Metamorphosis Of A Photo

Today I thought I would show you the steps taken to make the final photo creation.

Here's the photo of a lovely coneflower (which, by the way, I did not take, it is a free stock photo. Free is good!)

 In this next picture, it has been cropped, bringing the selected image closer, and then changed to black and white.

This is a texture sheet; I added it to the photo in Photoshop Elements 13 (PSE13), blended it in the overlay mode with an opacity of 82%.

And this is the result. The writing shows, and the color from the texture adds interest to the photo. I could stop here, but I thought I would go a little further.

 Here I added a filter with Topaz, a wonderful plug in that works with PSE. I really like the resulting warmth and the immediate feeling that there is a story here.

Now the photo is ready to go into the Bellesouth Studio and will be available as prints, pillows, cards and phone cases!

Hope you enjoyed seeing how this was done!

Poinsett Bridge

Today I had a treat - it was the second sunshiny day in a row and we went out for a ride, taking the dogs with us. It has been months since I had left the house for something other than a doctor's appointment or a hair trim. We picked up lattes, mine was decaf, and started down the road. We ended up at Poinsett bridge, a familiar place to us and our dogs. I hadn't been able to visit there since the summer of 2013. 

 Poinsett Bridge, named for Joel Roberts Poinsett (of Poinsettia fame), was built of local stone in 1820 as part of a road from Columbia, SC to Asheville NC. The bridge includes a 14-foot Gothic arch, is wide enough for a carriage, and stretches 130 feet over Little Gap Creek. Though no longer in use, the stone bridge remains largely intact. The bridge is part of the 120-acre Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve . Poinsett bridge is off U.S. Highway 25 north of Greenville, SC. and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It is a lovely area and attracts local visitors especially in the summer to escape the heat. 

It's in a very narrow place between two mountains, which I guess was why it was chosen as a place to build a bridge. It was part of a road to connect Charleston SC with Asheville NC,  and especially used in the summer when wealthy homeowners could escape the dreadful heat in Charleston, with its yearly dangers of Yellow Fever and Cholera.

Today I focused on the arch, topped with a lovely keystone. I imagined workmen's hands place each stone carefully to support the bridge. As you can tell from the width of the arch, the bridge was just the size for a worse and wagon, stage or carriage to cross over it in comfort. Each stone could tell a story.

The photograph may need a boost in contrast, so I may do some tinkering with it tomorrow.I like the angle of the bank and the creek, I just think the overall image needs to be richer. 

On another note, I noticed that Blogger has lost all of my pictures and I need to look into that. I'm not happy about it and I have been thinking I will change my web address for my blog. Perhaps this has pushed me in that direction!

PS, here I changed the contrast, which creates more interest-I really like this much better!

The Painter's Primer, Part Two

Last week, I posted here  about a list of 100 points made by teacher Irwin Greenberg and given to his students. He called it the Painter's Primer and I had some issues with a few of his points. We covered 1-10, and now I will move on with 11-20.

11. Don’t settle for yourself at a mediocre level. Although a somewhat awkward sentence structure, this is a good point. I think it's dangerous for our creative processes if we start to think, "Well, this is good enough." Be better than "good enough".

12. Don’t allow yourself to be crushed by failure. Rembrandt had failures. Success grows from failure. Again, I agree. In fact, all artists had failures. Or if you aren't crazy about the word "failure" (I'm not!), use the word mistakes. I've found a great many of my mistakes become "happy accidents" and I do learn a lot!

13. Be a brother (or sister) to all struggling artists. This is so very important. Everyone needs encouragement and it's not that hard to find something to praise about someone else's work.

14. Keep it simple. Another important daily habit. Less stress that way.

15. Know your art equipment and take care of it. Referring back to #5 of the first list, if you invest your money into quality supplies and tools, take a few minutes to make sure you know how to keep them in top shape. What a waste of your time and money if you get ready to work and found you had not cleaned your brushes, or left the covers off of something and it dried out.

