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)

mary's boy child

Long time ago in Bethlehem

So the Holy Bible say

Mary's boy child, Jesus Christ

Was born on Christmas day.

Hark, now hear the angels sing

A new King born today

And man will live forever more

Because of Christmas day.

music and lyrics

by

Jester Hairston

sung

by

Harry Belefonte

***

LR preset: kk_litely

Textures: kk_waterfront30 and kk_myrtle

Drawing: newborn Fen (from my own photo files that day)

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 29)

Texture Tuesday

***

Merry Christmas!

in this place

...and I knew it not.

Genesis 28:16 

Sometimes it is hard to believe

that God is

present

in our lives,

especially

in

trying times.

If He seems distant

we have only to

reach out

to

Him.

I remind myself of this on a regular basis.

***

LR preset: darkmood

Textures: kk1 and kk-magic0916

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 27)

My Still Sunday (via Instagram)

Texture Tuesday

an american-italian thanksgiving

These things

say

'Thanksgiving'

to me:

Canon 6D + Tamron 24-70 lens
LR preset: kk_earthywgrain

PS textures: kk_waterfront1 and kk_waterfront21

as seen on Instagram
iPhone 6 captured with Camera+ app
edited with Leonardo and Stackables apps

family heirlooms

now in my keep:

ravioli rolling pin,

collander,

macaroni pot,

Italian embroidered linen tablecloth
and matching napkins

(a wedding gift for my folks in 1953)

***

This is what

Thanksgiving dinner

looked like

in our family:

homemade ravioli

with

homemade ricotta filling

and

the best ragu

you ever tasted.

We kids never had a traditional

Thanksgiving turkey dinner

until we were

grown

and living on our own.

For the record,

none of us

ever objected.

Also for the record,
we considered ourselves
Americans
of
Italian/Irish/Swedish
descent.

Greg, Cindy, Mom, Grandpa,

'Dudie,' Adrienne, Lissa

(Dad was behind the camera)

Thanksgiving 1966

at Dudie & Grandpa's house

Dudie wisely got out her best

plastic faux lace tablecloth

for us kids

(tomato sauce stains quite reliably)

Greg, Cindy, Adrienne, Lissa

making ravioli with Grandpa

in our kitchen

November 1969

See the rolling pin?

The tradition continued

- in a way -

when we kids

had kids,

only now it's

Christmas Eve

dinner...

Linking up with

Texture Tuesday

Be Still 52 (week 25)

Happy Thanksgiving!

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

autumn gatherings

An invitation to

'gather, drop and place'

a few signs of the season

onto a

moodboard

was simply too much

to resist.

This moodboard was

really a joy

to create

from an ever-growing stash

of dried florals,

satisfying an inborn urge in me

to select, arrange, and compose

intuitively.

(I am a collector and organizer of things, after all)

I gathered 'stuff' casually

- over the course of a few days -

as I spied something on the ground

or 'on the vine,' almost dried

and fair game for picking

this time of year.

And while I had all this bounty

scattered about my studio,

I felt the urge

to set up

a still life

photo shoot.

*** 

One stem spoke to me

poignantly of life:

sadly fading, yet still

beautiful

graceful

s a c r e d

I needed

to draw that stem

to see

and

understand

how this

could

be.

Afterward

I wanted to draw

the simple beauty

of the five cherries

- one at a time - 

to see and capture

the uniqueness of

each one.

***

Notes:

CAMERA

Here's what I started with:

'gatherings'

on my

sewing table/desk

before Lillian marched through it

my moodboard set-up

in our garage:

I was hoping for some filtered afternoon light

but the wind forced me to close the garage door

and turn on the overhead light.

Canon EOS 6D

Tamron SP 24-70 f/2.8 lens

Manual Mode

hand-held

ISO 3200

f/5.0 1/125 sec

 my still life setup:

same camera and lens

ISO 400

f/5.0 1/4 sec

Lillian temporarily occupied

with a wad of paper

LIGHTROOM

I cropped and did my own basic edits,

then applied Kim's Moodswing preset,

following her accompanying video

to get those rich, moody tones.

PHOTOSHOP

Simple editing,

the same for all three images.

***

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 20)

Texture Tuesday

Friday Finds

pink ribbon warrior: a still-life portrait

war·rior

noun, often attributive

\ˈwȯr-yər, ˈwȯr-ē-ər, ˈwär-ē- also ˈwär-yər\

a person engaged in some struggle or conflict 

 This week's Be Still 52 challenge:

create a

'still-life family portrait'

Today I pay tribute to

my late sister

Lissa

a

'pink ribbon warrior'

in the truest sense.

Back in 1995, when Lissa was diagnosed at age 40 with Stage 2 breast cancer

I embroidered this pink sun hat for her to wear.

Lissa endured surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

She won her battle with breast cancer.

Two years later

she succumbed to Leukemia -

a result of her chemotherapy treatment.

She won the battle

but lost the war.

I still have her day planner

with her last entries from 1997

in her own handwriting.

***

I still pray for understanding 17 years later, asking God the unanswerable question: Why? Why, dear Lord, did you take this young, brilliant scientist in the prime of her life, who obviously had so much more to give? (Lissa earned a PhD in Anatomy, had herself done cancer research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute before discovering her true calling as a teacher: of anatomy to medical and dental students, then biology to community college students.) Why did the very science that she loved fail her? For what purpose?

