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Fall has always been my favorite season and with today marking the official first day, I thought I would honor it with a very “Fall” picture.

I took this shot a few years ago in Issaquah, Washington. I was doing a photoshoot of the fall colors as the trees were at their peak in and around this area. The fall foliage irony here is that the foothills and mountains in this area are covered in evergreen trees, so they are very green all year regardless of the season. The only fall colors are all of the deciduous trees that have been planted throughout the years in the towns and cities. That’s not to say that there isn’t spectacular fall foliage, it’s just not in the surrounding mountains, only in the established cities. Be that as it may, the amount of trees turning vidid yellows and red are everywhere throughout the metropolitan area of Seattle.

I was done with my photoshoot, when I drove by this scene. Believe it or not, this wasn’t in a large park or along a hiking trail. This setting was literally along a major boulevard in Issaquah that had a nice pedestrian walkway winding along the boulevard with trees, grass and occasional areas to sit. I caught it out of the corner of my eye and thought about it as I continued to drive on down the road. A little voice had me turn around, find parking at a nearby shopping center and walk back to this bench to capture this shot.

Thoughts?

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This kind of says it all, but it’s something I try and keep in the forefront of my daily thoughts. Sharing your love could be acts of kindness to strangers, support for a friend or telling a love one how much you think of them. There’s enough negativity in the world and none of us are perfect, but sharing your love not only creates positive thoughts and feelings to the receiver, but in my mind comes back to you 10 fold in many ways. Thoughts?

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I have featured hot air balloons from my gallery here a number of times using actual photography and various digital painting styles. Today I wanted to feature three I created using a soft abstract watercolor technique and then going back in and drawing lines to create the shapes of the balloons.

Not shy with color, I love the end result! Thoughts?

Side Notes:

Those of you that follow my blog, I had mentioned that I would be off all of August after having total knee replacement surgery August 8th. Recovery and Physical Therapy has been going well. It’s a long and steady process over a number of months, but I am up and around…walking without assistance (no walker or cane). End of last week I was cleared to start driving (bummer…I was liking being chauffeured around by my wife). So, bottom line getting back in the swing of things!!
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As I stated two blogs ago, my wife and I were in Colorado for the first week of July. We were there to support our daughter by taking care of our granddaughter during the day for mom. Our daughter is in charge of shooting a multi episode show with her production company’s filming crew. Most of the filming was in and around an old historic mining town and it entailed long days for them. She and her husband had just gotten back from Europe and she didn’t want another week of missing her daughter. We gladly said we’d be more than happy to help out and it gave us the opportunity to show our granddaughter our old stomping grounds. We moved from the Denver area 30 years ago this fall to San Diego, so we welcomed the opportunity to spend some time in an area we love.

This weeks post is number 3 of 3 from Colorado. The first week was focused on the Lake Dillon area just west of the continental divide and last week the focus was Loveland Pass which goes over the continental divide. Heading west from Denver when we arrived, we followed Interstate 70 winding through the front range going to the Eisenhower Tunnel (under the continental divide) coming out to the valley with Lake Dillon. Last week found us heading back to the Denver area, but going over Loveland Pass which is the pass above the Eisenhower Tunnel. We thought it would be something our granddaughter would enjoy as it is so different than anything she has experienced (our granddaughter is still talking about the mountain she went to the top of when she was in Colorado). This week features downtown Denver as we spent the last few days of the week in a hotel that was incorporated into the old Union Station during a major remodel in 2014.

My wife and I worked in downtown Denver for a number of years prior to our move to San Diego. We were there during the “oil boom” of the 80’s. The downtown quadrant was a mass of cranes building many of the high-rise buildings you see today and it also saw the opening of the 16th Street Mall in 1982. We found it to be a very vibrant downtown and loved working there. The changes we saw in our time there was incredible, but I must say in the 30 years since then, what has been created and added makes it a very appealing urban center mixing large corporate headquarters with urban residential neighborhoods. Add to that, the inclusion of the major sports arenas (Broncos at Mile High Stadium, Coors Field and Pepsi Center), the Colorado Convention Center, the Downtown Aquarium, Children’s Museum, Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park pulling the downtown experience out to the bike paths/park along the South Platte River and Cherry Creek.

The first group of captures feature some of the many high-rise buildings….

…part of the 17th street financial district

I love this capture as it depicts old (Brown Palace Hotel) and new architecture. As you will see in following shots they have done a nice job of incorporating old buildings with the new. As I moved over to the 16th Mall that becomes more apparent and as I moved from the financial district down to the Union Station area.

When this high-rise was built in the 80’s we called it the cash register building due to the shape at the top. This building sits a couple of blocks from the State Capital on Broadway marking the eastern edge of downtown.

Here’s the 16 Street Mall looking westward towards Union Station. The pedestrian/transit mall runs from Broadway (Civic Center Plaza) to Union Station on the western end (1.25 miles/2k). Free shuttle buses run up and down the mall stopping on every block. On either end they go into an underground transit center for commuters to catch other buses to the Park and Rides located throughout the metropolitan area or in the case of the underground transit station under Union Station, you can connect to one of the many light-rail connections serving the metro area.

Notice the mix of architecture with new buildings and rehabbed old buildings.

This is the Daniels & Fisher Tower located along the mall. It was built as part of the Daniels & Fisher Department store and was the tallest building between the Mississippi River and California in 1911 when it was completed. The department store was bought by the May Company and in Denver their department stores were known as May D&F when we lived there.

On either end of the mall the transit lanes are side by side with plaza’s on the side for pedestrian traffic, but the middle of the mall has trees, benches, etc. for pedestrian traffic running down the middle.

When the mall opened in 1982, it only went to Larimer Street (Historic Larimer Square area) which is 4 blocks shy of Union Station. At that time past Larimer was just old warehouses and a plethora of train tracks clear over to the South Platte River.

This is the newly remodeled Union Station which houses The Crawford Hotel as well as being a large transit station. The train tracks I referred to above were removed and replaced with a mixed use development in 2012.

This is a large plaza that connects Union Station with the 16 Street Mall. Notice the mid-rise apts/condos rising behind the station.

Love the architecture that was preserved in the station.

This is the backside of the station where you catch one of the number of light rail connects as well as Amtrak. There is an escalator that connects the bus transit station from underground to the rail station. This place is really hopping during rush hour. Having said that the station is hopping at all hours as it is filled with the hotel, restaurants and bars.

Love the style of the platforms for the different train lines and again, notice the residential buildings in the neighbor west of the station.

I wrap up with a close up shot of one of the platforms and if you look real close you’ll see one of the light rail trains about three platforms over.

We ended our week with this and had a great time in Denver with our granddaughter and daughter. We took her to the Children’s Museum (awesome) and The Denver Botanic Gardens (huge). She loved the mall and the train station as well.

Side Notes:

My daughter asked me to play an extra in the episode they were filming here this week as a hunter in the woods coming across evidence of a missing person and then a scene where I am again in the woods but this time I’m a hand off for a case of uranium from a local mine (all based on a true story that I truly don’t know anything about). Oh baby….Kirt hits the big time!! Whenever this episode airs…I’m sure I’ll mention it!
I am scheduled for total knee replacement surgery 8/8 (40 years of running) and will not be on WordPress for the rest of August. I will ultimately need the other one done, but can’t wait to get going on the worst one. My wife went through this last year, so I’m aware of the fun times ahead….looking forward to being able to hike again!
Thoughts?

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As I stated last week, my wife and I were in Colorado for the first week of July. We were there to support our daughter by taking care of our granddaughter during the day for mom. Our daughter is in charge of shooting a multi episode show with her production company filming crew. Most of the filming was in and around an old historic mining town and it entailed long days for them. She and her husband had just gotten back from Europe and she didn’t want another week of missing her daughter. We gladly said we’d be more than happy to help out and it gave us the opportunity to show our granddaughter our old stomping grounds. We moved from the Denver area 30 years ago this fall to San Diego, so we welcomed the opportunity to spend some time in an area we love.

