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This week I am featuring three art prints from my Floral/Still Life Gallery. For these prints, I used a set of fake fruit that we had in a large bowl as a center piece (for still life objects just about anything around the house with a visual appeal works). I have a small light box for such projects, so with a white background and base from the light box, I started arranging the fake fruit in various poses and alternated between the different colors and types of fruit (apples and pears to be specific and colors in gold, red and brown). Believe it or not the shoot lasted about an hour and a half…the fruit worked so hard and was so patient. From all of the configurations and colors used, I narrowed the shots I was going to use to about ten. I was really pleased with the captures I chose and then I began the next stage of the process.

The results were crisp, sharp captures of this fake fruit. What I wanted to do was soften the pictures up just a bit to give the final product a more casual relaxed look while keeping the details of the original photography. That’s where Photoshop comes into play and using the watercolor filter (you can control the levels and depth of the look), I chose just a light brushing to soften the edges and add texture to the white background.

The first two art prints are representative of the ten that I did, but I also wanted to combine four of them into a collage, which is the final print featured.

Thoughts?

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When I am taking photographs either black and white or color, I am constantly visualizing the most interesting way to frame “the shot”. My framing visualization is always looking for interesting angles and unique presentations, not necessarily to show entire subjects or broad landscapes. I try to peak the viewers interest and evoke an interest in what they are seeing. The best example I can think of is macro shots of flower blooms and buds. By taking just a section and focusing on that portion only, you see the detail of the bloom that you wouldn’t necessarily see when included with a garden shot or total plant shot.

I used the same approach with the attached three photographic art prints. The common theme between them is two-fold: they are all classic/vintage forms of transportation and all three highlight specific shapes and colors to draw your eye in.

We start with “Black Propeller”. This is a single engine prop plane from World War Two. I took a number of shots of this plane from almost every angle. I kept coming back to this “macro” shot of the propellers. The thing that drew my eye in was the color of the black propellers in front of the bright yellow casing of the engine. That was the starting point and then the intricacy of the engine and finally the detail reflected in the chrome center cap of the propellers. You can see people and their shadows looking at this plane.

“Green Classic Truck’ was another shoot that I did from all angles. This shot in my perspective told the story best of the truck (what you don’t see are items in the back flatbed that weren’t pertinent to the era this vehicle represents). This particular shot and the angle tell the story of this deep green classic/vintage truck with the wood doors and curved running board becoming the fender. Your eye gets pulled to the bench front seat over to the windshield with the single wiper blade. I also liked the positioning which allows a peak of the activity behind the truck. The people under umbrellas at tables added an additional element.

We end with “Pale Green Classic Chevy Truck”. Of course I had to present the front grille to start the visual journey of this beauty. From the grille your eye travels down to the wide white-walled tires up to the visor at the top of the windshield. I was fortunate in this shot that there wasn’t any distracting items or activities immediately around the truck to take away from the look of this classic/vintage vehicle.

Thoughts?

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Anyone who has been following my work, knows I have a fascination with architecture. I did start studying architecture in high school and always thought I would go to some architectural school, etc. etc. etc. Problem was my parents both worked for a private four-year liberal arts college in Iowa which is where all of my siblings and I ended up going (could be the deal on tuition costs for dependents of employees of the college – four of us so you do the math). I ended up with a major in business which to me seemed the most practical. Having said all of that, it was that same school where I was introduced to photography and dark rooms which ultimately led to the things you see here. OK, so that explains my fascination with architecture and why you see a lot of it in my work. Today I wanted to show an interesting mix between that love of architecture and creative artistic presentation. I have done a number of shots of urban high-rises which of course are very linear and rise into the sky in very straight lines. Mixing the fauvism style and technique which presents non-linear and abstract looks to subjects with urban structures results in the attached two art prints. Both prints create an abstract and playful approach to rigid downtown buildings (Seattle in both cases).


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Always looking for an interesting aspect or angle to a subject matter, I have attached two prints I created of The Seattle Great Wheel. The official website to the Seattle Great Wheel is here (the website has a great overall picture of the ferris wheel at the end of pier 57 along the bay front of downtown Seattle). It really is an impressive ferris wheel and has fast become one of the main attractions in downtown Seattle.

I did a photo shoot a few years back and spent quite awhile trying to capture unique shots of this very large ferris wheel. I wanted something a little different to highlight the architectural detail of this beautiful wheel. As I went through the shots and started narrowing it down to unique angles, I thought that with the geometric simplicity of the structure, why not try some of these angles in a sketching or ink pen style…both simplistic in visual appearance and focusing specifically on the structure.

With the help of Adobe Photoshop I came up with these prints that portray two very different angles and perspectives of the gondolas as they went around the large wheel.

Thoughts?

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This week I wanted to take a look at three very different black and white photographs and tell you what I see.

As I have mentioned in my posts, I shoot everything in Raw format which means I shoot digitally capturing tremendous detail. It does take up memory and believe me my portfolio and archives have their own hard drive because of it. The reason I shoot with that much definition is that it allows me to “play’ with the end picture more.

The first picture is a cityscape of downtown Seattle with the Space Needle featured front and center. What do I see? I see the downtown towers and Space Needle sharply defined…very bold straight edges. I see the architecture dominating the capture because of that factor. As an additional element, I see the sharp contrast of the cloud formations from the high level clouds to the puffy cumulous in the background. I see an architectural statement of Seattle with the subtle element of weather which Seattle is known for.

