It's Always Darkest - Rachel

There's the old adage: "It's always darkest before the dawn", well, I've been thinking on this saying and wondering what it says about sunset. Sunsets are like a nightly lightshow, sometimes glamourous and full of color and othertimes subtle, a wan goodbye, but always the last hurrah of the dying light. On the evening that I took this photo I was compelled to pull off the freeway and seek a spot from which to shoot. I hesistated posting it because while the sky seemed inspired, I'm feeling anything but. I've not posted an image for a while and am not sure that the absence is noticed, I'm feeling a bit sunset-ish and hoping that the night isn't too long.

These claws were made for walking - Amy

A quick pencil sketch - I am planning on exploring this further. What can I say? I like chicken derrieres!

Merging - Rachel

There's something about this image, duplicated, folded and turned that makes me think... I'm not yet certain what it is that I am thinking, but so far I think I like it.

Spring Rain

Spring rain on my face,
lips and soul thirsty for for adventure.

Spring rain calling from deep inside,
watering places that have been ignored...abandoned.

Spring rain, reminding...
yearning, passion to be found
Reminding soul, of who she is.

Spring rain calls her out to play.
Calls her to explore the forgotten and discover the new.

Spring rain dancing, skipping...
Spring rain sweeps the drought and eases her out.

Lori Singer

Bird Lamp - Rachel

I simply couldn't resist this robin, beak laden with a worm (prior to the photo) s/he landed atop this lamp and posed. Looking at the light it appears there may be a nest inside the lamp housing... perhaps s/he was heading home for the evening.

Spring Falls - Rachel

Corlieu Falls, Lewis Creek Trail, Oakhurst, CA.
I've been busy and I went hiking over the weekend and have missed several postings. This could be a slippery slope if I'm not cautious. For now I'll post a picture of the Corlieu Falls... more hiking shots to come.

Chicken in Paradise - Amy

Why did the chicken cross the road? That question has been asked for many years. In my world, she pauses, gazes and takes in her surroundings. This is Gertrude in her moment of solace, contemplation and appreciation - enjoying all that is before her and considering what is possible. (Knowing my Gertrude, she is also plotting what plant she could eat up). Perhaps she crosses the road to get a better view or more tasty things to eat? I love the possibilities!

Acrylic, resin sand on canvas

emerging color contd.

Starting to add the brighter colors now, stupid flash. I really need to do this phototaking earlier in the day.

Spring Vineyard - Amy

Acrylic on canvas


I don't fully hate how this came out nor do I fully like it. All I can say is that there is a shitload of greens out there - I have a decent variety of tubes - but I could not find the one that I knew that I needed. Don't ask me which one; it just was not in my art bin.

Feeling Springy- Rachel

It's such a lovely spring day today that I couldn't help but post a flower. I'm not sure what flower she is, but I like her.

Birthday Bloom - Rachel

A dear friend is having a birthday tomorrow and so I was working on creating her card this evening. Here's what I came up with.

So Tired I Can't Even Think Of a Title - Rachel

I've just gotten home from work and am EXHAUSTED, so I'm revisiting my oil and water pictures. I've been looking at this one for a while now, playing with different crops and I notice that it becomes a different image depending on where I draw the lines. Okay, I can not think for a moment longer and my power to use the English language is slipping away, so I'll just allow the image to speak for me.

Rose in Motion - Rachel

A quick image today as I have a ton of work to do and I would spend HOURS distracting myself with the camera if I were to allow myself to delay. Now that I've posted an image I can forbid myself to think about photos until I am done with the real work. This was my attempt at "painting" using a slow shutter speed and changing focus during the shot. I have ideas on how I would like to try this, subjects which might be interesting, settings and lighting scenarios, but as a first attempt here's a rose from my backyard.

A mother's work never ends

This is my tribute to Mother's Day. I have discovered that I secretly am a ham and I guess this day brings it out in me! Emma was such a sport. She had no trouble getting into character. My advice to her today (and all days and heck, for everyone)....make me want to say "yes" to you.

