More Fairies!

Here are two fairies of Jiselle, daughter of a co-worker...

Brushstroke Path 2008

Everything went well at our annual Swamp Buddhas' Brushstroke Path art sale and benefit. I sold 4 cards! Next year, we hope to exhibit at the Heritage Center, closer to downtown.

Holiday Cards for Sale!

My holiday cards are on sale soon! Look for them at LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts' Art of Giving holiday sale (from Thanksgiving until Christmas: www.lemoyne.org) or at Brushstroke Path Art Sale and Benefit (for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend) at Forest Meadows Athletic Center November 7, 8 and 9.

Support your local non-profit organizations! Buy some local art!

Mother Nature Watches Over the 3Ds

Here's another portrait of the 3Ds...

Selecting the 3Ds

Recently, I ordered Photoshop Masking&Compositing by Katrin Eismann. So I've been reading it and practicing some of the techniques she describes in her book. I made this simple image of the 3Ds (DeOliveira family) using 2 easy selection techniques (magnetic lasso and color range for the cone flowers).

Another Holiday-Themed Image

This one is poinsettias with some yellow flowers...

Girl, Adopted got unrejected

Well, now Girl, Adopted: Welcome to America, has been accepted into the Synergie Salon's Human Rights/Politics of War exhibit. The jurying committee decided to use this piece as a transition to their upcoming exhibit in March which will focus on hope. So now you can see this piece at the FSU Claude Pepper Center (http://www.claudepeppercenter.net/exhibitions/warhumanrightexpo.html).

"Girl, Adopted" got rejected

I submitted this image to the Artists' League "Human Rights/Politics of War" Synergie Show but unfortunately, it got rejected, according to the jurying committee. The rep said it was too "hopeful" of an image so therefore it did not fit the exhibit's theme. To me, why girls are being abandoned in China IS a human rights/cultural issue. We can only be thankful that parents from other countries are adopting these children. Already the Chinese government are tightening the parental qualifications to adopt from China. What are they afraid of? Meanwhile, Chinese parents with only one son are spoiling them rotten, hence the coined term "emperor's syndrome". Hey, I've taught enough of these "little emperors" during the past few years to know that this is a real trend. Yes, observing how girl adoptees and Chinese boys are being raised is an interesting sociological phenomenon.

Another Angel (ina)

Here's another image in the holiday-themed Angel (ina) series...

Holiday Designs Already?!

Yes, here are some preliminary ones. I'm hoping to make some holiday-themed cards for sale this season. It's never too early to prepare!

Redd the Cat

After the Artists' League Grand Finale potluck, we visited with Kent and Melissa Griffin. They have a Persian cat named Red(d?). I photographed him while he was relaxing in the family room.

After the Bath Madonna

I photographed my niece after one of her evening baths. I captured this perfectly angelic expression and told my family that I would make a Madonna portrait from it. So here is one version.

Green Cay Nature Center

Yesterday morning, we visited Green Cay Nature Center

(http://www.pbcgov.com/parks/nature/green_cay_nature_center/) to do some sketching and photographing. I took a picture of this purple gallinule bathing in the water.

The 3 Ds

Yesterday, I finally got a chance to photograph niece Gigi and her parents all together! I followed the suggestion of an article on Adorama.com that recommended having family members wear similar clothing when doing a portrait of them. Here is the result.

Favorite Shots of Upstate SC

See the little salamander?

Mark served as Artist-in-Residence at Table Rock State Park in SC June 16--23. We hiked and scouted locations for painting and photographing. Here are some scenes of Table Rock SP and neighboring Jones Gap SP. We especially enjoyed hanging around Carrick Creek and Middle Saluda River and soaked our feet in the water.

Table Rock Mountain

Jones Gap Falls

Middle Saluda River



painted indian flowers

3 More Birthday Designs

Here are 3 more designs for my niece's birthday invitations...