While not exactly getting an answer to this prayer, I have come to be at peace with it. You see, in 2006, I was diagnosed with Stage 0 LCIS. Because of my sister's medical history, I got a 'front row seat': extra-close scrutiny from that point forward, including treatment from Lissa's own oncologist, a simple biopsy, plus five years of hormone therapy, and continued vigilance with yearly mammograms. I've been free and clear for eight years. Easy.

Last month my annual routine mammogram revealed Stage 0 DCIS. You might say things are dialed up a notch this time. This time I was tested for the BRCA gene (negative, thank God), and my MRI was clean. It was recommended that I meet with a plastic surgeon 'so I could make an informed decision' (if you know what I mean...YIKES!). Well, we finally decided on a simple lumpectomy, which is scheduled for early next week. My doctor says I might not need radiation...just more hormone therapy and mammograms every six months for awhile...because we caught it early. Easy...again.

In no way do I consider myself a 'pink ribbon warrior.' My path has been easy because Lissa's was not. If not for her diagnosis in 1995, I myself might not have been as vigilant with yearly mammograms - which have since twice averted a much more serious diagnosis later on.

Lissa was both a pragmatic scientist and a devout Catholic. I firmly believe that she would see the good in this for her little sister - from both perspectives.

***

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

"Notice that the verse doesn’t say God causes evil and suffering, just that he promises to cause good to emerge. And notice that the verse doesn’t say we all will see immediately or even in this life how God has caused good to emerge from a bad circumstance. Remember, we only see things dimly in this world. And notice that God doesn’t make this promise to everyone. He makes the solemn pledge that he will take the bad circumstances that befall us and cause good to emerge if we’re committed to following Him."
Lee Strobel - Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering?

Notes:

CAMERA

Canon EOS 6D

Tamron SP 24-70 f/2.8 lens

Manual Mode

Aperture range: f/5.0 to 6.3

Early morning 

in my

basement studio

with Lillian.

I kept her laser-light cat toy handy

'cause she just seems to know

when I'm ready to

press the shutter button.

Both hand-held and flash

were out of the question

with the available lighting
and subtle shadow-play I wanted,

so I improvised

to get a vertical shot from ground level.

Resting the lens on fabric

probably interfered with its focusing function:

out of over 30 shots,

only one was 'tack sharp'

even though I used the

10 second shutter delay. 

After that first photo session

hauling out the tripod

suddenly seemed to be

not such a bother!

LIGHTROOM

I am still working my way through

Kim's 31 Days of Lightroom class,

especially Custom Layouts

and Snapshots

at my own pace.

I love auditioning and fine-tuning

presets...I finally settled on

kk_breathe

for all photos.

PHOTOSHOP

Just this texturizing:

***

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (Week 17)

Texture Tuesday

real-life still life: a quiet corner

I guess I'm just
looking for
a little
peace and calm.

Who'd a thought

I'd find it

in

my kitchen cupboard?

***

After several attempts

at capturing

a still life photograph

amongst my everyday

surroundings...

I
'discovered'
this scene.

Kinda feels
a bit
Vermeer-esque,
with its
interior shadowy
moody
everyday
unstaged
wabi-sabi
feel.

BTW
as much time as we spent
in art school
studying
the paintings
of
Johannes Vermeer
...
it was never enough
for me.

I hadn't really
thought of
Vermeer
in years
...
until I
captured
these bowls
in my
cupboard.

original photo SOOC
With a little bit of work
- or should I say
'play' -
I watched
something
almost magical
emerge
from humble
beginnings.

With
eye and heart,
camera and computer
...

I saw something.

***

Notes:
CAMERA

My camera
has an ISO capability of
up to
25,600,
but I still
crouch safely
near the bottom
of the scale,
ever cautious of
film grain.
ISO 3200 
is perilously high for me.

LIGHTROOM
I played in the Develop module
before trying out
several presets.
I finally settled on
Kim's
kk_darkday preset,
wanting to draw attention
to the amazing 
shadowplay.

I'm also following along in Kim's
31 Days of Lightroom class,
applying her lessons
to my workflow
process.

PHOTOSHOP
There was enough
dark to make one of
Kim's 'magic' textures work;
and a soft light touch
of texture gave it
a 'painterly' feel.

***

I promised Lillian I would

post these

'unposed' still life shots of her

with her new favorite pillow...

...my camera bag.

***

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (Weeks 14 & 15)

Texture Tuesday

unstaged

An 'unstaged' still life

for

Be Still 52

Week 12

 Not what I had

originally planned,

but

more in keeping

with the theme

I think.

So...

I came home Sunday

after an enjoyable photoshoot

at the antique mall,

where I figured

I'd find plenty of

subject matter

suitable for an

'unstaged' still life

(a term

which I thought to be

delightfully

contradictory!)

I did manage to

gather several

possibilities.

Then,

as I sat at the kitchen table

and chatted

with my daughter Erin

about this and that,

Lillian stepped in

and

changed my plans

altogether.

She patiently

obliged

as we

gleefully snapped

one photo after another

with our cellphone cameras. 

So much for my plans

to upload, choose

and edit

the antique mall shots.

***

Monday morning

I woke up

with a new

idea

and

a simple plan.

original photo SOOC

Notes:

CAMERA

A chance to play with

my new lens

and

flash,

striving for

optimum light,

fast shutter speed,

lower ISO,

without a tripod.

And 'tack sharp' detail

of course.

LIGHTROOM

lens correction

straighten and crop

basic edits:

Then I auditioned several of Kim's presets

before settling on

kk_walnut preset

+

my own split tone adjustment

PHOTOSHOP

I auditioned a few different textures

and several blend modes

before deciding on

Kim's new

kk_quiet

 ***

Linking up with

Be Still 52

Texture Tuesday