This started out an an unsatisfactory photo of a canyon wall. I loved the segmented pattern so I used a program to manipulate the color space more to my liking, and from there I fiddle with it (very scientific process).
I use filters in Photoshop but I never use them right out of the box. I apply multiple filters based on what I want to achieve with that image, ie: draw attention to the design, the color or the texture.

And I am not a person who thinks the latest software will do cooler and better stuff. It is all in how you use the tools you have at your disposal. I personally think Photoshop could have halted a version 7.0 and still be cooler than a microwave oven. But that's me.

If I stopped there my image would remain flat and I was after depth as well. So I chose an image with a similar but conflicting pattern that would superimpose another perspective as well. For this to work you need to erase the part of the image you do not want. Fun stuff.

Did I have to use an image? Noooo, but I am a photographer so I take thousands of pictures a year. They have to be good for something right?

I did not have to go too far to find inspiration for color, because I used an image of old rusted bead springs found along side of the road at an abandoned farmstead in Utah.

I must admit I enhanced and changed the texture, values and color visually by Forgetting what they are supposed to be and looking at the result and balance I was trying to achieve - a visual balance of modern design principles ... so there it is.

Of all the artists of the early 20th Century I think Picasso is probably the most notorious. The first painting I saw of his was one of his cubist women. Frankly I didn't like them. Then I made a trip the the San Diego Museum of Art
an saw his "Boy Leading a Horse" and I knew then I did not know very much about him as an artist.

Recently I took his image and put my feelings about what I have read about him. (Some not so flattering) I suspect he never gave a fig or a fig leaf wheather anyone likes him or his art or not. That is what makes him interesting to me.
He was the quintessential example of the modern artist of his time. Almost like a "Rock Star" in popularity.
You have to look at his work and his personal life over time to see the man.
Just musing . . .

Picasso's Faces

If there was a most popular theme during the late Renaissance it must have been The Three Graces. They were depicted by Rubens and countless other 16th century painters and sculptors alike. In Greek mythology they are  known as The Three Graces, goddesses af charm, beauty, and creativity.

In Roman mythology they were known as the Gratiae. From the youngest to oldest the Graces were: Agleaea ("Beauty"), Euphrosyne ("Good Cheer", and Thalia ("Festivities") and please do not ask me to pronounce any of those names i would surely mess it up.

I personally think that it was an excuse to get three naked or nearly naked women to pose. I gave my graces modesty and borrowed the Queen Joséphine of France's Empire Style (Remember the Empire Waist Dress?)

I always thought as a big breasted lady that they made me look rather F A T.
But I digress . . .
I liked building up my texture for the background in this. I used every multimedia paint technique I remember reading about. Some worked good some not so good.
Secondly I photographed the painted background and loaded it into Photoshop. I did not change anything of the painted canvas except the light in the room was florescent so I had to lean toward magenta in my highlights to compensate for the yellow green tint.

I photograph EVERYTHING and carry a camera wherever I go. When we here at Hearst Castle I photographed a lovely sculpture of "The Graces" They of course being in a rather public place I decided to change their appearance so that they did not look as refined and marble like.

I am fairly happy with the result so here it is in all it's gracefulness.
Barbara

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I am in the process of experimenting with mixed media. I am not sure how this will eventually come together but that is fine with me. This is an experiment in using different types of acrylic media and collage as well as hand made decals. Doesn't look like much now but I am learning allot.

Lesson learned: Do not leave clear gel on your brush handles, they tend to stick to things.
side note: creativity is sometimes just about getting messy and having fun while doing it. Get in the Z E N mode.

This photo was taken at Disneyland CA, many years ago. When the kids would get tired and cranky we would hop on the jungle cruse and float a bit.

Great place for moms and dads to rest.

I don't know about you but my life is hectic. Half the time I don't even know what day it is.  I have been day dreaming about a vacation. We were trying to put our top three on a list. I keep going back to The Grand Canyon as a top destination for me. I want to see this massive erosion going back millions of years. The shear expanse would probably make me weak in the knees. (afraid of heights)

When we are not pressured by life in general we can actually look around and appreciate the beauty of our natural world. I think as people we long for the primitive memory of living in the natural. That is the beauty of vacations, you get away from the pressures of everyday life and just Breathe.

And if you are really lucky and wind up in Disneyland with your kids and about half a million other people, you can get on the Jungle Cruise and float. Floating never felt so good.