The Gotcha! Series

Here are some t-shirt transfer designs for my family to celebrate my niece's Gotcha anniversary--the day her parents first met her and picked her up in China. I will iron these ink-jet printed designs on t-shirts for them.

Go Green! June 13--July 11, 2008

Mark and I have collaborated on 3 pieces for this exhibit. I use my photographs to illustrate 3 of his poems. This exhibit is the Artists' League Summer Annual (www.artistsleaguefsu.org). The opening reception is this Friday the 13th! 7--9 pm at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts. Come out and see this environmental show!

Birthday Invitation Designs

My niece will be 2 this August! Her mom has asked me to make a design for her birthday party invitation. Here are 3 samples. This way, all guests will not have the same design!

New Logo?

Yesterday, Mark and I hiked around Lake Bradford in the national forest. I photographed these twin cypresses and decided to try them out for my business logo. I'm sure I'll be making more logos later. This is just the first one.

An Environmental Day

Yesterday, I booth sat with Dr Platt for the Apalachee Audubon Society at Birdsong's Mirgratory Bird Day (www.birdsongnaturecenter.org), while Mark hiked around. Unfortunately, we did not get any customers other than 2 young girls checking out the booth. But it was a pleasant day sitting outdoors under a cedar tree eating our lunch. Afterwards, we went to Tall Timbers (www.talltimbers.org) to attend the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival sponsored by the Apalachicola Riverkeeper (www.apalachicolariverkeeper.org) organization. We saw one excellent short film, titled "The Story of Stuff" by Annie Leonard. You can watch it for free on her website www.storyofstuff.com. If you ever wonder where all the stuff you buy come from and where they go and who is really PAYING for all these "low-priced" stuff, you need to see this film! It has very simple animation that clearly explains the "story".

Dr Platt is celebrating Auntie's Day today so I say to all: Happy Auntie's/Mother's Day!

First T-Shirt Design w/ Business Name

Yesterday, I was shopping at a local fabric store for discounted t-shirts. I finally decided on a business name for my digital photography and came up with this design for my own t-shirt. I just finished ironing it on. Not bad. Now I have created my first commercial t-shirt! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

More Flower Childs

Here are more images of my niece inspired by our visit to Leu Gardens in Orlando. There's also a photo of me at the Rose Garden--see what I mean? There were rose blooms everywhere!

Flower Child

Here is an image inspired by the rose garden at Leu Gardens in Orlando. It was a truly amazing sight! Practically every rose bush was in bloom.

A Threesome At Last

Well, I haven't had a chance to photograph my niece and her parents as a trio so I have photoshopped them. One of these days I need to do it so they can have a decent photograph for their upcoming Christmas card!

Angelina My Muse

My niece continues to be a source of inspiration for my creativity--so she is my muse. After all, she got me back into sewing and pursuing digital photography further with learning photoshop.
This past weekend, we met up with Gi et al and college friend, Jim Ruiz et al in Orlando. We spent Saturday together. On Sunday, while they all went to SeaWorld, Mark and I returned to Tallahassee via Leu Garden in downtown Orlando.
Here is Gi with an image I took at the garden--practicing with the gradient tool to blend images together.

More Blooms!

Here are some more images inspired by the spring season. Most of the images came from photographs that I took at Mobile Botanical Garden on April 4, when Mark was attending Henry Wo's Chinese ink painting workshop.

Light N Up opening reception 4-12-08

Here we are for our opening reception at Light N Up Art Co-op in Havana last night.

I am the guest artist for April/May. The other featured artists are co-op members Diana Orrick (Asian brush painting and photography) and Barbara Graham (jewelry). Many thanks to our friends who stopped by and to Ann Kozeliski for the roses: Tom and Viki Wylder, Paul LeValley, Ann and Ethan Kromhout, Carol and Fred Sanfilippo. The food was delicious too!

Blooms!

Here are some images inspired by spring blooms. More practice with the magic wand tool.