This weeks post is number 2 of 3 from Colorado. Last week was focused on the Lake Dillon area just west of the continental divide, with this week being Loveland Pass which goes over the continental divide. Heading west from Denver when we arrived, we followed Interstate 70 winding through the front range going to the Eisenhower Tunnel (under the continental divide) coming out to the valley with Lake Dillon as featured last week. This week finds us heading back to the Denver area, but going over Loveland Pass which is the pass above the Eisenhower Tunnel. We thought it would be something our granddaughter would enjoy as it is so different than anything she has experienced (our granddaughter is still talking about the mountain she went to the top of when she was in Colorado).

The highway winds its way up the western slope of the Continental Divide, climbing in altitude and bringing you above tree-line as you approach the pass. Tree-line in this part of the Rockies is approximately 11,500ft /3,500m.

As we wind our way near the pass, we have just climbed above the tree-line when i stopped to take this picture…please note the blue sky and puffy white clouds as I look west back towards the area we came from. I point this out as you will see dark storm clouds as my shots rotate to the east towards Denver (again typical afternoon thunderstorms for this time of year).

We arrive at Loveland Pass elevation 11,990ft / 3,655m to a crowd of folks enjoying the serenity and beauty of the 360 degree panorama. This capture is looking generally north. Please note the hiking trail as both sides of the highway have them leading to trails accessing the summits of nearby mountain peaks.

Looking slightly northwest as you see one of the trails wind its way across the top of the peaks.

This shot shows the parking lot and the hiking trail from the last picture. I added it because (and I get it’s hard to see) if you look at the ridge-line of the peak to the left of the obvious group of people going up the trail, you will see a few heads of hikers that are traversing this summit heading to the very top point.

This is the part of the Continental Divide that the Eisenhower Tunnel goes through………

This is the trail on the other side of the highway where I was taking pictures from. See the difference in the sky? This is looking southwest towards Colorado Springs along the base of the Rockies south of Denver….looks like they are getting some rain.

This is a capture of the west side of the pass and the highway we will be taking down to rejoin Interstate 70 heading into Denver. This is looking towards Denver and it looks like they are getting some rain also.

As we wind our way back towards tree line, I took this shot of the Loveland Ski area. It starts down by the Eisenhower tunnel and has ski slopes carved into the thick forest at lower elevations and also has runs above tree-line. Since it’s quick and easy to access from Denver, we spent many a day off skiing here.

Next week I’m going to post a blog highlighting downtown Denver. For most of the week we were staying in the mountains just west of Denver proper, but we did spend the last two days in downtown proper. Denver has a very dynamic downtown and has done an incredible job creating a true living/working core to this great city (ok, I’m biased…but it really is cool).

Thoughts?

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Last week my wife and I were in Colorado. I thought that over the next few weeks I would share some of the captures I acquired while we were there. This week I wanted to share pictures in the Lake Dillon area (officially called Dillon Reservoir, but I have always referred to it as Lake Dillon).

We were actually there to support our daughter by taking care of our granddaughter during the day for mom. Our daughter is in charge of shooting a pilot show with her filming crew for their production company. Most of the filming was in and around an old historic mining town and it entailed long days for them. She and her husband had just gotten back from Europe and didn’t want another week of missing her daughter. We gladly said we’d be more than happy to help out and it gave us the opportunity to show our granddaughter our old stomping grounds. We moved from the Denver area 30 years ago this fall to San Diego, so we welcomed the opportunity to spend some time in an area we love.

I’m going to share captures in the order of our trip with this being the first area followed by a group of captures from the top of Loveland Pass ending with downtown Denver.

Denver sits on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains with the city spreading north and south along the front range. Interstate 70 runs through the city coming from the east (Kansas and beyond). Taking it west, you immediately start climbing in altitude as you enter the extreme western suburbs. In the front range just west of Denver are a series of 14,000 ft peaks running north and south….this range is part of the continental divide for North America. As Interstate 70 winds its way through the foothills, it approaches the continental divide. Just under the continental divide is the Eisenhower Tunnel (approximately 1.5 miles/3km in length), bringing you out to a stunning valley on the western side where Lake Dillon is located. The area near Lake Dillon is also home to two major ski destinations…Keystone and the town of Breckinridge. So without further ado, I share 8 captures from this beautiful valley in the Colorado high country.

The place we stayed is up on a bluff with a spectacular view across the valley near the towns of Silverthorne and Dillon.

Interstate 70 is the line at the bottom of the cut in the rock heading west after leveling out in the valley coming down from the tunnel.

All of these shots were taken from the hotel property where we were staying. We really had a great panoramic view of the valley and all of the surrounding mountain ranges (a true 360 of mountains).

This is the boat dock area on the lake. On a side note the week we were in Colorado (early July) was a week of the infamous afternoon thunderstorms that are normal in the mountains and along the front range in Denver. You can see some of them building in the prior two captures and in the next one.

The lake captures were taken on our way back towards Denver taking the highway up to Loveland Pass over the continental divide instead of taking the tunnel back under it. I’m sharing a shoot I did on top of the pass next week.

I have to say our granddaughter was in awe with all of the snow capped mountains.

Thoughts?

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Anyone following my blog, knows that I like abstract art and bold colors. Today I wanted to share three prints using simple shapes with bright bold colors. I think they speak for themselves…..

Thoughts?

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One of my favorite lighthouses along the Oregon Coastline is the Heceda Head Lighthouse. From this perspective, you see the lighthouse out on the edge of a bluff and the caretakers house snuggled above a small beach. The caretakers house is closer to the Pacific Coast Highway, which follows this rugged coastline and presents this perfect view of the complex as you approach from the south.

In creating this print, I used a sketching technique with soft watercolors to present this as a casual look across a small harbor towards the complex.

This second print focuses on the lighthouse itself. Again, I used the same sketching technique creating this casual look.

Thoughts?

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The attached capture of a Pacific Ocean sunset is from Carlsbad, California. The coastal location of this capture was just a few miles west of where we lived for 24 years raising our family. It’s located in north San Diego County. Having been gone from area since 2013, my wife and I spent a week on the coast last October and this was one of the sunsets we were treated with.

I wanted to share the process I go through when one of my photographs or art prints inspires me to add an inspirational thought.

The first capture is the original one which shows the relationship between the coastal bluff and the sunset.

As I thought about using this as a basis for a print with an inspirational thought, I cropped the original shot eliminating the coastal bluff with the exception of the top of plant on that bluff. My next step was working with the message I had chosen, playing with putting it on the photograph using various fonts and font sizes. Upon finalizing (this process sounds simple, but trust me….I tend to turn it into a lengthy process trying a variety of fonts and sizes) this aspect, I then play with positioning. Positioning is another process of centering, not centering…splitting the verbiage up or keep it in one line, etc.

I chose these two sentiments simply because these are the two thoughts that came to mind when I was looking at this capture.

Thoughts?

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With the official start of summer today, what would be more appropriate than flowers from a summer garden? The two attached shots are from a beautiful flower garden located on the grounds of the Sharlot Hall Museum located in Prescott, Arizona. Welcome Summer!!!

Thoughts?

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I have been working on a series of art prints creating abstract sunsets, sunrises and the one I’m featuring today is a full moon rising. The series is a simplistic abstract approach to these subjects.

One of the features in Photoshop I use with creating these prints is layering. I create just portions of the entire subject on each layer and then “lay” them on top of each other for the final look. Todays blog takes you through each step as I layer what totals out to be 8 layers to create “Full Moon Rising”. Full Moon Rising shows the rising moon coming up over a mountain range and is reflected in a mountain lake.