16. Have a set of materials ready wherever you go. If you are a painter, there are all kinds of travel kits, and DYI travel kits to put together so that you make the most of every opportunity when out and about. If your medium is in another field, you might try carrying a small journal or sketch book with you, to jot down ideas, or sketch an idea triggered by something you see. Today's cell phones make it easy to capture an image of something that inspired you.

17. Always be on time for work, class, and appointments. It's not chic to be late. It's rude. And since an artist's reputation is made of fragile things, personal habits such as this can go a long way in bolstering your reputation. Perhaps there is another artist who is looking for someone to collaborate with them on a project, or someone who is taking referrals to find someone to do a certain art piece. Be the one that others respect and recommend. Being a Diva only works on TV, and really, it doesn't even work there.

18. Meet deadlines. Be better than your word. This can be part B of #17 above. Again, it's your reputation you are building. Become known as someone who can be trusted.

19. Find a mate who is really a mate. (Read "friend" for mate.) This takes time, and also requires developing instincts about people in general. There are a lot of people out there who are only looking for someone to give them a boost, without returning the favor. Your friend, or mate, doesn't even have to be another artist as long as they support you and have faith in you. And remember, it's important to return that support!

20. Don’t be envious of anyone who is more talented than you. Be the best you can be. Envy can be a real killer - of time, of creativity, of yourself. It sucks life out of you. There will ALWAYS be someone who can do something better than you - so what? Life is not a competition, although our society certainly pushes that idea. Develop yourself, learn from others, and grow in the sunlight. If you let envy in, your eyes have turned away from your true calling and you drift into darkness. Be aware of how easy it is to be envious, and turn yourself away from that steep hill. I find that if I immediately praise the person, even if it is only to myself. I have freed myself of being dragged down by the chains of envy.

The Painter's Primer, Part One

I recently came across an artist page called Linea: How Artists Think, part of the Art Students League of New York. The post I was reading was a reprint of a painter's primer by Irwin Greenberg, given to his students at the High School of Design in NYC. He passed away in 2009, at 87. It's a long list of 100 points, and I thought I would share it with you a few at a time, and give my thoughts on each point. Here's the first list:

1. Paint every day. This is a good idea if you can, but I would open it up to do something related to your art in some way, whether it's looking at an exhibit, finding something that stirs you for your next project, or even trying another art expression. Sometimes you need to refresh yourself with a new outlook. 

2. Paint until you feel physical strain. Take a break and then paint some more. No. This reminds me of the old fitness mantra of "no pain-no gain", which did no one any good. I already deal with this in some ways because of my illness, but even if you are completely healthy, I can think of no better way to turn yourself off from something you love to do, than to make yourself feel strain.

3. Suggest. OK, I can interpret this as "What if ...?". It keeps you out of a rut, and even if the original idea doesn't work, you never know where it will lead you!

4. When at an impasse, look at the work of masters. For a painter, I can see this being an encouragement. Or you can look at the work of masters in other areas. But for a painter, I would suggest looking specifically at the work in an area where you are struggling, whether it is the form, or handling light, or understanding perspective. There are numerous sites online to help you work out your struggle.

5. Buy the best materials you can afford. Absolutely yes! It is so important to have excellent materials. Not only will it make a difference in your work, but it will lift your spirits not to have to deal with cheap brushes shedding their hairs in the midst of your masterpiece, for example.

6. Let your enthusiasm show. I agree with this, too. Exclaim to the world, wherever you are, that you love what you are doing. Share it! Be ready to share how you did it! People are starved to find beauty and someone who enjoys sharing their abilities.

7. Find a way to support yourself. Always a struggle in these days. In fact, always a struggle down through history. But there are ways, if you are willing to deny yourself some of the latest tech toys and do work others may not want to do, such as housecleaning or being a part time nanny. Perhaps even pizza delivery!

8. Be your own toughest critic. I don't agree with this, because most of us tend to be perfectionists anyway. I'd rather say "Be honest with yourself." There are enough prima donnas in the world who think what they do is greater than it really is.

9. Develop a sense of humor about yourself. Yes. Absolutely! Learn to laugh when it doesn't turn out the way you wanted. It's ok, you're not the first artist to have that happen, and it won't be your only time to have it happen. Ask yourself if it's really worth raising your blood pressure over.

