Silver wood

The wood leading to the Sea.
Just before this shot, I heard a Pileated woodpecker, making the walk all the more dreamlike and mystical.

Maine infrared

The latest infrared images from Maine.
That's what I've been up to artistically these days.
More infrared images here.
Below is a lovely cove near our house.

The bottom image is from Clark Island. My daughter was walking in the seaweed which glowed like snow in infrared.
Nice effect.

Brush lettering

Brush lettering on "belted" rock from the island.

Violets

I picked some small wild violets on a walk to the open ocean yesterday. I plucked some of these lovely little gems which were growing in profusion along the side of the road. They have no fragrance and that got me wondering what variety has the exquisite fragrance that I remember from when I was a kid.

Viola odorata, as the name implies, is the one with the soft, fleeting fragrance that we associate with the violet and often (unsuccessfully) try to capture in commercial scents.

Wild Maine

Back to wild Maine!
Flooded basement, downed trees and lots of dandelions.
But the scent of soil, salt and spring is delightful and invigorating.

Nothing important was lost in the basement and the trees, though uprooted, are remarkably still flowering. The dandelions are a sunny welcome on the morning walk for the Bangor Daily News.

I found this little flower in patches under the decimated apple trees.
An old board provided a nice Wabi-Sabi background.

Back to Maine

I'm heading out on the "red-eye" tonight.
Next time I post it will be from the other end of the country.
Lobster Stew for dinner tomorrow.
I have this great recipe.......

Yosemite

Pacific Scribes Workshop

Student pictures from workshop click here
The background here is a gold and silver leafed background (done in class) with a Photoshop enhanced patina.

Chantilly Rose

I just returned from a fabulous trip to California where I taught the "Flowers and Flourishing" Class.
We took a quick vacation before the workshop and explored the Half Moon Bay area and then took a few days at Yosemite.

Here was a rose that arrived in a basket each morning with our fresh baked bread at our Half Moon Bay B&B.
Such a lovely way to wake up .

More pictures from Yosemite and the workshop will come later.

LIme and orange under glass

Monet's Digital Garden

We are heading out for an afternoon at the Phoenix Art Museum today for their Masterpiece Replayed exhibit .
This a a view of our backyard garden in bloom. Bougainvillas, Lantana and Sweet Acacia are now in full bloom

.

Arabesque

Gilded flourishes over tea stained "ma" paper
Monoline lettering.
Photoshop enhanced.

Gilded flourish

Gilded gesso flourishes.

Opuntia Village

Cholla in bloom

Desert Knotwork

Desert Knots.
Old barbed wire fence from the trail.

Brittlebush nestled in an old mesquite branch.

Spring Break/Brittlebush

Sophora

Sophora secundaflora

I was out walking last week at the Desert Botanical Garden and caught the faintest whiff of grape popsicle. It always takes me by surprise this time in March when the Sephora comes into bloom. Known for it's delectable scent and cascading flowers ,the Texas Mountain laurel or Mescal bean, as it is commonly known , is in the legume family and cascades much like Wisteria.
Simply Heavenly!

Chocolat!

Chocolate and Raspberries for lunch.
After the morning hike nothing else sounded quite as enticing as this.

Desert Buckwheat

Obsessions

So, I decided to make a new blog just for infrared images and abstract photography.
Here is the new site for anyone interested in those kind of things.
Occasionally one may slip through here too.

2 Scenes from Lost Dutchman State Park

Still in IR mode mood. Here are two images that I just couldn't leave alone.
The first one just has a wash of blue done post processed in Photoshop . The one below that is the same scene but I have further fiddled with the image in a new PS plug in Viveza and Color Efex 3.I know for purists it might be a bit much but I was just having too much fun with my new toys.

Longhorn

Mexican Coffee

Inspired by my Mexican coffee mug, I doodled my way to this design while my "Sonoran" lettering was still fresh on the board.

Boyce Thompson in IR

Boyce Thompson Arboretum.
I've changed to Sepia mode and added some film grain to this.

Desert Flora

Metal Collage Workshop

Metal Collage/Indianapolis

I taught a couple of workshops in Indianapolis this past weekend. Wonderful time and wonderful group of artists. I taught a 2 day metal collage workshop first and then a one day flower workshop...Watercolors and abstract acrylics.

The image above is an assemblage using imitation gold leaf and aluminum leaf on paper with an ammonia patina. It is mounted on brushed aluminum roof flashing. The flourishes were made from gesso and silver wire and are woven through a cholla (cactus) skeleton.

Other Photos from workshop

Sonoran Desert Bloom

The recent heavy rain in the Sonoran Desert, and particulary here in the Superstition Wilderness , is enhancing what promises to be a phenomenal wildflower season.
Below are pictures taken on a walk yesterday before yet another light rainstorm.

Valentine

Abstract camera work

Here I've been playing with the camera again. I love some of the wonderfully rich and colorful abstract things one can get with a little manipulation...camera in hand ...a few quick movements intriguing images start to emerge.

Variations on a theme

Still cranes

More from the Playa and the Cranes

Moon over Playa

Recently we traveled to Southern Arizona near Willcox to witness the spectacle of over 30,000 Sandhill cranes converging on the area. They roost every evening in this area near Elfrieda where the water is shallow and flat. The sound of thousands of birds landing at dusk and taking off in the morning is overwhelming and hauntingly beautiful.
I took a bit of artistic license with the moon and borrowed it from the other more boring landscape side where it was rising and placed it here.

Willcox, Arizona

Afternoon at the Canyon

A few quick shots taken at Grand Canyon last week.
I'm recycling some old lettering with these photos as there has been little time spent at the drafting table lately!

The Grand One

Last weekend we went skiing in Flagstaff ...After skiing we took a bonus day and photographed at the Grand Canyon which is only a hour and a half from the slopes.
One would think that any shot taken at this dramatic site should be amazing ....
...However, the Canyon presents some special problems ..mainly a flat cloudless horizon (0n this day) and the obvious one of capturing the depths.
Ah! To have a couple of days to go further down the canyon and capture different light
and to have a better camera!

Snow retreat

Snowed in

Holidays

Winter..
Fun times with the family and friends....
Here are a few pictures from Christmas