The base layer is called the background layer and is totally white. So starting with the “1st” layer on top of the base, I am creating the sky using a blue tone that I created by drawing a large rectangle filling the top half of the print and filling it with blue. I then used a gradient tool that filters the blue going light to dark (or visa versa) from the horizon line to the top of the page.

Layer 2 is adding the same rectangle and reversing the gradient tool filling the bottom half of the piece.

Layer 3 is the addition of white stars on the bottom half. The stars are drawn on a “blank” layer and by adding it next over the the previous layer all that shows are the stars.

Layer 4 is the addition of the rising moon as a full circle of color. Again, the layer is “blank’ with the exception of the round moon, so when it is layered on top of all the other layers…all that shows is the addition of the yellow circle.

Layer 5 adds an identical circle below the first one to prepare for the reflection in the mountain lake.

Layer 6 adds the mountain range as a black silhouette across the top starting with the horizon line. The mountain range was inspired by the view we had from our house in Arizona of the Estrella Mountains using the same cragginess and various peaks of that range.

Layer 7 duplicates the mountain range upside down to continue the look of a reflection in a mountain lake.

End result – Full Moon Rising – a simplistic abstract look!

Thoughts?

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Seems like kind of a strange thing to create art prints with an old world gothic look using current tropical resorts, but there is a method to the madness or a reason I went down this road.

A number of years ago I toured this old historic victorian mansion in a midwestern town and let me just say it was truly a very large mansion. It serves as a museum with the house furnished as it was in its’ glory years. The decor is very formal and truly stunning throughout. The surprise factor was in the basement. The original owners loved to travel to the tropics and had a large bar (almost cantina in size) decorated in an old world tropical motif. What does that mean you might ask. The furnishings, including the artwork reflected a tropical paradise, but not in bright tropical colors. The color scheme was earth tones reflecting a look you would expect from an era of old worldwide explorers. The art work was all done in a “gothic style” from the middle ages. The whole look worked really well in creating a very subdued, casual and inviting atmosphere. That look really stuck in my head all these years.

So, fast forward to current times and I have taken that same look using a “gothic” technique on scenes from various resorts we have visited over the last number of years. I attached five prints created using this technique.

Thoughts?

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On most of my work, as part of the creative process, I create my subject matter using different techniques to see which presentation I like the best. As is true with a number of my prints, I can never quite settle on just one look. A perfect example of this are the three different prints I have attached based around the same bird of paradise.

All three looks came from one drawing. I created this bird of paradise bloom by using a pen and ink style. This style creates the black outline and accent points of this flower. From there I created the first print which was Bird Of Paradise Abstract Watercolor. I added the color using a style that almost looks like it was sprayed….a very light and loose watercolor style that not only puts the color in the subject but also “outside the lines” to create a more abstract look. I liked the result and kept this as one of the final prints.

The next step I took was to use this same print, but this time I cleaned up the colors “outside the lines” creating Tropical Bird of Paradise Watercolor (notice the background color stays the same). I liked this result also and this as one of my prints.

The third process was a multitude of attempts using various techniques to create different brush strokes using the second print as a basis. Looking at the different results, I Iiked this look the most creating A Bird Of Paradise Bloom.

Thoughts?

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This week I’m going back to a subject I feature periodically and that’s hot air balloons. Having been fortunate enough to live in a couple of locations that have hot air balloons frequently, I have seen many different balloons during various stages of flight. This week I wanted to feature three balloons I have done using a simplistic abstract approach. All three are inspired by a “Desert Glow” event we went to in the Phoenix area a few years back. Fully inflated balloons are tethered to the ground after the sun sets. As the sky darkens, the balloons illuminate themselves as they turn their flames on and off to music….incredible sight to see. Keeping true to the dark background of night, I kept the colors of the balloons bright as the envelopes are lit up by the flame at the base. The simplicity of this technique allows the eye to focus on the color of the balloon envelopes.

With this technique, I start with ink strokes creating the envelopes of the balloon and the basket. I use strokes of different widths to keep it more suggestive rather than just a linear sketch. Using the same technique, I add just enough at the bottom to suggest a crowd of people and keep a focus on the flame itself. The fun part is recreating the colorful designs of various balloon envelopes I encountered at this event. Of course I was going to replicate the balloon with the large Saguaro Cactus on it since this was inspired by an Arizona event.

Thoughts?

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(To see all art prints, click on More Info, which will take you to the original WordPress Blog Post with both prints)


This week I wanted to feature two prints that highlight the colors of Arizona. Both scenes say “Arizona” because of the subject matter, but I wanted to highlight the colorful beauty that is seen in each of these locations. I used a fauvism technique (if you follow my blog and/or work, you are familiar with my use of this technique to create a somewhat colorful and abstract look) to highlight the tones and hues that nature provides.

The first print is the Grand Canyon. I used a lookout point as a portion of the foreground to add dimension and drama to the scene. You get a true sense of depth looking from the foreground out across the canyon. The ribbons of color from the different layers of rock strata are accentuated via bright colors and the bold brush strokes.

The second print features a saguaro cactus native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and the state of Sonora in Mexico. The sky becomes the colorful focal point in this print as either a sunrise or sunset can light up the desert with bright, vidid colors. Again, the strong brush strokes accent the colorful sky with a typical desert setting in the foreground.

Thoughts?

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Day in and day out each of us have so many things going on albeit it physically or mentally. It is usually what needs to get done or what do I need to accomplish today. It can be your mind racing about current issues in your life or stressing about the future….it’s a multitude of ongoing things. When I feel myself getting a bit overwhelmed, I remind myself to pause, take a deep breath and quiet my mind. I like to picture myself hiking one of my favorite trails in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest….the peace and quiet of the forest takes over…….

Thoughts?

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From my post a few weeks ago of the door at the Glendale Train Station in the Los Angeles area, I featured an example of Spanish Revival architecture. Continuing on that same vein, I wanted to feature another structure in California that was built in the same tine frame with the same style. In my attached sketches I have include three art prints that feature the Museum of Man in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. Built for the Panama – California Exposition (1915-1916) in Balboa Park, this style of architecture is prominent throughout the park. I chose to feature the Museum of Man, as it stands out so prominently as a representation of this style.

For those of you not familiar with the history of Balboa Park in San Diego, here’s a link to their main site: Balboa Park. The park features numerous museums, restaurants and the world famous Old Globe Theater and sits right next to the San Diego Zoo. Having raised our family in San Diego, needless to say we visited the park and the zoo numerous times over the years.

So the prints I decided to feature start with the main entrance to The Museum of Man. This sketch shows the ornate architectural detail just above the main entrance.

The next sketch shows the top of the tower connected to the museum…..

And this last sketch shows the entire tower along with the dome to the Old Globe Theater.

Thoughts?

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In keeping with the theme from last weeks post, this week I’m featuring some more abstract prints. All four of these prints have a common theme…..foggy coastal sunsets!! You’re looking at these prints thinking….really?….these are sunsets?

It began on a trip my wife and I took up the coast of California and Oregon. It was in the fall and as seasonal temperatures change along the coastline, it’s not unusual to have fog role in about the same time as the sun sets. What was really interesting to me was the way the colors changed as the sun would come and go through the fog as it settled on the horizon. You go from a very strong gray to small burst of light creating moments of unique colors through the fog onto the beach. Some of the moments were very subtle and some were muted bright colors. I took a number of shots every evening to have a point of reference in what I wanted to create in the way of different abstract prints. Using digital drawing and painting I created these four prints.

(to see all of the prints, click on more info....that will take you to the original blog post on Wordpress)


Thoughts?

