The Butterfly Tree

I snapped this shot of a beautiful butterfly on a clear blue day. It was posing for me : )

Quote of the day: "Live, Laugh, Love"

Skyline Time

I took this picture atop a parking garage very early in the morning on Good Friday. The sky didn't really look this blue, but after I took the picture I was pleased with the color of the shot. I did not manipulate this photograph. It was such a beautiful morning.

Quote of the day: To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment - Jane Austen (1775-1817)

Cardinal Keeping Watch

This beautiful Cardinal sits outside my window every night.

Quote of the day: The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes - Marcel Proust

White Knights at Night

I took this picture of some ducks sitting in the snow tonight. They looked so content. How were they not freezing?

Quote of the day: "Each morning sees some task begun, each evening sees it close. Something attempted, something done, has earned a night's response" - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Homage to Matisse

This is a very small, acrylic, reproduction painting from one of my all time favorite artists - Henri Matisse. This piece is titled Icarus (Jazz) - 1943 Stencil.

Quote of the day: "How can the drops of water know themselves to be a river?" - Zen Saying

Apple II

Second digitally created apple - used Adobe Illustrator:

Quote of the day: "Each good thought or action moves the dark world nearer to the sun." - John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-92)

'An Apple A Day...'

Apple created in Adobe Illustrator. It is a wooden apple with a chiffon leaf.

Quote of the day: "Dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of" - Benjamin Franklin (1706-90)

Blind Contour Line Drawings

While Seth and I were in the hospital we were bored so we both created some blind contour line drawings with ink and paper and painted them with the craft paint provided to us by CCHMC. It is a lot harder than it sounds, but for those of you who do not know, a blind contour line drawing is a drawing created without looking at the paper. The point is to fixate on the object you are drawing and to focus on the curvatures and lines and let your eyes move the pen without looking down at your paper. I really liked our finished pieces. You should try it!

Quote of the day: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourself" - Romans 12:10

Primsacolor Face

The attached creation was drawn using only Primsacolor markers. I went bold and daring this time. The eyes didn't manage to get lost - surprisingly. : )

Quote of the day: "The kiss of friendship, kind and calm, may fall upon the brow like balm; A deeper tenderness may speak, in precious pledges on the cheek; Thrice dear may be, when young lips meet, Love's dewy pressure, close and sweet, But more than all the rest I prize, the faithful lips that kiss my eyes" - Elizabeth Chase Akers (1831-1911)

Poker Face

The kids and I went to a craft store over the weekend. I bought a plain white mask for my son to paint. My daughter put the mask on and I took her picture then I manipulated the photo in Photoshop. I really liked the final piece.


Quote of the day: The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace - Romans 8:6

Domino Effect II

My son recently got a bunch of dominos and he positioned them on the floor into the shape of a square. I snapped this picture than manipulated it in Photoshop. I like the end result.

Quote of the day: Love...rejoices with the truth - 1 Corinthians 13:6

'Waiting to Fly'

This piece was submitted to NCS for the annual postcard exhibit to be held at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts.

Dimensions: 4" x 6"

Title: Waiting to Fly

Medium: Mixed

Quote of the day: "Gather ye rose-buds while ye may, old time is still a-flying; and this same flower which smiles today, tomorrow will be dying" Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

Happy Easter Egg!

A different perspective of the original photo.

Quote of the day: "Love sought is good, but given unsought is better" - William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Christmas Card Competition

I entered a Christmas card competition. Attached is my submission.

Quote of the day: "We are the ones we've been waiting for." - June Jordan

Trees Study in Purple

I'm thinking of continuing a series of photos I've taken along with the manipulated image of that same photo. Sometimes the image appears to not have changed very much and other times the image appears as if it is a completely different image altogether.

Quote of the day: "Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate" - G.K. Chesterton, 1874-1936

Nature

Today was a beautiful spring day. I grabbed my camera as I headed out the door and snapped some shots of geese, deer, my blooming magnolia tree, a bartlett pear in full bloom, some daffodils, etc. The deer allowed me to get pretty close and she was sort of posing it up for the camera.

Quote of the day: "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

'Icy Blue Branch'

When we had the ice storm about a month ago, I went outside and snapped some shots of the ice covered tree branches. The way the light hit the branches gave the illusion that a rainbow was trapped inside each tiny branch. I decided to take one of these pictures and create a night scape as if the moon were shining behind one of these icy tangles. I really liked the end result.

Quote of the day: "I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing it until the end." Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865

Rusty Boat

Orange and Blue is always a favorite color combination of mine.

Quote of the day: "Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action." - Benjamin Dasraeli 1804-1881

'Big Mac'

I snapped this shot while on our way to Mackenzie's soccer game. I decided to manipulate the original photo a few times to get different perspectives.

Quote of the day: "If a man who cannot count finds a four-leaf clover, is he lucky?" ~Stanislaw J. Lec

Lily

Eastern Lily - study in green.

Quote of the day: "Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring." Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900 - Irish dramatist, novelist and wit

The Athenaeum of Cincinnati

I went to the Athenaeum of Cincinnati to take some shots since it was such a beautiful evening. The architecture of this building is absolutely amazing! The wonderful thing about the Athenaeum is that it has so many beautiful faces. When taking pictures in the evening, reflections and light illuminates off the rows of windows. In the winter, around Christmas, there is a gorgeous star that hangs at the very top of the front entrance that dominates the entire scenery. In the Spring, the blooming trees add to the landscape and balance out the vast structure and grounds. There are so many beautiful angles and surfaces to snap wonderful shots of. I love coming here to pray in the chapel. It is peaceful and still.

Quote of the day: "Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere" - William Shakespeare (1564-1616)