10. Develop the habit of work. Start early every day. When you take a break, don’t eat. Instead, drink a glass of water. Hmm, well .... yes and no. Developing the habit of working on your creativity, rather than occasionally dabbling in painting a little something, yes, it's a good idea. But some artists aren't early risers. Picasso painted until 3 in the morning, than slept till the middle of the morning. Find your own rhythm, what works best for you and then stick to it. Drinking a glass of water is a good thing as well, but if you struggle with low blood sugar, having a small snack is actually better for staying alert and focused.

Any thoughts on these? Do you agree or disagree with my comments? Let me know!

Book Review: Digital Expressions by Susan Tuttle

Over the holidays, I added a few instructional books to my Arts library and one of the books was Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art With Adobe Photoshop Elements, by Susan Tuttle. I have had time to look through it, be inspired to do a couple of projects, and share with you some of the pros and cons with this book, as I see them.

I have been teaching myself to use Photoshop Elements (PSE) for the past year or so. (Please also realize that Photoshop and Photoshop Elements are two different programs. PSE is much cheaper and, for me, just fine for what I do with it.) When I first purchased and opened the program, it was very intimidating to me, because there is a lot to it, and most of all, I had no idea where to start, so I drug my feet. In the past couple of years, tutorials about the basics of PSE and also different facets of using all the parts, have sprung up on Youtube, which has been a boon for people like me. I took an online workshop last summer on using PSE to create digital art, and it was informative and great fun. I do not have a technical mind, so I had to absorb a lot of the instructions slowly, by watching the directions repeatedly. I also get frustrated with the Youtube videos, because, although there were many, many videos explaining how to do certain steps, I did not really know what to do FIRST. I hope that makes sense to you!

Ms. Tuttle's book was great for a person like me- all of the information for creating projects was organized together. At the beginning of the book (after stating clearly that she was not writing a PSE operating manual), she lists the PSE tools she will be using, and the explanations for what they do and how you will use them. There are 25 projects, and at the beginning of each one, she tells you what skill you will need to accomplish the project and refers you back to the page number where the explanation lies. It is a wonderful format for creating a project like hers, or to use the information as a springboard for your own inspiration. And there is a CD included with a few images and textures for you to use. It's a book I will refer to often!

The cons are few, but notable. Mainly, this book was published in 2010, which means that in this digital age, it's on the old side as far as technology. She used PSE 6, I have PSE 13 (that's how fast they develop the newer software!) so that means that some of the ways she does things in the book are outmoded. There are many more features in PSE now, and I found I can do in a click what she takes several steps to do, such as merging photos. To me, the artwork is dated now as well, because again, there is more you can do to get the look you want than you could 7 programs ago!

But these minor drawbacks don't make the book useless at all. You need to be somewhat familiar with PSE to understand where you can take a short cut now from the directions she gives. It's available at Amazon.com, and you can purchase a used book pretty cheaply! It's a great book for mastering creative digital techniques.

Before I go, I'll share a project I worked on today; it's not perfect, I'm still seeing what's possible to do, but it was fun putting it together. I'll give some more information about the project in another post.

Happy New Year

Wishing you a Happy New Year, 3 days into 2015. Still pretty much new, though, so I am sure you won't mind another New Year's greeting. Did you make resolutions? Years ago, I decided that the only resolution I would make from then on, was to make NO resolutions at all. It was immensely calming, knowing I would not have to feel defeated when something did not work out the way I resolved for it to do!

I do, however, like to think about what directions I'd like to go, and what projects I'd like to pursue. And of course, I always hope that this is the year a breakthrough is made in solving the puzzle of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, the disease I struggle with, but of course that is out of my hands. But as far as projects and directions, I do have a few ideas.

One of the projects I would like to see accomplished is to have my work hanging in a local gallery. There are possibilities there, but not anything I can discuss at the moment. Of course, I want to continue improving in my artistic creations, especially in working with encaustics. I purchased a small bottle of propane a few days ago to use in smoothing the wax. I just have to get over my fear of having it explode in my hands, or setting the house on fire! But I am eager to try it, so I will have to will myself to proceed, with caution of course!