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Anyone who follows my work knows that I like abstract techniques with bright bold colors (ok and I love black and white photography….go figure that juxtaposition). Anyway, today I wanted to feature a soft and subtle look in my abstract art collection.

These particular three prints (to see all prints, click on "more information" and it will take you to the original blog post on Wordpress) are some of my favorites with their soft subtle shapes and subdued colors. They create a contemporary effect, but without jumping out at you and demanding your attention. These types of prints quietly grow on you and slowly bring your eye in. I created all three of them by starting with some digital ink sketching of long lines and small geometric shapes and then adding color as I thought would work with the various shapes.

The first one is “Touch of Purple”, using that color as a focal point and allowing your eye to drift slowly across the “canvas”.

The next print was created using the same technique, but this time I stayed with general triangular shapes and no bold color, just soft hues of mostly yellow and gold. I always saw it as a pairing with the third one keeping the color hues the same.

In this third one, I used a variety of geometric shapes, but kept them tied together creating a singular focal point.

Thoughts?

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Can you guess what type of building this door is on?

I wanted to share a photograph from a shoot I did in 2017. I was in the area of this door the other day and remembered I had done a photoshoot of the building a few years back, so I went digging through my archives and found the shoot. I had done the shoot as a spur of the moment thing while I was out doing another shoot. The other shoot that I was focused on at the time took me by this location and I thought I should capture the unique architectural details of this structure.

From this shoot, I narrowed everything down to this particular capture as it speaks volumes of architectural details and anyone who has been following my work, knows I love unique styles and details on buildings. The structure was built in 1924 in a romantic Spanish Colonial Revival style. The building was then sold to the current owner in 1989. I love this door and the unique detail is so beautiful. I have passed through this facility numerous times over the last 20+ years and always admired the beauty of this main door.

Figure it out? It’s the main door to the Glendale, California Train Station. The station is the first stop heading north out of Union Station (another beautiful building) in downtown Los Angeles. The station serves the Amtrak Surfliner (runs north and south numerous times daily from downtown San Diego in the south and ultimately San Francisco to the north. The station also serves numerous Metrolink (Los Angeles metropolitan area commuter trains) running north into the San Fernando Valley and south into Los Angeles Union Station for additional connections.

The original facility was built by Southern Pacific Railroad and sold to the city of Glendale in 1989. For additional information from Wikipedia, click HERE!


Thoughts?

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(To see all attached prints, click on more information. That link will take you to the original Wordpress Blog Post.)

Sometimes the simple approach to a print is the best way to go, whether that is the composition of the subject or the subject itself. If you look at still life art prints, the subject matter is usually very simplistic like a bowl of fruit or floral arrangement. In composing the piece, the artist or photographer keeps the print clear of unrelated objects to allow the visual focus on the main subject.

In taking this approach with other items, you can create art prints or photographs that have a very defined visual focus to tell a story. The manner in which the presentation is created can also help keep the focus on the subject or object you are presenting, by creating an overall mood or look.

I have attached two samples to highlight what I’m referring to. The first example is a bookcase located in a log cabin from the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona. By it’s very nature there is a lot of objects in this print, but by keeping the composition of the presentation limited to the bookcase, you have simplified that aspect. To further tone down the variety of objects, I chose a sketching technique to soften the presentation. The overall result is a more simplistic presentation with a simple subject matter.

The second attachment has less subject matter to begin with and the composition keeps the eye focused on this part of the log cabin. By having a suggestion of a window with a small desk and chair between that and a door, it creates a small intimate space where you can imagine someone working at the desk. The sketching technique softens the overall look, creating a simplistic warm and inviting visual effect.

Thoughts?

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(To see all of the prints, click on more information. That link will take you to the original post in Wordpress)

Carrying on from last weeks post, I wanted to share some more flamingo prints. Last October I shared a series of flamingos that I created using an impasto technique. This particular series uses an abstract watercolor technique with the same ink pen drawings of a flamingo as an overlay on the abstract watercolor background.

To create the watercolor background, I used (digital) a brush that creates an almost airbrushed look with a variety of colors. Then using an ink pen “brush”, I drew the flamingos on top of the colorful background.

Thoughts?

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(To see both prints, click on additional information link and it will take you to the original blog post on Wordpress)
I’ve been working on some of my “animal shots” from the Los Angeles Zoo. I worked both the giraffes and flamingos into abstract sunset features for a children’s book I’m working on (click on the link back to that post). Today I’m sharing one of a giraffe and a flock of flamingos where I used a very traditional oil painting style, which is a 180 from the prior look I created with them.

I was testing several different styles as I was doing the abstract approach and as part of that process created these two prints. Although not what I was looking for in the project, I actually liked the final result on these two prints for completely different reasons. I think a lot of animals make great subjects for photography and art prints and can be presented in different manners depending on the look you like and/or need.

Thoughts?

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(To see both art prints featured, click on more info...it will take you to the actual Blog Post on Wordpress)

I wanted to liven it up a bit this week so I’m posting some abstract style prints featuring “Street Scenes”. Anyone who follows my work knows I love bright colors and abstract styles in a lot of my prints, so this week I am featuring two where I used a fauvism approach.

The first print is Whistler, British Columbia. Whistler is so pedestrian friendly and the capture depicts one of the main streets in the village during the “off-season” (non-skiing time of year). The fauvism approach brings surreal colors in abstract type shapes. In this print that really pulls-out and highlights architectural elements with the pedestrians more a secondary feature.

The second print does the opposite. The color and abstract approach highlights the crowded pedestrian traffic in a square near the sports stadiums in lower downtown Seattle. Again, I love the surreal colors making the print a very interesting visual experience.


Thoughts?

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(To see all of the pictures referred to, click on "more information" and the link will take you to the original blog post on Wordpress)

When you go with a monochrome presentation of a picture, you are presenting a scene, structure or object in tones of a singular color. I use black and white presentations usually to create a mood. In a sepia tone presentation it usually creates a “vintage” look since we associate that color tone to old-fashioned pictures. To illustrate this, I chose three shots of a subject that I have done in black and white and sepia tone.

The first picture is of Cape Blanco Lighthouse along the Oregon coastline.

The second capture is of an adobe located on the grounds of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.

And the third shot is of a barn nestled in a valley in Iowa.

Thoughts?

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(Click the link to see the full blog with all of the pictures)
I was working with some new equipment this week and decided to test some things out with a quick photo shoot. I didn’t get any further than our front and back yard. This time of year Camellia’s are in full bloom and the house we have in Los Angeles happens to have a few mature Camellia trees. I have always admired the blooms from our daughters garden here in Los Angeles. This is the time of year they come into full bloom and they do make for great macro shots.

The first picture gives you a feel for the various stages of bloom the trees are in at this time of year. You can see buds from the formation stage through the various stages of opening up including full bloom.

This bloom is just opening up and as you can see is a bright red blossom. This bloom comes from a neighboring tree to the one above.

From the same tree as picture number two, red blossom fully opened.

A completely different tree with soft pink blooms.

End of day sunlight hitting this bloom….

Same late day sun, but back to the first tree which has pink and white blooms.

Thoughts?

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I have attached two sketched scenes I created from a trip we took a few years ago to Henry Island in the Pacific Northwest. We were staying with our daughter and her husband in Seattle and were headed to Henry Island where our son-in-law’s family had a couple of homes. To get to Henry Island, we took a ferry from Anacortes, Washington to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. We then drove across the island to Roche Harbor where their was a family boat docked for the final leg of the journey over to Henry Island.

The first art print represents the scene I saw as we came into Friday Harbor, which is on San Juan Island. The second art print was a sailboat I saw as we headed back going by Lopez island. It was a beautiful day for sailing.

Thoughts?

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I wanted to feature this print for a couple of reasons…the first is that winter definitely has a grip on large portions of the US and Canada as we head into the last week of January and the second is the verse itself.

