The Art of the Still Life...

The still life is one of those styles that are used often for subject matter as one is learning a particular technique.  In all of the art lessons and classes that I have taken, it is a constant staple of a teaching tool.  My instructors often would remind us to bring something in for the next class to use as a still life.  As a painter it is constant.  The easiest thing to paint is the subject matter that does not move, thus does not require you to freeze time with a camera or the like.  In photography it is a subject matter that is not as popular as maybe landscapes or portraits, action shots or structures.  But there is a simplistic beauty surrounding the still life.  I recently completed an example of a still life when I captured a shot of some rather unique and beautiful earrings.  They are Italian horn earrings that are adorned with clear stones.  I inverted the colors and played with some other techniques and the end result looks like a typical infrared images.  I am just pleased with the work and how beautifully unique it is.

"Blue Horns" (c) 2012

Loving Me Some Spring....

Today is the first day of Spring, and usually we are so excited for this day to arrive.  It means that the weather will soon be changing for the better.  Here's the thing, we have been fortunate to experience an early Spring, temperatures well above normal for the past week and a half.  If I could only choose one adjective to describe it, I would say that it has been "phenomenal." I even took a walk yesterday in lieu of my beloved elliptical machine. I have also had the opportunity to snap some Spring shots, since nature has decided to spring on us earlier than normal.  Flowers are blooming, trees are sprouting and grass is getting greener.  All appreciating the early warmth and loving sunshine.  


The picture that I snapped below.... is your typical happy daffodil (even happier in the sunny color yellow).

What I enjoy most about creating my work is playing around with different techniques to come up with an end result that I am most pleased with.  This time around, I wanted to create a painting feel even though this is a photograph.  So I added a variety of textures and then decided to use the liquefy option (one of the photoshop filters) and put different swirls throughout the image and in particular on the petals.  It created a beautiful effect... what do you think?

"Yellow Flower Paint" (c) 2012

Something Old, Something New, Something Old Again...

For those who know me personally or those who follow my photography and work, truly know that I am a lover of things that are old, that have a history, that exhibit age, that show character and so on.  Even when I paint, I am drawn to things that have some rust, are weathered, distressed or full of cobwebs.  This type of subject matter is so interesting to me.  When I had the opportunity to visit the antique show that I blogged about in early February, I captured some images that I knew I'd eventually create into pieces for my websites.  The piece below is a fine example of something old, they are antique toasters; but they also had such a modern and new look about them as well, which I attribute to all that chrome.  When I created the piece, I wanted to rough it out some, give it some age, and let the attitude shine through.  So using a variety of techniques, I did exactly what I had initially envisioned... creating a piece that shows something that was old, but looked so new and I made it old again.

"Toasters" (c) 2012

The Art of the Portrait...

Portraits have been around for a very long time, since the time of the cave man, moving through the Egyptian era and making the way through the Renaissance until the present, it continues to make it's mark on culture.  Today, one of the most popular form of a portrait (yet probably the least flattering) is the camera phone self-portrait.  How we have become a little narcissistic in our attempt to capture our best pose that we can share with all of friends (or someone we'd like to have as a friend) by posing in front of our bathroom mirror, holding up our cell phone and snapping away.  Some of these images have gotten some into trouble.  I will never understand why you'd get in front of a mirror naked, snap a cell phone shot and sharing it with someone.  If you post that image online via a social networking site, it is permanent.  You have to be careful of what you share.


Portraits do come in a variety of genres, styles, and techniques.  Today I want to talk on the more non-traditional portraits.  Not the cookie cutter stamp of the school portrait or that classic stand in front of a backdrop either solo or as a group or the infamous wedding poses that are out there.  To me some of the best portraits are those that are captured showing the life and vitality of that person (or people) who are in the moment doing something they love or reflecting on life or whatever.  Just doing something. The frozen in time standard was created because at one point it was important for the subject matter to be as still as possible while the camera captured the image via the use of sunlight.  Which is why photographs from long ago had captured people with a straight face and no smile.  So we have tons of somber imagery and not a good picture (no pun intended) of the person, were they happy, sad, a little zany? Who knows.


Candid portraits can capture a laugh, a sincere moment (think of a woman holding her baby for the first time), sadness, joy, and pure bliss.  These are pictures that truly tell a story and allow you to have a sneak peek into some one's life in that moment (we are all truly voyeurs aren't we).  The image below is an example of that.  It is a portrait of two boys fishing.  Now, the dozens of stories that one can come up with are numerous.  What story do you think the portrait is telling?

"Best Buds Fishing" (c) 2011