Also, before the end of last year, I had determined that I really needed to cull things from my studio and give myself a peaceful place to create art. And I have already begun in that area, giving away some things I no longer needed or used. And I will probably have more to give away as I keep going. I think it's easier to accomplish something like this by beginning before the Day of Resolutions, because the momentum is already there! Flat surfaces will probably always be a problem for me, (always wanting to fill any flat surfaces!) but since I am emptying drawers and baskets, then there is more room for the items cluttering these flat surfaces. 

And it's my desire to keep up with my blog regularly, though I can't say it will be each day, because of my health. But I want to share my thoughts and projects with you, and also some insight into a couple of books that have come my way. And I look forward to being inspired by other artists and by my blog readers. So, please share if you have any thoughts or comments about what you are doing that may benefit others.

Most of all, I would love to see 2015 be a year of blessing for so many people who have been in such hard struggles for the past few years. That is out of my hands as well, but I can pray for this and try to be a blessing in small ways to others. So many people have done the same for me.

May you have a healthy and productive 2015!

Removing The Stickies

When I was a child, I was fascinated by the types of seeds that would attach themselves to you simply by brushing by the plant. I called them stickies. I thought it was funny that they would "jump" on me, wanting a ride to a new location. The "stickies" came in all shapes and sizes and were the bane of my mother sometimes when we would come in from playing in tall grass or the woods behind our house.

Today, I still find myself an unwary taxi during certain times of the year, and have to pull them out of both dogs' fur. But looking at it from a natural viewpoint, it's an ingenious way to get around! However, technology has imitated nature by sending "stickies" we are probably totally unaware of - adware and other baddies - and I've learned it pays to pry them out of my computer just as I would the natural ones in my dog's fur.

I noticed several weeks ago that my computer was popping up ads when I didn't expect them, and generally sluggish and becoming ornery when I was trying to work. Having already had my hard drive scrubbed, I really didn't want to repeat that if I didn't have to, so I googled "removing adware from a Mac" and several sites popped up. The one I chose was on the Apple support page. The first blurb on the page was very explanatory:

What is ad-injection software?

Ad-injection software is advertising-supported software that can come from third-party download sites. Software you download from such sites may have been customized to install both the software you want and the ad-injection software. If your Mac has ad-injection software installed, you might see pop-up windows, ads, and graphics while surfing the web, even if "Block pop-up windows" is selected in Safari preferences. Ad-injection software might also change your homepage and preferred search engine.

And I followed all of the instructions listed, which were simple, but a little time consuming. Didn't matter, I told myself, because I was wasting time trying to make my computer do things while it was dragging its feet er.. bytes. And after I followed all of the instructions to the letter, and restarting it, my laptop was humming along softly. Yea! I thought.

Then recently, I began to notice similar patterns, and thought it was worth checking out again. Sure enough, the software had indeed crept back, I believe, through clicking on different links. (aww, I want to see this video of the cute kitties/puppies/beautiful scenery/etc. etc. etc.) I am not techy enough to prove that, but honestly what better way to get your software installed than to become a "stickie" on the back of something harmless? And I know we've been warned on how to be careful to stay away from those types of sites or downloads which may carry a virus or malware, but this is so sneaky you don't even know it can happen. So, run a check on your PC or Mac and see if you are harboring "stickies" which can make your life frustrating when you are on the computer. I listed the Mac site, but I am sure Apple support has one for the PC as well. (And yes, I know "stickies" is a very nontechnical term, but you got the idea instantly, didn't you?)

The Tools Of Your Trade

If you are an artist or a photographer for any length of time, I know that you have heard the debate about whether something used differently than it was intended could possibly produce "real" art. Many of the artists and photographers that I chat with on an online forum have often come to verbal blows over this subject. Some of the photographers maintain that they only offer "pure" shots for sale, they don't dabble in the world of photo processing with the likes of Photoshop, or Corel, or any of the other programs that allow one to work with their photos. 