I like this verse as it reminds me in layman’s terms to follow my gut….listen to that voice within to guide you. I can reflect back over my life and so many times I have followed that inner voice when I have needed guidance facing major choices, even when that voice was directing me to something that didn’t make sense or wasn’t the logical choice. I found that things opened up as situations I knew nothing of led to doors opening I never knew existed and if I had gone the other way (logical in my opinion), events changed to where that direction would have been a dead-end. Even when personal tragedies occurred throughout my life, that inner voice would get me to just put one foot in front of the other and keep going. We all face these issues and obstacles as we journey forward on this walk called life.

I like this reminder of faith, faith in purpose and faith in the direction that has been given to me. None of us really know what is right around the bend and we spend way too much time and energy worrying about it. The faith part keeps you focused on the present and gives you reassurance you are being kept on the right path.

Thoughts?

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I have been working on a project for a client encompassing abstract sunsets and now sunrises. I am featuring three of my most recent art prints, two are with the sunsets and the third is the first of some sunrises. I featured the first three sunsets I created for the project last September in two different posts. One featuring a lighthouse and another a sailboat and then the post about our moving back to Southern California, leaving the Arizona desert behind, which was a group of Saguaros in the desert at sunset.

If you follow my blog you will remember that the move was precipitated because our granddaughter and her parents were expecting a little brother for her….which fast forward…happened this last week. Our grandson was born last Monday 10 days early and when he decided he wanted to come into the world…he wasted no time…very quick delivery. Mom, Dad and grandson are doing great as are his grandparents.

So back to the project, I had a client who wanted a series of abstract sunsets and sunrises done in this abstract style with a variety of subject matters. From my moving post, I put eyes and smiles on the cactus, which prompted a comment from one of my blog followers (yes, Brad that was you!!) about using them in a children’s book. At the time I had actually just finished a children’s book, which I wrote for my granddaughter and had my niece (great artist) illustrate it. I casually mentioned Brad’s comment to a source who helped me with the first book and they encouraged me to pursue it. So, as I complete the initial request, I am already planning on what “tweaks” I want to make and how that would fit in a children’s book. So, more on that as I go forward, but more importantly I wanted to thank Brad for his comment and let him know how it is being played forward (the power of positive input).

With these three, the first one is Serengeti Sunset with a group of giraffes on the Serengeti at sundown. With the sun on the horizon, I chose to stay close to primary colors creating a bold look, but darkened and softened the orange and yellow as they pulled up and down from the horizon line. I did the three giraffes in black silhouette to complete the look of this abstract representation. The digital drawing of the silhouette figures in all three prints looks simple, but trust me the drawing is very tedious and time consuming done digitally (if only I had the drawing gift free hand).

The next art print called Mountain Sunset is done using the same general technique with the bright primary colors filling the sky.

The third one is done using the same concept, but to depict a sunrise, I changed the sky to blue to create a different look. This one features Flamingos feeding under palm trees.

Thoughts?

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Every time I capture an image that I think would look good in a painted type format (digitally created), I usually try a few different versions to determine what presentation looks best. Each style creates a completely different look of the same subject matter. As an example I have attached three styles I used on a roadside cafe in New England.

The first example is a very subtle impasto style. Usually with the impasto style the brush strokes are bold a colorful. In this case, I toned the brush strokes down to a very subtle look.

In this next version I went with an old world “Gothic” style, which stays with strong earth tones.

The last example is a fauvism style, which creates abstract oriented shapes and surreal colors.

Same setting, completely three different looks. You may or may not like any of the looks which is ok…art is interpreted by the viewer and we all have different tastes. From my perspective I try to narrow it down to the presentation I think tells the best story and sometimes I simply can’t narrow it down to just one as I like the presentations each style presents.

Thoughts?

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About 3.5 years ago, I featured a sketched art print of the Mukilteo Lighthouse, which was just the lighthouse structure itself. I had also sketched a different perspective of the compound that I did not include in that post. I had almost forgotten about that particular viewpoint until I came across it the other day. The photograph it was based on was taken as the ferry from Whidbey Island, Washington was docking at Mukilteo (Mukilteo is north of Seattle and south of Everett). The structures look like little doll houses and you actually have all three structures in this print. The two little “homes” actually flag the small lighthouse. I really liked the perspective of this composition and the sketching technique as it creates a rustic and romantic look.

The lighthouse is a working lighthouse with the ferry dock right next door and sits on Possession Sound. The structure was opened in 1906 and for more information on Wikipedia, click here.

Thoughts?

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“Since 1890, the Tournament of Roses has produced America’s New Year Celebration, bringing the traditions of the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game to Pasadena and the world for nearly 130 years.” (website: here)
In honor of this event every New Year and because we now live close to Pasadena, I thought I would honor this tradition with prints of rose blooms and believe it or not, our roses are in bloom throughout our yard. Happy New Year and here’s to a great 2019 for you and yours!!

Thoughts?

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In creating abstract art, I like to take simple subjects and create bright colorful art prints. I have attached four art prints that started as simple linear architectural lines. I used a fauvism technique which lends itself to abstract art with bold surreal colors and exaggerated shapes.

The first print is architectural detail around windows on a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The second art print comes from the same home…

the third art print is a row of flood gates along a river…

and the final print is an old railroad car.

Thoughts?

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I have featured Hot Air Balloons a few times on this blog. I find them fascinating and have presented them in a variety of fashions from colorful abstracts to actual photography. Today I am featuring four art prints where I used a “gothic” technique that replicates an oil painting style of that same name. For us today in paintings, the style generally creates an old world look with rich and warm earth-tone colors that we generally associate with medieval Europe into the renaissance period.

I did this series for a client a number of years ago and featured one of the prints (not one I am posting today) back in 2014. I liked the series so much I ended up using it in one of our guest rooms.

Thoughts?

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As a departure from last weeks black and white photography, this week I want to look at a very colorful sky I created as a backdrop to the Seattle skyline. Using a fauvism technique to create the bright colored sky and abstract look, I have attached two art prints that are just slightly different.

In the first print “Space Needle Colorful Sky”, I centered the Space Needle as a focal point with the buildings of downtown part of the background.

In the second print “Space Needle Fauvism Style”, I put the Space Needle off-center to the right to allow the downtown buildings to become more prominent in the overall look.

My initial reaction between the two was the Space Needle centered, but then I was pulled to the Space Needle on the right side for the reasons I stated…..Thoughts?

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After the last few posts of fall colors, I’m doing a 180 with something I’ve talked about before and wanted to revisit with a couple of great examples in “setting the mood” with black and white photography.

I’ve attached a shot I call “Farm Water Pump”. The subject matter of the pump is not the first thing you see, but does pull your eye into the photo of an old fashion water pump on a farm just in front of some stables. The lack of color sets a subdued mood that works well with this type of composition.

I have also attached a shot I call ” Heritage Hill Mansion in Black and White”. The subject matter in this particular shot fills the field of vision with old Victorian architecture. Seeing this same shot in color focuses the eye on the intricacies of the architecture like a ginger bread house. By presenting this same composition in black and white, the visual mood created is an almost “haunting” look to this structure.

Not everyone is a fan of black and white photography, but don’t discount it in presenting certain types of compositions as it does create a mood. Thoughts?

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I’ve attached four photos I took from a short hike I took on the Riverfront Trail in Snohomish, Washington (Snohomish…the town of…sits just north of the Seattle metropolitan area in Snohomish County).

I took a long flight of stairs down to the walk from the Historic Downtown District with features a number of antique shops, great restaurants and bars in old historic buildings along 1st Street. The Snohomish River was running high after a number of days of rain which had been especially heavy in the Cascade Mountain Range where the river originates. The river winds itself through the county and town on it’s journey west meeting the Possession Sound by Everett, Washington.

