Sign / Post 2 Things Challenge

I pray that a SIGN will be sent from God for all people to see and that He will POST a message of peace on the heart of man. Just imagine no more war, no more terror, no more maiming, no more killing, no more torture. No more. Imagine.

This is my 2 things challenge entry for this week.

Deconstruction:
Software was Photoshop CS3. Images were purchased from dreamstime.com ($4).

I used a quickmask and eraser on the background of the doves to isolate them, then pasted them into my work image and added the clouds layer. I added a layer mask [layer, add layer mask] and brought the doves forth from the previous layer. I used [image,apply image] to get the eye blended into the previous layers. I felt finished so I stopped here :)

The Good Earth - Books II

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck is one of my favorite books and I hope part of a new "series" of collages about books. I read this book when my granddaughter, Antigone sent it to me in the mail a couple of years ago. My mother had a copy of this book on her bookshelf, but I did not read it back then. So it was nice circle completed when Antigone sent it to me. Since I love this book so much it is strange to me that I struggled so much representing it. I've had it in my folder for quite awhile debating whether to publish or not. Please leave your comments and critiques especially because I really want you to let me have it. lol!

Wang Lung decides to marry and although poor he is able to buy a good wife, O-Lan. He is a hard working farmer who spends his days in the field with O-Lan by his side. Together they work the land and bring forth three children. Wang Lung is eventually able to rent some land from a rich landowner and improve his condition. Dought occurs and he looses all he has gained. With his family starving he sells all that he owns except the land and flees to the south where he finds work pulling a rickshaw but it does not provide enough for them to live so the children must be put to begging.

It is a very strained and turbulent political time in the city and Wang is afraid he will be conscripted into the Army. He works only at night to avoid induction. A riot occurs and the peasants break into a wealthy family's palace. Wang Lung is drawn into the crush and finds himself face to face with the rich man who unable to flee and is begging for his life. He offers gold in lieu of his life. Wang Lung uses this gold to return his family back north to the land.

Wang Lung is able to improve his farm, build a new home and live comfortably. His wealth is now tied to the harvests from the good earth. He becomes respected and prosperous and decides to purchase the house of Hwang where the wealthy owners have succumbed to vice and addiction. He takes from O-Lan the jewels she looted from the palace in the south and with them he purchases the house of Hwang and all their lands.

If you want to know more you will just have to read this wonderful classic by Pearl S. Buck. he he

Deconstruction: All using Adobe Photoshop
Photo, letter, man plowing and bookcover were all vintage. Desk, typewriter, landscape from dreamstime.com ($4). There were many layers, but it finished out with 12. I think I used every feature I know on Adobe Photoshop to attain this result!

Flying Over The Great Wall of China Dream

When I fell asleep a couple of weeks ago I wished I would dream of visiting the Great Wall of China. And I did! I dreamed of walking along the great wall and becoming very weary. As I looked over the landscape I saw that the wall was changing into a painting. Suddenly it occurred to me to lift my heels and fly. As I flew up there were billows of silks, all colors and all patterns, almost like clouds themselves. I could look down and see the Great Wall and view it as a landscape painting. As I flew along I could feel the silk brushing my skin and I could hear it flapping against the wind. It was a wonderful dream and the best part was that my deliberate attempts to lucid dream worked, and wow how it worked! I have never dreamed of flying in my life and now I can't wait to fly again. Now, I'll be really, really interested to hear what you make of my dream.

While I am posting I want to share a blog I recently discovered that I absolutely love: The Orientalist Gallery where Enzie Shamiri features an Oriental painting every day. She is an accomplished artist and Orientalist herself, so be sure to check out her paintings too.

Deconstruction:
All using Adobe Photoshop. The woman, the "silk" all came from dreamstime.com ($2), the Great Wall of China came from wikimedia.com via mayflower search. There were 3 layers counting the background and a layer mask between the great wall image and the silk image. I used [filter,artistic,dry brush] on all layers. I also tuned the color via [image,adjust,curves] thank you Diane and Sue!

The Mambo Kings Play Songs Of Love - Books I

This week's subject for the 2 things challenge was foot/loose and I chose to represent "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" as my entry since there are plenty of loose foots in it. When I was a girl my sister and I learned the tango, samba, and mambo from friends of my mothers. We danced and danced around our living room and really put out hearts into learning it. I can never hear Latin music without thinking of these times. I enjoyed this book a few years ago and thought that it captured the essence of early '50s love of Cuban music. Here's the lyrics to a song that I liked.

Papa Loves Mambo

Unh!

Papa loves mambo!

Mamma loves mambo!

Look at ‘em sway with it,

Gettin’ so gay with it,

Shoutin’ Olé with it, Wow!

Unh!

Papa loves mambo! ( Papa loves mambo! )

Mamma loves mambo! ( Mamma loves mambo! )

Papa does great with it,

Swings like a gate with it,

He loses weight with it, Now!

He goes to, she goes fro,

He goes fast, she goes slow,

He goes left, an’ she goes right!

