Wednesday, April 29, 2015

iPhone photos . . .




Had to have the car serviced in Corvallis yesterday and, as usual, we walked through some of the back alleys so I could find grunge, texture, maybe something weird.

I have a good eye for composition, but post-processing on the phone is a real challenge. Most of these were processed using Photo Toaster and Snapseed. I then brought them into the desktop computer, put the black frames around them with my signature, and then they're ready to upload.

Much more study and experimentation in the future, but for now, I continue slogging along. I have the utmost admiration for those of you who do this well.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Monday, April 27, 2015

Abstracts anywhere . . .

As I am disassembling my studio, finding things long forgotten, throwing items away, and prepping for an upcoming garage sale, I came across a red silk scarf that I used a LOT as a simple background.

Remember my online assignment I called "Office Art?" Well, this is a good example of how we can find beauty in the simplest of things, such as a pair of scissors. And the red scarf worked well to set off the clean form of the scissor handles.

But what I really like is how a nearby turquoise piece of fabric reflected in the metal, creating subtle strips of bright blue here and there.

Interesting: A bold form, a bold background, contrasting with the subtle bits of reflected blue. And then the rounded forms contrasting with the more linear or straight lines. A yin-yang sort of thing. All in a photograph of an ordinary pair of scissors.

The silk scarf, purchased in the mid-1980s and which looked particularly good with a black silk dress, was wrinkled, worn, and dirty, with lots of little holes in it. I reluctantly relegated it to the trash. And on we move.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Friday, April 24, 2015

iPhone photo...


Abby in a packing box, not wanting to be left behind. Wish we could just keep her there... Addendum: Now that I see this photograph on my desktop computer, I'm amazed appalled at how overexposed it is. It looks much darker on my iPhone. Am going to have to begin purposely underexposing, apparently, when I shoot. What I see on the iPhone looks terrific; here, it looks awful! Embarrassing, but I'm going to leave it here. Sigh. ©Carol Leigh 

Thursday, April 23, 2015

iPhone photo ...

Waiting in line for the ferry...

iPhone photos ...



Determined to continue with iPhone photography, even though I find it frustrating. Am on Whidbey Island right now, no DSLR in sight, so out comes the phone. Sleepless in the middle of the night, so I decide to process a few.

Looking up at the front of the Staples store in Oregon through a rainy windshield. And then a shot of my friend's placemats hanging over a chair rail. Back on the road to Oregon today. 


Sunday, April 19, 2015

Changes are afoot . . .

We’ve been living here on the Oregon coast for almost 13 years — the longest I’ve lived anywhere — and it’s been great. So close to the ocean, clean air, everything’s green, bald eagles, whales, seals and sea lions abound. Beautiful vistas wherever you turn. Mild temperatures. Nice neighbors, neighbors who feed the cat while we’re gone.

So what’s the problem? Who would want to leave this?

Well, the rain is a big factor. Sixty to 90 inches a year? That’s serious weather. Rain moving horizontally up the street? Gusts of wind up to 70-80 mph? That’s significant. An airport that’s 3.5 hours away? It’s proven inconvenient, requiring hotel stays, both coming and going. A major city that’s also 3.5 hours away? To go to Portland for any sort of event is an effort.

So where would be a “better” place to live? Where could we go and still be in a maritime environment? A more benign climate? A rural area with easy access to a big city? A place where there are a few more options for exploring? A bit more property around us? Fresh air, a cool climate, but less rain? A sort of artsy place?

We gave all this a lot of thought. We’re 13 years older now, moving is a huge deal. And we have a lot of stuff — tools, books, computer paraphernalia, camera gear, and art supplies. Oh, my.

Plus, I have all my CalPhoto research material, all those binders of wildflower reports, all those articles I've written about where to shoot in California. My career of 30-some years and all its attendant paperwork. Do I just dump it all into recycling? And what about all those slides? Do I just toss ‘em out?

Thinking of moving is daunting. To physically do it will take a toll on the old bodies.

What to do, what to do?

We decided to move. We bought a house and escrow closes this Tuesday. We are prepping the Oregon coast house to show and sell. And we hope it will sell fast. It should. It’s in good shape (except for that one time the raccoon broke into the back yard shed!), and you can see whales from the kitchen and living room windows. And at night, the lights on fishing boats twinkle offshore.

Are we insane to leave this? I guess we’ll find out.

So where are we moving to? Whidbey Island, located in the Puget Sound, just north of and a 15-minute ferry ride west of Seattle.

But isn’t it cold and rainy up there? It’s not any colder than here on the Oregon coast. And rain? Sixteen to 20 inches a year! Compared to the Oregon coast, it’s practically a desert! We are on 2.5 acres, can’t see our neighbors, and can’t be seen from the road. Ahhhhhh! (The photo up top is our back yard. We're gonna need a lawn mower . . .)