The skies cleared with sunshine providing great light on fall foliage along the walkway.

Loved the look of the bridge from the trail…..

The retaining wall on the right has engraved plaques of the town history along with a line that marks the high point of the river crest during a flood a number of years back.

Thoughts?

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As a follow-up to last weeks post of fall colors from the Pacific Northwest, I have attached six shots I took last weekend while we were there. We had a great weekend and from a weather perspective we thought it was perfect (which to us is light rain most of the weekend). That may sound strange, but we haven’t seen rain since early August when our community in Goodyear, Arizona was impacted by a very strong monsoon thunderstorm and now that we are back in Southern California, no rain in sight. So, for us…we loved it…not to mention the time spent with two of or daughters and their husbands…perfect!

During a break in a light drizzle with sun trying to peek out, I went for a hike to capture the attached….

Thoughts?

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With this weeks post, I wanted to share some fall colors from the Seattle area since these colors aren’t prominent in Southern California and because we are currently up in the Seattle area for a quick weekend…..hope to get more shots!!

Love the picnic table under the tree by the tracks. It adds a point of interest in an otherwise very linear capture with the trees and tracks lined up parallel to each other.

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Today I wanted to feature two pictures of the same subject matter, but from different perspectives and how that can create an entirely different result.
(To see both pictures, click on additional information to go to the original blog post on Wordpress)

Guess what…same structure. When you see a subject matter that intrigues you, don’t hesitate to take shots from different angles and distances. This particular building is an old adobe ranch house located on the grounds of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. I applied a digital watercolor technique to soften both of them up.

Thoughts?

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In staying with the subject matter of lasts weeks post about our week in San Diego County, I have attached four pictures that tell the weather story of the week. The beginning of the week started with storm clouds and dreary weather. There was what was left of a hurricane and now a tropical depression to the west of the Baja in Mexico that was changing course and heading towards the Baja Peninsula and eventually the Desert Southwest of the US grazing Southern California in the process. Having lived in San Diego for over 24 years and then Arizona for the last 5, not anything unusual and actually kind of welcome rain for the desert. This particular storm brought drizzle and light rain to the San Diego area and multiple inches of rain to Arizona. Having said all of that, it moved quickly and I was able to get some before and after pictures along the beach where we were staying. The pictures present two totally different aspects of beach life in San Diego County.

The first two say to me….”beach season over”…”pack it up and get the heck inside”. The clouds give such an ominous look to the coastline. Both shots are looking southward towards the city of San Diego.

Then just a couple of days later, I took the following two pictures. (click link for more info to go to original post on Wordpress)

Looking south towards the city of San Diego. You can actually see the bluffs of La Jolla on the horizon.

This capture is looking north towards Oceanside and the mountain ridge in Camp Pendleton leading into Orange County and Los Angeles.

Thoughts?

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After spending the month of September unpacking (yes, we have a lot of stuff), my wife and I took an R&R and spent last week at the beach in San Diego County. We had a place in Carlsbad where we stayed with a fabulous ocean view. I have attached two shots I took of two separate sunsets.

The lighting obviously is different between 1 and 2 with the first sunset captured as the sun emerged from behind a cloud versus the second sunset which was taken as dusk had settled in and the last sliver of the sun was ready to slip below the horizon

Having lived and raised our family in San Diego County for 24 years, we spent the week catching up with old friends, former co-workers and employees. My sister and her husband also live in the county, so was great spending time with them. It dawned on us that we did have an ocean view from our house (albeit 3.5 miles inland), but nothing compares to having the ocean at your door step so to speak. Was fun sleeping at night listening the sound of the surf and getting up each morning with surfers flocking to the beach to catch some waves before starting their day.

We left almost 6 years ago and have been back a couple of times for family functions with my sister, but it just felt calming being back in the “hood” where we had lived so long. I will be sharing a number of shots from that week over the next few.

For those of you geographically curious, you probably know San Diego lies south of Los Angeles (120 miles) and is adjacent to the Mexican border. What you may not know is that it’s the 8th largest city in the United States and the 2nd largest city in California. That last fact surprises most people as they assume San Francisco is. The Bay Area surpasses the metropolitan area of San Diego by a long shot, but San Francisco (the city of) doesn’t encompass the population you would think. The county itself follows the Pacific Coastline on the west and includes a mountain range on the east. The city proper encompasses a large portion of the county but there are numerous towns along the coastline going north to Camp Pendelton such as Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside and then inland along the northern tier.

One more fun fact: San Diego Bay is the site of the first European setting foot on what is now known as the West Coast of The United States.

Thoughts?

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While helping Mom and Dad introduce our granddaughter to animals at the Los Angeles Zoo last fall, the Flamingos caught my attention. I have always loved the look of Flamingos and their coloring. Looking at some of the images I took from a photo shoot, I visualized them in a unique abstract colorful form. I started by drawing the Flamingos in various stages of walking and feeding. I then filled the forms with a variety of vibrant colors. I took those creations and ran them through a digital painting process that creates strong “impasto style” brush stokes. The attached art prints are the resulting images.

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This week I am featuring two art prints I created representing some of the palm trees surrounding a small lake in Papago Park which is located in Phoenix, Arizona. Papago Park has a very unique history starting with being named a reservation for local Maricopa and Pima aboriginal Americans in 1879. In 1914 it was designated a National Monument and that designation was later rescinded in 1930. During the Great Depression, the state established a fish hatchery on the land (thus the lakes that are still here today) and during WWII it housed a POW camp. Ultimately the land was sold to the city of Phoenix in 1959 and currently is home to the Desert Botanical Garden, The Phoenix Zoo and the park itself with hiking trails and unique red rock geological features.

Walking around one of the lakes I was mesmerized by the palm trees lining one of the lakes and chose to recreate the scene using a digital painting technique that was true to the colors and shapes I was seeing.

Thoughts?

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I’m featuring four art prints this week that I created from a photo shoot I did a couple of years ago from a visit my wife and I took to San Antonio. I hadn’t been to the River Walk since I was a young adult and my wife had never been. We had business in Austin and since the two cities are only about an hour and a half apart, we took a day for me to introduce her to the infamous River Walk. From that shoot, I used a two different watercolor techniques to soften up the images.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting the River Walk, it is along the San Antonio River in downtown San Antonio. It sits about one story below street level and winds throughout the downtown area. When you descend onto the River Walk, it feels like you have just entered another world. The hustle and bustle of street traffic disappears to the quiet of a peaceful river walk lined with restaurants and shops.

The first two pictures I created using a slightly abstract watercolor technique that creates small abstract shapes to “paint” the picture. They give you a better perspective of the walkway as it winds along both sides of the river. Love the trees as they shade all of the outdoor cafes.

The last two pictures, I used a more traditional watercolor technique giving you a view of two different outdoor cafes.

Thoughts?

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I use the sepia filter in my photography for old vintage subjects to reinforce the historic look. Today I am featuring two covered wagons I came across in Oregon when I was doing a photoshoot of covered bridges. They were on the grounds of a local museum and of course I couldn’t resist the opportunity to shoot them. Presenting them using sepia tone to duplicate the old chemical process in developing film seemed an obvious choice for the subject matter.

As I looked at these covered wagons, I couldn’t help but think how it would have been traveling cross-country in this type of transportation. To traverse across vast distances of landscape with your family and all your belongings for months, to start a new life blows my mind.

As a child, I can remember loading up the family station wagon, (mom, dad and four kids) traveling from the midwest to visit relatives in California. I can recall that we would always drive the desert stretch at night since this was before air conditioning was common in cars (ok…I’m old). We did eventually get a new station wagon during those years that had AC and us kids thought we were in heaven during those later trips.