Here's the bottom line - it is very rare for a photo not to need processing of some sort. Even well respected and famous photographers such as Ansel Adams processed his photos - in a darkroom. He would dodge and burn under a special lamp, or use chemicals, to get the effect he was after. Today's digital cameras do the basic processing within the camera now, but they will not give you a pristine picture that matches what you envisioned when you made the shot. Your eyes see things with emotion, the camera is a mechanical object, and will take what it sees with the available environmental issues - the lighting, the wind, your hand not being as steady as you wanted, all these things affect a photo. But if you shoot in Camera Raw, you have left the door open for a chance to make the picture look more like what you wanted to convey by using post processing tools.

When Renoir was painting, he was part of a group of artists who were shunned by the older, established artists in his day. They did not accept these new artists into the fold, did not allow them to exhibit, discouraged art patrons from supporting them, and why? Because they did things much differently than how it had been done before. So, the older artists assumed that these young men (and a few women) were Wrong. And therefore, not real artists.

We all use tools in what we create. I use pottery scrapers in my encaustic work. There are many different types of brushes. There are as many styles of photography as there are people, almost. But often the generation which is older perceives the tools they were taught to use as The Tools. Period. No, they are the tools, and it's open ended. Refusing to take advantage of what's available to use is fine if that's your choice. Being critical of others, dismissing them for going way outside of the box, and condemning them as not being "real" artists is not acceptable, it's small minded and mean. And grossly incorrect.

I had a page in my journal where I had played around with some shapes and some colors. It always looked like it could go somewhere, but I was not sure how to bring it there. So I left it for a while to simmer in the back of my mind. Today I realized that a photo processing tool I had in my virtual toolbox on the computer might make a difference in the appearance and take it where I wanted it to go. So I put the two together, did some blending and tweaking and was very pleased that the final result was just as I had hoped! So it was a mash up between hand painting and digital photo processing. And it couldn't have been better! 

Transformation

No, I just didn't push a couple of buttons. Yes, it required some knowledge and skill. And Yes, I will give this another go with other paintings I have done.

I could expound with even more detail about this subject, and perhaps I will in another post. Meanwhile, I'm just enjoying all the different ways one can create!

What Photo Processing Can do

When my mother passed away in 2007, my sisters, sister-in-law and I cleaned out her house to get it ready to sell. Mom didn't have a lot in there, because she and my dad gave items and furniture to all of us before they downsized to go live in a retirement/care facility because of my dad's health. He died in 2005, and she just didn't want to stay there by herself and so she moved into a small house near my sister-in-law, and some of her grandchildren. She had divided all of the pictures and photos of us she had saved over the years, and gave us each a container of these photos and memorabilia. But while we were cleaning out the house, I came across a box of papers and things which had a lot of information about them and their lives from the time they met in the Navy during WW II and some photos of them together. When my parents were married, it was a very simple ceremony outside and the only photographs were old small black and white snapshots, taken by someone who seemed to have no idea how to operate a camera. 

I found this snapshot of them together on their wedding day, out of focus, crooked, creased and torn:

I was sad that it didn't look any better. But then I began to think how I might improve it in Photoshop Elements. I made a copy and began to work with it. After straightening it, I was left with white gaps on the sides, so I started using the Clone Stamp tool to rebuild the fence out to the edge, add leaves at the top and grass at the bottom. I focused it as much as I could, then was able to take the noise (artifacts) out of the picture made from squeezing the focus as high as possible. It was still somewhat blurry, and it was washed out in the white areas. So I increased the contrast, and then did some work with filters and by the time I was finished, I was pretty pleased with the results. I made 8 x 10 copies for my siblings and they were thrilled to get them. 

This is how it looks now, not perfect but I would call it "arty"! Don't you love my dad's tie?

 

I just wish I could have shown them how it looked, but I'm sure where they are, they are just happy to be together!

The Image Keeps Giving

In a post written on the 7th of December, I wrote about how I had spent some time out in the mud after a rain storm to get some macro shots of raindrops. I showed the original photograph:

I shot this photograph in Camera RAW, which allows me a lot more room to sharpen and process the image. If you aren't sure what Camera Raw is, here is a quote from Wikipedia:

A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are named so because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor.