From a cityscape to a farm. What do I see? I see a mood created from an abandoned farm highlighted by showing it in black and white. I see barren tree branches and collapsing buildings that have a lonely element with no life. The black and white presentation allows this mood to be front and center without getting distracted by pops of color.

From the farm to Old Point Loma Lighthouse sitting on the entrance to San Diego Bay in Cabrillo National Monument. What do I see? I see the top of a lighthouse where the simple architecture of the structure points your eye upward to the light. I see what is a deep blue sky not taking center stage because the presentation in black and white makes it a supporting gray backdrop to the white structure and the intricate architecture of the top of the lighthouse.

Thoughts?

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This week, in keeping with the theme from last week (a behind the scenes peek of how I digitally create these art prints), I wanted to share a technique I used with these three examples of covered bridges in Oregon. As I stated last week, I have been using Adobe Photoshop forever. I love the variety of features and flexibility it gives me not only with my photography, but also in creating digitally painted art.

The three prints I have attached came from a photo shoot I did a number of years ago in Oregon. All three look like three photographs of covered bridges and in reality they are. If you look closer, you will see that the edges and detail are softened slightly…ever so slightly to just give the prints a subtle softness. It’s a minor change I created by using one of Adobe’s filters. I started with the photographs in Adobe and eliminated any background “noise” such as electrical wires. In these shots that was about the only doctoring I did to the actual photograph. The next step was to soften them slightly, so I used their watercolor filter. In that filter you can control numerous elements such as pixel size of softness..type of softness and intensity. With numerous trial and error attempts, I settled on a level I liked. A subtle watercolor effect that you see more easily in the trees, but it also soften the edges of the bridges…again very subtle, but an overall softening.

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I love taking macro photographic shots of rose buds and blooms. The colors, texture, etc. create such beautiful visual imagery. Today, I wanted to feature a softer take on rose blooms and then explain how I created them by taking a step back through the process I use to create this type of digital art. I have used Adobe Photoshop for years….probably since it first came out. I remember taking classes from the University of San Diego on how to get the most out of it from an artist perspective. Trust me, it was many years and many versions ago. What I love about the program is the ability to do layers for each of the steps I go through. These roses are a great example of the process, so I will walk you through a simplified version of it.

I start with my macro photography of the rose bloom as the background layer. I then open an empty layer on top of it and using an ink stroke tool (Photoshop), draw the edges and shapes I want to highlight in black. Then I create another layer and pick a digital brush style I like (the brush style I picked here creates an almost air brush look..soft edges). On the blank layer I paint larger areas of colors by painting over the photograph if you will. The large areas of similar colors create the abstract look. I then move the “ink stroke layer” to the top of the layers, eliminate the bottom photograph, merge the layers and the end result is what you are looking at (simplified version as I actually open many laters typically for each color tone).

I also would like to mention that for the painting layer, there are numerous programs out there that can take your photograph and turn it into just about any style of painting. I use these programs in cases where I want to keep the detail of the photograph and am looking for more 3-D brush strokes as you would see in oil paintings. Even in that scenario, I come back in and work the resulting art print with some of the detail I described here.

This is a quick and simple walk through of my process that in actuality is very tedious and for every print I publish, five to seven are trashed by me for not liking the end result.

Thoughts?

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Carlsbad, California is located in North San Diego County – north of the city of San Diego proper. It sits along the coastline and the village center is just blocks from the beach. This particular setting is just south of the village center where there is a walkway along the coast just above the beach (notice the fence as it lines the walkway above the beach). To get down to the beach there are long stairs scattered periodically for access. I have a number of art prints done in various styles from this setting. What I wanted to feature today was this particular print I did using more subtle earth tones instead of bright vibrant colors. It creates a different visual experience and supports a more relaxed mood with the setting sun. I used the same technique I talked about last week (impasto) to create the thick bold brush strokes.

Thoughts?

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I have a gallery that focuses on “Street Scenes”, which is where these three prints come from. Most of my art in this genre is more pedestrian oriented and/or simple scenes of streets to highlight architecture of the buildings along that street or to create visual depth.

With these three prints, I used a technique that creates an impasto style (impasto: the process of laying on paint or pigment thickly to allow the brush strokes to stand out from the surface). With this style I also use bright colors to compliment the bold brush strokes.

The first print is of Whistler, British Columbia during the fall. Whistler is a beautiful village known for great winter skiing. What I liked about the village was the architecture and pedestrian friendly streets. You can feel yourself wandering down this street just enjoying the afternoon.

With this second art print, same concept just a totally different location. This particular print is of a New England Village in the spring. I was drawn to this scene because of the angle giving the street depth and intrigue with the pedestrians scattered.


My final art print is again a New England village, with the line of quaint street lights creating depth and complimenting the brick sidewalk.


Thoughts?

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I like playing with the sepia look in photography. It conjures up images of old vintage photographs. My wife and I had our picture taken in an old west jail years ago...they decked us up in clothes from the time period. It was done in the sepia format giving it that old look. That experience started my interest in the sepia look.

In my years of photography, I have turned a number of shots into a sepia format (example my Chichen Itza post from last year). I typically feature old items such as the old cash register and chair from another post. Today I wanted to feature three such pictures from my photo shoot in the Sharlot Hall Museum located in Prescott, Arizona.

The first capture is a desk and chair located in one of the log cabins. I like the two architectural elements together and felt that putting a sepia vintage look to them would fit the time period they represent

The second print is of that same log cabin from the exterior.

The final capture is a pot belly stove located in one of the log cabins on the property.

Thoughts?

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