Papa’s lookin’ for Mamma,

But Mamma is nowhere in sight!

Unh!

Papa loves mambo!

Mamma loves mambo!

Havin’ their fling again,

Younger than spring again,

Feelin’ that zing again, Wow!

Unh!

Papa loves mambo! ( Papa loves mambo! )

Mamma loves mambo! ( Mamma loves mambo! )

Don’t play the rumba an’ don’t play the samba,

‘Cause Papa loves mambo, tonight!

Unh!

Papa loves mambo!

Mamma loves mambo!

Papa loves mambo!

Mamma loves mambo!

He goes to, she goes fro',

He goes fast, she goes slow,

He goes left, an’ she goes right!

Papa’s lookin’ for Mamma,

But Mamma is nowhere in sight!

Unh!

Papa loves mambo! ( Papa loves mambo! )

Mamma loves mambo! ( Mamma loves mambo! )

Havin’ their fling again,

Younger than spring again,

Feelin’ that zing again, Wow!

Unh!

( Papa loves mambo! ) Mambo Papa!

( Mamma loves mambo! ) Mambo Mamma!

Don’t play the rumba an’ don’t play the samba,

‘Cause Papa! Papa mambo, tonight!

Unh!

Deconstruction:
Dancers and footprints (from Seattle Broadway street photo) from wikimedia.com using mayflower search
Used [image,apply image] to merge the dancers and footprints together, then pasted the book image into a layer. I liked what I saw and so I stopped.

Do you think more layers would make a better result?

Love Tokens

We think of these peanuts as plain, while Scarlet Macaws think of them as love tokens. This is my entry for the 2 things challenge this week and I had great fun doing it since I love animals and who wouldn't love these gorgeous birds?

Deconstruction:
Photo of Macaws and peanut from wikimedia.org. Three layers only this time, counting the background layer. I used [filter, artistic, watercolor] on the birds, then [filter,texture,load texture] for the peanut image in the background of the birds and [filter,render,lighting effects] to give the texture some dimension. Lastly I used [filer,texture,stained glass] to create the netting design on the border so it was all photoshop magic this time.

Fragmented Apple

Here is my entry for the photoshop challenge that Rima at Marazine blog devised. It was a fun and absorbing time. Her sister Neda at Papiers Collés set the standard with her "Paris Crunch/Merci Mr. Gruau" and so I was really challenged.

Deconstruction:
I cut the apple in half, then pasted 3 copies which I rotated randomly. I used [filter,stylize,emboss] to create the blocks, then used [image,apply image] to the new image and applied the same image to itself. I felt the slices needed something to define them and so after a few experiments I used [filter,distort,pinch] and got some dimension at last. I fiddled with the [image,adust,brightness/contrast] trying to get a satisfactory (to me) contrast between the layers. It still looked a little bland so I used the paint bucket tool to fill in the background with black, then used equalize on the fragmented slices.

Home and Health

When I saw the latest 2 things challenge I knew I had to participate because above all I love my humble home. It is the place where my spirit is renewed and the place where I can be me and even jump for joy whenever I see a butterfly.

I'd love to hear your comments and critiques, so please take the time to write as it will be so appreciated.

Deconstruction: The house is one of my photos, as are a couple of the butterflies. The woman and the peacock came from dreamstime.com ($2). The remaining butterflies came from Wikimedia Commons using mayflower search. There are were an incredible number of layers (29); most for butterflies but some to correct some distracting areas. It finished out at 18 layers. One filter, dry brush, was used on the house layer to soften it. Lighting effects were used on most of the objects to brighten them.

Memory of The Good Shepherd Home III

This 3rd memory of the Good Shepherd Home represents the celebration of Feliz Navidad, the Mexican Christmas season. I wanted to post this on Christmas Day but my memory of Christmas took awhile to recall the details, after all it was over 50 years ago :)

I will be very happy to read your comments so please share! I'd also like to thank Sweet Irene for the Courageous Blogger Award which is posted in my siderbar. I really don't feel very courageous but do feel a sense of healing when I make art from these old memories.

Deconstruction:
The digital collage was made using photoshop 5.5. There were 17 layers and one "apply image, difference" was used to give the building a bluish cast. It finished out with 5 layers. The image of the building comes from dreamstime.com ($2). The little girl and the pinata came from the Library of Congress, the other girl and the nun were vintage images as is the blessed virgin who came from an old holy card.

If you want to know more about Feliz Navidad there is a good article at mexconnect.com
while you can find out about the pinata at wikipedia.com.

Abstract Apply Image I

I can't take credit for this wonderful abstract. I have to thank Debi, for pointing this out and describing how to do it in photoshop, and John for sharing your technique step-by-step. If you haven't seen John's works click here for a delight. John would call this image hand.keet.fox.tree.

