Three muses--Circus

I love the Circus~since I was a child and went to ny first circus, under the big tent, I loved the sights, sounds and even the smells.

The last time I went, several years ago, I took a friend, who shares my fascination.  We were there very early, and there was a special "up close and personal with some of  the performers and animals.  We petted the elephant, watched the acrobats limber up and stretch, saw clowns entertaining groups of children right up close.  It was SO cool!

texture Tuesday--White

Playing with Roses

Playing with a Roses theme in my Yahoo group this week.

Take a Word-Mail

I really like Mail Art, I love making postcards, and sending them, too!  I like to put stamps on my postcard art, but cannot alwauys find something appropriate, so I often make my own.
Here's my stamp collection.

And, of course, I had to make a piece of real mail art--a postcard--what else!  Ani I even made the stamp!  (it's for the froggies!)

Sunday Selections-- From a lighthouse

Taken in November 2004, in Northern California, somewhere above San Fransisco... Yes, we climbed all those stairs!

SPA-Birthstone--can you guess?

All images found on Google.

Soartful-Tea in the Garden

Images from Google, Dover and Scrapbook Flair

Photo Art Friday-Circle theater

The Circle Theater operated in Cleveland Circle, in Boston, fo more than 40 years. The building is still there, and this wonderful sign still is part of the skyline.

Bonnie's texture, Dappled Dawn, set to Difference, and one of Nancy Donaldson's encaustic textures set to multiply.

Photo Art Friday--Not so pretty

Before and after

layer 1-photo
layer 2-photo-high pass filter at 25.2 radius-set on hard light
layer 3 Gauze sheers texture from Pixeldust-aet to difference, opacity 78%
layer 4-Vellum texture from Pixeldust-set to soft light
layer 5-photo set to color burn 70% opacity
layer 6-2nd Gauze Sheers set to soft light

Texture Tuesday--Every Flower

My photo, a duplicate layer, desaturated and with the opacity at 55%, Kim's texture , Felicity, set to Multiply.  The font is Traveling Typewriter.

Three Muses Challenge- -Art in the Round

images from Dover, Free Trinkets and Treasures,and Google.

Collage Obsession--hands

52 Starlets--Linda Darnell

I don't know much about Linda Darnell, but looking through her photos, she was quite the pin-up girl in her day.  She was gorgeous, with a perfect figure and a face that could be innocent and sweet, hard and sexy or, as one comment put it, "Hollywood's Fallen Angel."

Take a word --Turquoise

I startes with the background--pieces by Cindy Powell, Abby Lanes from T4L and RHWest , also from T4L.  It was SO grungy that I thought grafitti was the way to go.  Song lyrics from Sonny James, and the grafitti couple found on Google Images.

Gothic Arches--Music

Whenever I think of "music" these days, what immediately comes to mind is Yoyo Ma playing Bach.  I will admit that when I was 14 it was the Beatles, when I was 20, it was Joni Mitchell and then it was Coltrane.
But when I think of sublime music--the music that has the power to move me always--it's the cello.

Yahoo Group challenge--Night

I have just become the proud adoptive mother of a Yahoo group for digital artists.  One of my first challenge themes is Night.  This is made with photos from the Hubble telescope and PS brushes.

Sunday Selections--at the Zoo

Taken with my Pentax K1000 a very long time ago--on actual FILM!

Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, MA

SPA-Gothic

This week's theme is Gothic.  I made the card with the ravens first, and didn't think it quite fit the theme, so I made a second one.  After looking at them both, I couldn't decide, so here are both .

Soartful Pink, white, red

I've been making journals lately, getting ready for Christmas.  This is a page for a gardening themed journal, made with Photoshop brushes.

Photo Art Friday Balloons

This week's challwnge was to use any photo, one of Bonnie's textures--I chose her new one, Splash of Gold--and use a layer mask to remove the texture from selected parts of the photo.  I have PS3, but hardly ever use it, becuse I'm so used to PSE8.  But--PSE8 doesn't have layer masks.

I removed the texture from the balloons, and I quite like the soft watercolor-y effect.

Three Muses--Outside the Frame

Moo Mania--Mardi Gras

 

MARDI GRAS

Made from a mardi gras postcard I made a few days ago.  All images from Google Images.

Crazy Amigos--Hearts

Steampunk portraits from The Sum of all Crafts, handmade paper background from Textures for Layers' the hearts ant text are PS brushes.

Collage Obsession-Sports

My husband is a devoted Yankees fan, born and raised in NYC.  You can imagine what living in Boston must be like!  This ATC is  a tribute to HIS obsession.
I also neglected to read the Take a Word challenge carefully enough this week--missed the ATC part entirely.  So I offer this as a second entry there as well.

The pennants and scorebook pages in the background were googled, the players are a brush that I made from a turn of the century magazine illustration,  The screws and frame are embellishments from Scrapbook Flair.

Take a word--or two--Old Fashioned

Going to a Tea Party.

From a website about "proper etiquette."  Altered withFotosketcher and PS brushes.

So Artful--White, Pink, Red

I chose both the color palette and one of the images.  Gradients, blending modes and brushes were applied.

Art on the Dark Side is back!

Oh my, I didn't realize how much I had missed this challenge blog!  I made a valentine.

Sunday Selections--Straight out of the camera--sort of

These are straight out of the camera shots--yes, really! 

My camera has function settings called White Board and Black Board, and from what I can tell it reduces all the dark tones to black and the light tones to white and vice versa..

My favorite is the tree--it's a great big sycamore and has gorgeous mottled and peeling bark.  In this shot all the distracting detail is removed and the massive strength of the trunk and limbs is clear.

SPA--You Have my Heart

I am developing a real fascination with elderly couples  who are still very much in love.  My parents, who are 83 and 84 are such a couple and it's a joy to see how they care for each other.

Photo from Google Images, heart bokeh (heartkeh) from Kamina at Textures for Layers.

Kim Klassen--Simple

Another lesson from Kim's Beyond Layers, both setting up a photo still life and using gradients to add vintage effects.  I used her Vintage Red gradient and Stained Paper Music texture.

Photo Art Friday Exhortation of the Dawn

My photo, Bonnie's texture, Ephemeral, and this wonderful, fabulous quote that I love.  It just lifts me up!

Crazy Amigos--Happy Birthday, Mr. Dickens

Today is Charles' Dickens 200th Birthday!

Reading Dickens was a big part of my childhood.  beginning at age 10 I read one every summer--Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, a Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol.

illustrations from David Copperfield, a manuscript page and the portrait of Himself (made into a brush) came from Google Images

Playing at painting with brushes

 I am making gardening journals for next year's Christmas presents and an art auction for charity.  I have been playing with painting using Photoshop flower and tree brushes (free for use) and watercolor stroke brushes.  I'd love to know what you think.