Category: Art

An Artist’s Garden

Plein Aire Painter, Woodcock Demonstration Garden

Maybe it’s because I used to paint in a traditional sense that I’m always attracted to, and envious of, anyone painting plein air – and I’m delighted that most plein air painters are enthusiastic subjects, just like this one.

If you’re not familiar with the term, Google describes the artist’s as such: “a plein air painter is an artist who paints outside, directly from nature, capturing the subject in its natural environment. This French phrase, meaning ‘in the open air,’ refers to the practice of painting outdoors, with the artist’s subject in full view”.

And although I lost this artist’s name over the past 4 years, I’m hoping one of you can help me locate her. I’d love to thank her again, and to at least provide her with a print of this digital painting based on my photo – and to see the end results of hers!

The White Peacock

White Splendor

Yesterday’s post reminded me of a composite image I created a few years ago of this peacock that I photographed here in Sequim, outside the entrance to the Game Farm, where it loves to roam.

Although devoid of the colorful plumage of their brethren, white peacocks are not albinos as you may think; they’re leucistic Indian peafowl. (Leucism is a genetic mutation that prevents melanin from being deposited in feathers, resulting in a white or pale coloration. While albino peafowl exist, they are much rarer and have a complete lack of melanin, causing red or pink eyes).

And…there’s no digital manipulation in this image, other than I completely removed all the color and sandwiched one semi-transparent image over another. In so doing, I created the effect I was hoping for to emphasize the lacy appearance of the feathers.

I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do, and I hope you’ll visit the farm to see this beauty as well as the others.

Pretty as a Peacock

Bejeweled

While I photographed this peacock in Victoria, BC, we also have a number of them here in Sequim, but the challenge is to find them and have access to them.

Beacon Hill Park in Victoria is the perfect spot since visitors can get close to and interact with them. And although I do not feed or recommend feeding them or any wildlife, photographing them is a joy.

This one reminded me so much of a beautiful blue embroidered peacock scarf I’ve owned for years (and never worn) that I decided to create the same effect here, by manipulating pixels.

And if you’re so inclined to photograph them as well, the Game Farm has them; not only the colorful ones, but a fabulous white peacock that loves to display his tail feathers at this time of year. And…he’s often seen outside the entrance!

“Fawndly” Speaking

The Unexpected Visitor

This time of year, we’re often confronted with baby deer in our neighborhood, and unlike some homosapsens, I find them irresistible, versus irritating.

This particular one was born about a week prior to my photo, then decided to lay on our driveway, under my husband’s pickup truck. Mama was no where near but a very observant neighbor kindly pointed her out before we drove off without knowing.

We left her undisturbed and a few days later, she appeared under a bush in our front yard where I could get a shot without scarring her. Mama wasn’t far off this time so without hesitation, I grabbed my camera and longest lens and fired away.

That little face stared back at me many times over the next year until I decided to give her the painterly touches you see above. And as always, I hope you enjoy the end result and that you’ll continue to tune in!

Painterly Picture Week

Taking Flight

WARNING…for those of you who do not enjoy digital manipulation of photographs, please take the week off from my posts, but also be aware that I use my own photos in all my work, and they are not AI generated. Yes, I do use software to edit them and to alter pixels to suit my mood.

So with that said…Taking Flight was one of my first attempts at digital manipulation and although I’ve created many since, it’s still one of my favorites.

I photographed the image here in Sequim along 3-Crabs Road, printed it, and also exhibited it here in Sequim by invitation at City Hall.

I hope you enjoy it and that you’ll look forward to seeing more in the coming week!

Fort Worden Abstract

While owning a boat for 20 years and cruising Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, my hubby and I had the pleasure of stopping in Pt. Townsend and spending a few days at the Pt. Hudson Marina.

Whenever we visited, we spent our time either walking through town and shopping (!), visiting with fellow boaters, or at beautiful Chetzemoka Park. Only rarely did we trek as far as Fort Worden and Pt. Wilson Light.

But, after meeting several of our other local photographers and discovering the hidden beauty of the battery outposts, did I learn to appreciate it, and Sequim’s proximity to it.

Now, I find pleasure in visiting often, exploring its dungeon-like atmosphere, as well as the colorful graffiti, and capturing it with my camera.

And in this particular image, I superimposed two photos; one of the trees, to reflect the beauty of its natural surroundings, and one the interior gritty, and taletelling walls of the battery, to create an abstract that has truly become one of my favorites.

ICM with Alders

A friend and fellow photographer and I took a lengthly drive on Blue Mountain Road a few years ago on a wintery day like today.

Like many other nature photographers, we sought to find inspiration to create unique images from what we found. And if you’ve driven Blue Mountain Road, you’ve may have found some photographic opportunities yourself (beyond the transfer station), e.g., the church, the rusted farm equipment, the Sears house, etc., just as we did.

But this particular day we were feeling creative, and therefore, experimented a bit with in camera movement (ICM) – a technique in which one zooms the lens forward and/or back to convey a sense of depth, and in this case, a bit a mystery as to how it was accomplished.

I hope you enjoy the end result, but if not, feel confident; the church, the rust, the house…they’re coming soon.