Most DSLR cameras has this option now, or you can shoot in jpeg, which means the camera processes it before you get the final image. But you don't have much flexibility when you shoot in jpeg, so I have learned to keep my camera set on RAW now, no matter what I am shooting.

In the post I referenced above, I showed you an image I took from the  original:

Raindrop Face

Yesterday, I pulled the original image back up, wondering what else I could pull from it. I cropped out an area, and after it getting it to the size I wanted, I sharpened and processed it. I was thrilled with the results, and loaded it up to my website for selling prints, and also on my Facebook pages. However, I've had 2 comments already that the viewers weren't exactly sure what they were looking at! Do you see a water drop? I thought it was obvious, but hey - that doesn't mean everyone sees the same thing I do!

 Golden Raindrop

Let me know if you find it confusing! I may have to change it.

Blue Still Life

A few weeks back, I was thinking of how I could build my photography skills over the winter, since the cold makes it difficult for me to be outside for any length of time, although it isn't bitter cold, just enough to bother all of the symptoms I have. I thought about doing still lifes, but not the traditional kind with fruit, bowls and berries. Something different, something fresh, something.... hmmmmm.

I read a few things about shooting still life and realized that, according to the "experts",  trying to do a still life would be laughable, I had none of the equipment they said was required. Well! That was NOT going to stop me - I would rig something up and give it a try!

Our house faces due west, exactly, on a compass, so on the north side the light is dimmer, and on the south side, it is very bright. But I found that the cotton sheers in the windows cut the brightness just enough. I placed a small table at the end of the old iron bed and went upstairs to my studio to gather some objects together. But I needed a black backdrop. I had some black foam core board, which didn't thrill me, and then I grabbed my painter's apron. Perfect!

Back on the second floor, I tied the apron to the end of the iron bed and then started setting up the objects I had. I knew I wanted it casual, not stiff, looking like I was beginning a project. I had grabbed a couple of paint bottles in contrasting colors, and a small old French wooden child's pail with a duck on it in the same colors to bring the eye around, and then an antique English pitcher made in the late 1700's. I stuffed the pitcher with paint brushes, mostly very used paint brushes. Then a few oil pastel sticks were sprinkled about on the paper at the base and a tiny metal French gendarme was inserted in the arrangement for a touch of fun. It needed a bit of backlighting so I dug out one of those metal clip lamps people use to clamp to their car hoods if they were doing some work on the engine. It was clamped to the bed post, and tilted such a way that the light was indirect and had a gauzy piece of cloth draped over it. Then I set my camera up on the tripod and had fun shooting in different f-stops and ISOs. I moved things around, but I always like the first arrangement best.

After choosing the one I wanted from the camera upload to the computer, I put it through minimal post processing and then added it to my website. I was so tickled with it, I immediately ordered a 18 x 24 print of it on canvas and it is now hanging on one of our bedroom walls. I plan to do more still lifes soon! I have these ideas........

Play - Three Little Pieces Of Art

I enjoy the "what ifs" of creating - What if I try doing it this way? What if I add an extra step to this process? What about going in this direction instead the one I'm used to? It may not end up being a wonderful art piece when you are through, but I guarantee you will learn something!

A while back, I asked my husband to pick up some wall putty or plaster for me while he was out. It had to be the consistency of soup to try what I had in mind. He did, and later that day I took 3 tiny wrapped canvases - each 3 x 3 - and pried open the lid of the plaster. I then took a small trowel and covered each canvas with the plaster, leaving it with swirls and ridges. Then I rooted through some items for something to press into the plaster and finally settled on some shapes and numbers. I had hearts and stars, each a different size and shape, and the numbers 2, 3, and 4. I pressed then into the plaster and waited for things to dry and harden. Normally I would not use wet plaster on canvas, because after it dried, it could easily crack and pop off because the canvas "gave" when pressed. But since these were so small, the wood they were wrapped around almost met in the back, so the support was there for the weight of the plaster.

