

***

Linking up with

Friday Finds