I applaud our forefathers in the eastern parts of the United States and Canada that headed west in both countries with this mode of transportation. Some settled in the plains and others continued westward through the Rocky Mountains to settle in the far west of both countries.

(on a side note: for those of you that follow my blog…after two weeks as I write this, we just today finished unpacking all boxes from our move… it has been a grueling but wonderful two weeks. We have had the pleasure of “much” time with our granddaughter, our daughter and son-in-law!! After getting everything set up in the house, we now have a garage full of furniture and assorted storage boxes that will find their way into a storage unit. We downsized with the move, but have a number of “heirloom” furniture pieces from my wife’s family and mine that that we will use in our next move to Seattle in about three years. What I haven’t shared is that in May, my wife had knee replacement surgery and then during recovery found out a prior injury months before surgery was actually a bone fracture in same foot as knee surgery. Bottom line…she is now in a “boot”, but has she let that slow her down in unpacking, etc…nope!! Bless happy hour and wine…wine mostly me!!)

Thoughts?

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With the post from last week, I used a desert sunset with saguaro cacti that I created using the same technique that I used originally with these two art prints. Using a few of the filters on Photoshop, I originally created a background where the top half of the picture was sky and the bottom half of the picture was ocean. I used the gradient filter to take the sky and the ocean from light to dark at the horizon line. I then drew the lighthouse and sailboat and filled them with black to look like a silhouette against the background. The look is very abstract and the simplicity with the colors creates a unique look.
Thoughts?

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One of my personal prayers each morning and I thought this capture with the sunlit background made a great match….

Thoughts?

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Over the years, I have featured a number of prints from my Hot Air Balloons Gallery. I love hot air balloons and especially love to create prints that are not typical for them. You usually see pictures of the balloons floating in the sky, but I like a different approach. I find the process of preparing these big, bright, beautiful balloons fascinating. Watching them get unpacked, stretched out and then inflated creates an interesting visual experience which I have tried to capture. Over the years I have used a variety of techniques in my presentations. Today, I am using a technique that creates a slightly abstract approach, using bold ink pen strokes to outline the balloons and then filling in with bright colors and strong brush strokes. Thoughts?

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Using a sketching technique, I created these two prints of a patio done in a Spanish theme. I like the softness the color sketching creates allowing the eye to see detail on specific subject and softening the edges keeps the eye more centrally focused on the specific subject matter.

The setting is an outdoor patio/kitchen located in Los Angeles. The door is from a very old building and was repurposed for this project. The table is black metal and the top is inlaid with tile matching the color scheme of the tile work above the fireplace. What you can’t see is a grill and separate smoker lining the side on your right and a large screen TV on the wall to your left. The entire patio is covered by a pergola to create shade from the sun.

Ok, so that’s the lay of the land if you will, so back to the prints. I have talked about framing a photograph or art print in such a way that you create focus on the visual aspects that you want to convey. I am presenting two very similar art prints, yet both create a slightly different sense because of what I have left in or taken away. In the first one “The Spanish Patio”, you have a bit more sense of the door, fireplace and table being a part of something bigger. This is created because the stone wall to the right of the door is shown with a hint of a large potted plant. Very subtle, but gives the impression of more there then just the door, fireplace and table.

In this second print “The Fireplace, Table and Chair”, the focus is clearly just these three subjects. This presentation is my preference for that very reason.

What I wanted to do was show two slightly different presentations of the same general subject matter so you can make your own assessment comparing the two. I believe they do tell slightly different stories for the reasons I have stated…..Thoughts?

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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).


Thoughts?

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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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Here in the United States, we celebrate Memorial Day the last weekend in May. It is a national holiday to honor our fallen soldiers. Since it is a three-day weekend, it also has become the unofficial beginning of summer and summer activities. As we honor our fallen, we also celebrate life with family and friends and for many parts of the country it is a time to finally get out and celebrate sunshine and outdoor activities. I was fortunate enough to be in New England a few years back at this time of the year. I can’t help but think of the scene I have featured here when I think of this three-day weekend. Boating, fishing and enjoying the great outdoors.

I created these two prints using an abstract watercolor technique. This particular technique creates sharp lines and shapes. With the detail of the masts, I wanted to keep them and the harbor as the focal point. What you are seeing is two, two mast boats side by side in both prints.

I love the majesty of these boats and can only image the splendor with their sails unfurled.

Thoughts?

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(FULL BLOG ON MY WORDPRESS BLOG PER THE WEB LINK)

I can honestly say I haven’t really ever tried to take pictures of fog….not saying I haven’t, but just not actively sought it out as a subject matter. Having lived here in the desert Southwest for over 4 years , I have almost forgotten what it looks like. Our house in San Diego was just three miles off the coast, so very familiar with it for all of those 20+ years we lived there. Having said all of that, these three art prints have that item in common…they all have fog in the composition of the setting. Not “oops” I can’t see anything fog, but subtle mood setting hints of fog. All three of these scenes were created from photographs where I used a classic watercolor technique to soften them up to complement the fog feature.

This first scene is along the Oregon coastline and the fog was just lifting from the surf as you can see along the top of the frame and also along the bluffs in the background.

This next feature is the entrance to a fishing harbor along the New England coastline. Again, the fog isn’t prominent in the scene, but sets a tone in the background against the trees.

This last picture takes us back to Oregon, where the low-lying fog was burning off above this farm. It had been a morning of light rain, when the clouds started to break up. The farm actually caught my attention, but when I realized I also was capturing the fog drifting over the field, knew it was a perfect combo.

In all three, the fog adds a feel and look to the final scene that would convey an entirely different message without it. Thoughts?

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This simple message has been true throughout human history. It seems so relevant today with all of the negativity and anger we are exposed to daily, but the reality is….that environment has been with mankind always. None of us are perfect and we all have our agendas, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a step back and hear a message we were given long ago.

Love is very powerful, even amongst the chaos of negativity. I chose these two pictures to use with an overlay of this message as a perfect fit. I took both shots as summer afternoon monsoon thunderstorms were dying down here in the Arizona desert and the sun was setting. Both shots depict a small clearing in the sky with brilliant color reflecting off of the powerful and chaotic thunderstorms. Simple, yet powerful message amidst the chaos…..

Thoughts?

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This week I am featuring two art prints from my Gardens Gallery of large urns that I found in a garden fountain. I found the fountain at a Napa Valley winery, just outside of the tasting room. The fountain was quite large and had a distinct old world charm to it. Doing some research and questioning, I found out that the owner had these urns custom-made and shipped in from another country for that specific look. They sit on platforms in a shallow pool of water, with water bubbling up through the middle and coming out the top…just subtle enough to lend that soft bubbling water sound as it washes over the top rim and trickles down the outside of the urns.

With this as an inspiration for a couple of art prints, I chose a technique called gothic to recreate that old world painted look for these urns. This technique uses bold brush strokes and earthen colors giving the prints warm, aged tones.
Thoughts?

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Having just spent some time in Los Angeles with our granddaughter while Mom and Dad were away, I was reminded of just how beautiful rose blooms were right now in that part of the country. Our daughter and her husband have beautiful flower gardens surrounding their house and I have featured some of their flowers on this blog. With that inspiring me, I have attached five macro shots I have taken from two different photo shoots.

This first one is from a public garden in Portland, Oregon. This deep red rose bud was just starting to open up.

This capture was from the Territorial Rose Garden in Prescott, Arizona (as are the rest of the attached shots). The bud was unfolding into a fuller bloom.

Getting a tighter framing on this rose blooms pulls the detail of the rose petals into full view, even slight discoloration on a couple of the center petals.

It truly looks like velvet with this deep red bloom.

And finally this purple bloom as a macro brings out the laciness of the petal edges.