After the plaster hardened, things became interesting. The items I had used were a light grey, and the plaster was a dark grey, so I needed to spice things up quite a bit. They were meant to be encaustic pieces, so of course my next step was the waxing process. Then I carved in the wax, rubbed color over the carved lines, and added colored wax layers. It was beginning to look pretty interesting, but the grey hearts and stars still looked dull and uninteresting, even with the colors on them. I needed to make them pop out visually. So, using oil pastels and oil sticks, I played with them some more. Then I added a light coating of oil, rubbed it in and wiped any excess off. And here's how they turned out!
They look cute hanging on the wall, and I added some more tricks to my repertoire. 

(Click on any picture if you want to see details.)

The Art Of Life

Today, I go off in a side topic, but I promise to come back to art projects, but now I wish to discuss the Art of Life.

As some of you know, I have pursued genealogy for many years. Before I became ill, I visited old cemeteries, courthouses, and library rooms. I collected as much information as I could, along the way debunking a few dearly held family traditions, which had been based on assumptions instead of fact.  One of the constant stumbling blocks was the fact that some of the courthouses which bore directly on my father's family line had been burnt by Sherman during the Civil War. Because of this, some lines just stopped abruptly prior to the War. There were no records, or family histories, that could give me a clue to trace these lines any further.

Several years ago, I persuaded a brother to do a DNA swab for me to submit for genealogy matching. It has to be male DNA to be able to compare with others because the markers are only passed down through the male line. Once I submitted it to the genealogy bank, it was ready to be matched to anyone else whose DNA had the same markers. By doing this, I have been able to confirm that the Livingston family line was indeed German, and not Scot. It was very common for those who immigrated to this country to Anglicize their name to fit in with their new neighbors, and so the Liebensteins became the Livingstons.

Recently, however, I had the privilege to be part of another positive experience resulting from our DNA being on file. Several months ago, I was contacted by a nice woman from England, saying that her husband's DNA matched 12 markers of what I had submitted, meaning that it was definite that he and I were of the same family line. It turned out that he was in his late sixties, and had just found out that the man he thought was his father had adopted him when he married his mother. His adopted father, and his mother had both passed on, and the only information he had was that his birth father was an American GI, who had been stationed in that area of England during WW II. Could I give them any help?

We sent emails back and forth, I did as much research as I could from the information I had, and encouraged him to get the full numbers of markers registered (67), which is a higher price, but gives a more thorough reading and comparison. I determined that we had an ancestor in common not too many years back, and filled him in on family history and family tree lines. I have a family tree registered with Ancestry.com and they began filling in their own information, but his father still eluded him. By checking records and narrowing down facts, we did have a good idea who he was though. My English cousin's face compared very favorably with a picture of a serviceman in an old publication honoring local men from an area in South Carolina. He was given names to contact about military service, and also the name of a woman who had done a great deal of genealogy research in that same area of South Carolina. I had met her a few times and told him that if anyone could help him, she could.

To sum up the story, this lady knew one of the daughters of the serviceman. My cousin had been a little unsure of just how to contact the family and tell them who he was, and how he felt they were related. But that all worked out - he was put in touch with them, and they are excited at having a brother they never knew about. Sadly, his father had passed away in 1991, and they are going to have some more DNA tests done for hard evidence, but all of them are sure that they belong together. His father never knew that he had a son, he shipped off to France a month or so after his time with my cousin's mother. Now, he and his new family are filling the air with emails, sharing what the years have been like from both sides of "the Pond".

I am so happy and touched that I could be part of this saga! By being willing to share information about my paternal family, it was instrumental in uniting these family members. And with the advancement in science and technology, he was able, within a few months, to find out who he was and connect with his family. It's a wonderful Christmas present to have, don't you think? Life is Art, and God is the Master Painter.

Finishing The Tissue Encaustic

All right, in my previous blog, I was sharing the new technique I was trying, collage with images printed on tissue on 300 lb. press watercolor paper. I finished my first try and found very quickly that it is not as easy as it looks. But then, when something looks great, it isn't usually an easy process!

The glare on the wax is because I took a photo in my studio instead of outside as I usually do.