Number 36 - Rachel

It was another very busy day, and one where I didn't have an opportunity to get creative. I did take a lot of photos at our local parade, and I was drawn to this old car. My pals Scott or Carolyn could, no doubt, tell me more about it (they are old car people, having their own model T), but for now I'll just let number 36 speak for itself.

Photo with PS ink outlines.

More color

More color now, building up my deep tones for my base of lights

Blue Window and Tulips - Rachel

Undersea Realm - Rachel

Orange Flower (Weed)- Robin

I am trying to get a few more flowers done for my current portfolio. Not sure if I'll include this one but I like it. This is my aesthetic. I like the dreamy watercolor affect and i like the colors a lot. It makes me want to nap. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. :-)

It's funny how such horribly noxious weeds begin as such delicate and fragile looking flowers.

Circular Thinking - Rachel

I continue to want to play with this technique and had but a couple minutes today. I really SHOULD be preparing a lecture, but I wanted to ensure I didn't miss out on posting today since I'll get home late.

Disappearing Heritage of the Native American - Robin

I had to create a digital and traditional artwork depicting my version of the disappearing heritage of the Native American. While contemplating this assignment, I though of it in terms of growing up in the south bay. I am a 3rd generation San Josean. There is such a huge difference in the San Jose of my childhood and what it is now. I have heard stories about when my grandparents had a ranch on McLaughlin Avenue and how much it had changed through to my childhood. I feel so connected to this place and I can not help but think of how the Native Americans must have felt/feel about how their home has changed without their consent. At least we had a choice when we turned this amazing farming land into the maze of business parks and hazard waste sites.

I played with the idea of was/is overlays but didn't want to use the required materials. I liked the idea of portraying  the land being turned on it's head by the thieving white man. I found a very appropriate quote by Chief Seattle. Shockingly (NOT!) there are not a plethora of poems or quotes about how wonderful it is to steak the land and heritage from people. I'm shocked only because it happens all the time by people so proud of their actions that you'd think they would be writing epic verses honoring themselves for their gall.
Okay, back to the artwork. The verses were typed on paths in Illustrator. The sky image was a photo that was desaturated. The Indian side of the drawing was all done by hand in watercolor (don't laugh!) with the once semi-mighty Guadalupe river proudly flowing through the scene. These days it isn't much to look at all contained in cement canals. I copied that image for the other side, broken up via live trace and the bottom bit removed. The cityscape was also a photograph found on line. I use live trace and removed the sky and other bits necessary to create an image that used the same sky and mountain range as the Indian side.

 

Mermaid's Grotto

still working on it, but I am starting to really feel where it is going now. comments and suggestions please. This pic is also really lousy, will post a better one as soon as I can

Morning Cup of Sunshine - Rachel

I meant to post this yesterday, but it didn't happen. Here's a little cup of sunshine from my weekend.

doing something - Amy

Oil pastel on velum paper. I wanted to capture the colors of the photo. I'm not feeling it in this one.

eternal seductiveness of life - Amy

 

I have a case of being in the doldrums artistically. My soul, essence, core is telling me to do something, anything! But that old brain and body is saying "WTF? This place needs some straightening out! When you're done, park yourself on the couch and watch some TV." or, "Go ahead and spend a few hours mindlessly surfing the web, read the news: oil spill, Arizona, clean coal, derivatives, reform, deficit...." 

I know this is a trick, but I find myself getting duped, once again. My heart wants to go out to Mississippi and clean the oil slime off some birds, counsel the families of those who lost their life on the rig or in the mine, give some legislator, smarmy executive  a piece of my mind. Do something, anything! 

In lieu of booking a flight to the gulf or writing an angry letter from some communist-socialist-bay-area-tree-hugging-liberal only to be viewed by  blind eyes and deaf ears (no offense to people who are actually blind or deaf), I will do art. It is something.

Backyard Bubble - Rachel

I had to crop in pretty severely to get this composed as I wanted and its image quality and clarity suffers from that. I'd like to try this in a different way since I like the idea of the image, but need better resolution. It's tough when you're shooting through a bubble significantly less that 1/4" in size.