I’ve attached two shots from a photo shoot I did during one of my hikes in the Cascade Mountains just east of Seattle. One is a macro of a single mushroom that I almost didn’t see in the undergrowth of the forest and the other one of a rotted stump. Both shots represent unique opportunities often overlooked in the sheer beauty of a hike in a heavily forested area.

I couldn’t have arranged the leaves and the mushroom head more perfectly if I had done it myself. This shot was along the path I was hiking and I almost didn’t see this single mushroom poking through the leaves of the surrounding undergrowth. Getting down on my knees and shooting it from a slight downward angle, framed it perfectly.

The uniqueness of this shot was not just the subject matter, but the sun shining on the rotted stump and the perspective of it in the view framed by live trees. The visual changed dramatically just walking a few feet in either direction on the path. The sunlight caught my eye bringing this large stump into center stage. The framing of the shot with the live trees had me walking the path forwards and backwards looking for just the right alignment, which I think I found.

Thoughts?

Anyone that has been following my work, knows I have an affinity to black and white photography. As I have stated before, I began serious photography with black and white film and had access to a dark room to develop my own prints. The mood, contrast and elements that become center stage in a photograph is different when seen in black and white versus the same shot in color. With these prints I have taken that look one step further with a pencil sketching technique. Using a sketched look versus the original photograph gives the final print a softer more rustic feel.

For this post I chose two sketches I created from the Issaquah Train Station (now a museum in Issaquah, Washington). I have featured numerous prints from this location as it lent itself to so many opportunities.

I love these old baggage carts sitting on the platform.

Thoughts?

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This week I’m featuring three of my hot air balloons. The technique I used creating these three art prints was an abstract approach. I used the sketching to define the subject matter of the balloons and then filled them with bright colors. Not being one who every stayed in the lines when it came to art, I let the bright colors bleed into each other, creating an abstract look.

We are all attracted to hot air balloons rising and floating in the air. The serenity of the scene as one looks skyward and sees these bright colored balloons quietly drifting through the sky. What drew my eye when my wife and I did the adventure in San Diego, was the prep work of getting them inflated and launched. To me there was an incredible beauty watching these large bags of color transformed into what we see drifting across the sky.

As the balloons slowly fill with hot air, they go from laying flat on the ground to slowly rising and when you see the different stages of inflation with a group of balloons together…it really is a beautiful sight.

Thoughts?

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Love And Gratitude is an inspirational art print I created using inspirational thoughts as an overlay on an original art print of mine titled: Candy Cane Rose Bud. I created this wall art print using a subtle watercolor painting technique of a rose bud just opening up. This technique uses subtle brush strokes and soft colors creating a warm look.

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I Trust You is a wall art print I created using a biblical quote from Psalm 143:8 as an overlay on an art print of mine where I used a subtle watercolor technique of boats in Victoria Harbor.

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For the weekend of March 10th, as a Christmas gift to the family, one of our daughters put together a family getaway weekend. The location she chose was up in the Cascade Mountains northeast of Seattle (two of our three daughters and their husbands live in the Seattle area – the other daughter who put this together, her husband and our granddaughter live in the Los Angles area and my wife and I live in the Phoenix area). She chose a location near Stevens Pass (spring skiing) and just outside of Leavenworth, Washington (Leavenworth is a Bavarian village featuring great German food, beer gardens and wine tasting from nearby wineries). The location of the house we stayed in is the subject of this weeks post. The house was located along the Wenatchee River which flows down from the pass area into the eastern side of the Cascades. Most of the river is white water rapids, but the portion of the river where the house was located is just upstream from a small dam. The dam backed up this portion of the river into what looks like a still water pond. The house was perfect with floor to ceiling glass windows allowing the views I posted to be seen throughout most of the house. (Click on more information to go to original blog with all of the pictures)

This first capture is straight across the river looking at a cabin in the woods on the other side (all it missed was smoke curling up from the chimney). The water appears very calm, but is actually flowing at a fairly rapid pace. Loved the reflection on the water.

This is just a close up of the cabin across the river…..

Standing in the same location as the first two shots, this is looking to my right up-stream along the river. If you could zoom in on the river where the green reflection ends, you would see white water rapids as the water flows into this calmer portion. We could hear the sound of the rapids from our location.

This is a cabin located downstream from the house….thought it had that great cabin in the woods look…from this perspective the river is reflecting the white snow of the hillside across from us. Thoughts?

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In keeping with the theme from last weeks post, I am featuring two art prints where the subject matter is pretty simplistic, barren branches. These are shots of trees along the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa during winter. I took this simple subject matter and started giving the branches a subtle abstract look to create images with more geometric patterns. As part of that process, I also changed the background to larger abstract shapes to keeping the focus on the barren tree branches. I created the Purple Barren Branches first and then wanted to use some of the same elements in the second one. I liked the power of purple and pulled it into the branches on the second one and notice the hint of green on the first one. I used it as the background on the second one, creating a different look altogether.
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I was in the midwest during the middle of February. Living in San Diego, it's easy to forget how cold winter really is....that trip was a quick reminder. One of my goals was to do a shoot of barns. I found my opportunity around the Amana colonies (if you have never been there or heard of it....worth a visit...old German settlements based on concept of a farming commune). The colonies are located along the Iowa River Valley, so there are rolling hills and woods dotted with farms. It was a lot of slushy through mud...and that's a story unto itself. I got what I came for and I like the look I got. The trees were obviously barren, but that adds to the strength of some of the pictures. I am now going through the pictures I took and would like to walk you through the process I go through to create my art.

Step one: I sort through all of my pictures for the best shots....I usually take 2 to 3 shots of the same thing. From those 2 to 3 (assuming I like what I took), I weed it down to 1. That picture gets a hard look for "framing the shot" . Maybe it's just me, but it seems like I always have subjects just ever so slightly tilted...I must stand crooked?? �Anyway, I then crop and adjust accordingly...the samples attached show only a minor adjustment on this shot.....some are more extreme and some no adjustments or cropping are needed. All of that said, this completes the first step and then I put the resulting pictures in a folder for the next step...painting. More on that with this picture as I work through the rest of the batch from the shoot. Stay Tuned!!

Can you see the subtle differences? There wasn't any "tilting" in this one, but I did tighten up the bottom portion and if you look real close a "one way" sign disappears through the barn just above the hay rack.


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The two art prints I am featuring today are simple items – three decorative balls. These are the typical kind you would find in a large decorative bowl to add a design element to a room. I took these three balls and did my usual photo shoot with various positions and arrangement changes to give me some choices to work with. Narrowing it down to a couple of shots, I then proceeded to do my magic utilizing an abstract technique to create the drawn elements and then started to play with colors. The final piece of the process was to take the resulting colorful “flat” prints and give them a final element of texture which is the impasto technique I employ on a number of my pieces creating large bold brush strokes. From simple decorative balls to bold and colorful abstract art prints.

Who doesn't remember the legendary Alamo? Originally built as Mission San Antonio de Valero. From a contemporary artist / photograhers' viewpoint, the architecture and grounds speak volumes. Having not been to the Alamo since I was a teenager (trust me...many moons ago), my wife and I went to the San Antonio Riverwalk and the Alamo for a day. Both are spectacular and the city of San Antonio has done an incredible job keeping the flavor of both very much alive. What struck me about the Alamo, were the details in the architecture. I found the windows fascinating in their artistic appeal which leads me to this post.

I took a number of shots and have posted one of them here. I was starting with the original shot and then I felt compelled to paint the wood for an artistic impact. I have received mixed feedback on doing so and thought I would open it up to more feedback. I had a vision and does this capture the punch I thought would look good or is it an artist's delusion. Ultimately art is in the eye of the beholder and what looks good to one person looks not so good to another. Attached is the red I painted...