Memory Of The Good Shepherd Home II

This memory is from the days I spent at Good Shepherd Home in Mesilla Park, NM in 1955-56.
One of my jobs was to fetch the meals every day. This was a job I liked very much as my friend, Maryjane, and I got to go to the kitchen and bring the food back to our dormitory's dining room where other girls would have jobs setting the table and dishing up the food. The kitchen nuns were Little People and very fun and we loved to talk to them and watch them work. They would fill our pot with pinto beans mostly, but sometimes with carne de cabeza with vegetables. For breakfast it was always oatmeal.

I'd love to hear your comments about this digital collage, or about this memory or one of yours if you would care to share.

Young Woman Memory (Hold/Value)

I can't think of a better subject for hold/value than a mother holding her darling child in her arms. There is no love which can compare to the love a mother feels for her children, it is a love that transcends all. I'd love to hear your expressions of love for your mother, or for your child.

If you haven't done an art project for for 2 things challenge, you still have until Dec. 19th to do one and get a free bonus charity donation through the generosity of two bloggers. Click here to find out more and see what it is all about!

Spring Wind Memories

When I was a child I used to love to put my pillow on the window sill and listen to the wind howl over the prairie through out the night. I still love the wind. I love the way it lifts and blows my hair, the way it feels so fresh on my skin. The sound it makes as it whistles around the house and the way the trees bow down to it. I'll be thrilled if you'd leave a comment and tell me about your memories of wind.

Music Dream

I had this dream many years ago but still remember it clearly. I am alone in a hospital room and from far away I can hear a piano being played one note at a time. It seems very lonely and sad. Of course, I'm dying to know what you think my dream means!

Here are the answers to Neda's tag:

1. If you owned a bookstore, what would you name it?
I am retired now, I don't want to own anything. Just a begging bowl will do.
2. Which literary hero (male or female) would you like to be?
Pearl S. Buck. I'd love to have lived her life.
3. If you were given the chance to be born in a different decade, which one would you choose?
I'd go back to the 1700-1800's when this country was new.
4. Who would play you in a movie?
Sally Field, she has the right amount of spunk.
5. What was your favorite toy of all time
My paper dolls.
6. What do you like to collect?
Beauty. A beautiful leaf, pink in the sky, a moonlit night.
7. What is your guilty pleasure?
A bowl of popcorn in bed with my two doggies begging for bites.
8. If you had the power to change one thing in the world, what would that be? No more war.
9. What is the worst book/movie you have ever seen?
Ahhh...there are so many, so little time, so little space here.
10. What is the worst kind of music, in your opinion?
I like most anything if it is not ear shattering.
11. What's the only food you will not eat?
I know there must be something, somewhere that I wouldn't at least try.
12. Tell us 3 things about yourself (2 of them are true, and 1 untrue) and let's see if we can figure out which of these is fantasy.
I climbed the pyramids, age 30
I climbed the Sacramento Mountains at Three Rivers, age 40
I climbed Machu Pichu, age 60




I tag Audrey, Antigone, Barb, Debi, Rima, Irene, Bev, and anyone else who wants to be tagged.

Rattlesnake Dreams Collage

I hope this dream doesn't shock you too much. At least not anymore than it did me when when I dreamed it. I've dreamed of snakes for most of my adult years and dislike these dreams intensely. I usually wake up sweaty with my heart pounding in fear. But this recent dream was different because I actually captured the beast and flung it into the woods. I'll be most interested to hear your interpretation of my dream.

For those who wonder: I used digital clip art to make this collage in Adobe Photoshop. The collage is my own idea using pasted and embellished clip art, except for the moon and background swirl which I "drew".

Pioneer

I was inspired by Frances' digital image "old house by the sea" and thought of doing something which had that same sort of feeling of reminiscence. My inspiration was my old home in New Mexico. The old adobe window frame, the quilt, the pioneer woman, remind me of that time. I felt as if I were making a collage. My scissors are the cut tool and my glue is the paste tool, and my color pallet is accessed by dipping an ink dropper instead of paintbrush. So, here is a question for you: If a collage is made from clips from old magazines and this is made from clips of digital images, what is the difference? Are digital images art? Why or why not? What defines art versus craft? I'll be most interested to read your answers.

Kitty Society II

After reading what Neda said in her collage tutorial about initially using collages as a shortcut to a finished painting, I decided to take note and use Photoshop to "paint" one of my collages. Here I used filters to create the look I wanted (filter, brush stokes,accent edges/filter,colored pencil,fade colored pencil/filer, dry brush,dry brush (2x). I love the way the shrubbery became more rounded and cartoon-ish. Here is the original kitty society.

Cats For Scrapteria

Kitty Society

I was inspired by Scrapiteria's Collage Collaboration Blog to create this little image of Kitty Society. While I am not a real artist, I and enjoy their work and so dedicate this post to them.

Paper and Paste For Neda

I've only dreamed of scissors and paste before. I would get overwhelmed with ideas and images then could not decide what to do. It became too big in my mind. But no, it is just paper and paste. I would make one small image using one magazine. I could do that and here it is!