What I learned:

Cutting the watercolor paper was the easy part!

You can't have your fan running when dealing with tissue images. A fan is a necessary part of doing encaustics because of the fumes but I need to turn it off as I cut, tear, and study placement.

The background to the "tree" was darker, so it shows, although you can't really tell here. I tried using oil pastels and oil sticks to sort of blend it, but it really doesn't work. I know how to make transparent PNG images in PSE, so I will do that next time, then print them.

You CAN use too much wax! I became fed up after trying to scrape back, and then I developed a hot spot where the wax wouldn't stay on the paper.

I am pleased with the layout, as far as composition goes, but I think I will use a stronger "tree" image - that is actually a seaweed.

When trimming the overlapping wax with the blue tape with the X-Acto, you really need to make sure you have a firm press on your ruler. I don't know if you can see, but I took out some of the area that would have showed through a mat board.

The parts of the paper not covered with tape will absorb the wax. In this case it's at the top and would not show if I matted it.

Double sided tape does work in a laser printer. I have also read the painter's tape will work as well. I may give that a try.

I hope that you have seen my encaustic work I've uploaded, to know that I do actually have some skill -haha! I felt like everybody could learn from my mistakes here, so I'm sharing the good with the not-so-good!

I think I will try using a butane torch on these pieces to see if the wax application is smoother. The heat gun seemed to overwhelm the piece. Or else I am too impatient.

And that was my first try, or should I say, experiment! Stay tuned - I'm not giving up!

And The Artist Says: OOH! That Looks Like Fun....

As many know, I have to spend time daily lying on the bed because of my illness. As Adrian Monk was fond of saying, "It's a blessing and a curse." I often use the time to process some of my photography backlog, catch up on emails, or simply lie with my eyes closed and rest my brain. But, I also find myself exploring new ideas for art creations.

Researching new ideas in itself is not a problem, but if you don't know your limits, you will find yourself trying too many things, and becoming overwhelmed. Some artists are quite happy doing one thing, be it watercolors, making jewelry, or any other medium. But many artists, and I'm one of them, like to explore as many possibilities as possible. And the Internet for us can be like drugs to a junkie - one site gives you ideas, leads to another site where details are given, then off to another site where the beautiful creations beckon you to jump in and pursue this unique opportunity. Often we who are tempted that way are the ones who find interesting things on the street, whether it's manmade or produced by nature, and can't throw them away. So we have stacks, jars and drawers full of stuff. We just know we are going to use it!

Now true, we often do. But lately I find that I am having to take a hard look at all of my resources. I have a very small studio, and I am now tripping over things. Personally that's not good for me because I have balance issues, but globally it's a killer of creativity. So, I have had to sit down and study and think just where I want to go. I've been sifting through the stacks, asking myself "Am I REALLY going to use these particular papers? Do they appeal to me? How long have I had them and have just been moving them around? How much space are they taking up?" Those questions apply to many things, not just papers.

A couple of years ago, I was doing one type of art and it led me to another, which I have found more fulfilling. But I've kept everything from the early days. Now I'm realizing that even if I wanted to, I am truly NOT going to do everything, and honestly, some of the styles no longer hold any interest. And I realized all of this was causing me anxiety. It was time for a paradigm shift.

Going slowly through the "collections", I have a set of questions:

Does this (paper, item, tool, object) really appeal to me?

Do I even like this paper, item, tool, object?

When was the last time I used this paper, item, tool, object or something similar?

Is pursuing this going to give me satisfaction in the creation?

Is pursuing this going to cost more than I can really afford, when other supplies are needed for present projects?

Am I attaching sentimental value to it and that's all?

Can I reuse things I already have, for something similar to a great idea I've found, and make it my own without spending more money? And creating more stacks?

Who else can use this?

That last question helps you move on, because once you know of someone, or some organization,  give them a call or send them an email. You're now committed! Do this part as soon as possible. It doesn't mean you will never pursue something new, but it means you are using your time wisely and when the new form of creating becomes insistent, you will clear other things out again, so that you can start with nothing impeding your excitement (or tripping you as walk through your studio!)

I'd love any feedback!