We’ll be living in Coupeville, a cute little town. The island itself is a nice combination of small touristy towns, rhododendron gardens, and rural/agricultural areas (great farmers’ markets throughout the summer). A Navy presence is at the north end of the island (I’ll feel at home). We have a distant view of the sound, nothing like we have here, but there are water views everywhere you go, and lots of boat traffic (sailboats, ferries, cruise ships, freighters, and more).

The Pacific Northwest School of Art is located in Coupeville, which is great. Exploration possibilities include driftwood- and pebble-strewn beaches, the tulip fields in the Skagit Valley, military bunkers, Vancouver Island, Butchart Gardens, Port Townsend, the Olympic Peninsula, and then there’s all of Canada!

So yeah, we have had a wonderful run in Oregon and are sad to be leaving the state. But this will probably be our last grand adventure, giving us a whole new palette of colors — quick trips to Seattle, a Costco that’s closer, the Seahawks, orcas, a larger studio for me, and room for Chris to make stuff and to cook with gas!

We will remain Oregon residents until we sell this house, gradually moving our stuff north, staying longer and longer each time.

So it’s official . . . FOR SALE: 2BR/2BA 1,700 square-foot home with ocean view, light, bright, airy, and nice neighbors. Raccoons optional . . .

©Carol Leigh

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Latest work: "Writing on the Wall"


I'm returning to my "works in progress" files to see what I made a year or more ago, but then set aside because they didn't seem "finished," and then now to add additional items to FINALLY consider them done. The result is that I was able to upload nine new images to Fine Art America this morning, including these three.

I'm tempted to have them made into pillows for myself! I love the soft colors, the subtlety of the calligraphy, the feeling of texture. These will look really good in the house, methinks. We shall see . . .

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!


Just because I could . . .

Quinn and Betty celebrate the new year with their usual flair.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Latest work: "Flotsam"

This is a combination of a couple different photomontages, to which I added some flotsam-y bits.

And, in honor of National Library Week:

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.” 
-- Walter Cronkite


©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Monday, April 13, 2015

Latest work: "Red Planet Full Moon"

I have a "works in progress" file where I keep photomontages that, to me, don't seem quite right, or unfinished.

Rather than throw them out (and lose all that time and effort), I hang onto them, hoping that with a bit of time and maybe fresher eyes I'll figure out how to turn them into something special.

And that's what happened here. I pulled up a photomontage that's been hanging around and added a couple more things to it.

First of all, I'd removed an old oil painting from its frame and found the back side more fascinating than the front. The canvas had cracks in it, lots of texture, lots of thin spots, and was very brown. Perfect! So I shot it, added it to my base photomontage and liked how warm the image looked.

But it still needed something else.

So I photographed the case of an old watch (which even had a bit of the jeweler's fingerprint remaining on it) and created my full "moon."

And so, ta da! here you have my latest work: "Red Planet Full Moon."

In addition, as part of National Library Week:

“I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.”
— Carl Sagan

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!




Sunday, April 12, 2015

National Library Week

As you all undoubtedly know, this is National Library Week (April 12-18, 2015).

I remember waiting excitedly for the bookmobile to come by while we were living in Hawaii. Not quite the same as a brick-and-mortar building, but a treat nevertheless.

And I worked at the Cal State Long Beach library for awhile. You know those cards in the old card catalog files? Yup, some of that is my work!

But what I especially liked about libraries were the possibilities. You could go in and look up anything. If you couldn’t find it, the reference librarian certainly could (bless them).

Because we moved so much during my first 18 years, a library was a place I could go and not stand out as the new kid in school, where I could read and be quiet and go unnoticed. They were a safe haven.

So here’s to libraries, librarians, and all the possibilities they have given us, and continue to give.

“We read to know we’re not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone. We are not alone.” — Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

It's a good day to . . .

. . . remember a carefree day in the past.

We are beginning to pack, preparing to move (more about that later) and so I'm finding things not seen for some time.

This picture of me is one I love. I love how happy and carefree I look, how I was having fun, running toward a parent (on the boardwalk in New Jersey). How old was I? Maybe five? There are no parents now to ask.

What I love is this exuberance just to be alive, healthy, outdoors, having fun, being loved.

May all our days be just as wonderful as this.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Friday, April 3, 2015

Makes me feel good . . .

Someone in Greece purchased this picture ("Inherent") a week or so ago via Fine Art America. I never really know anything about the purchaser or the sale other than where it went, how it was framed (canvas wrap, matted, on metal, just a print, etc.), and how big it was.

There is, however, a section on FAA's website where they post buyer reviews and feedback as they come in, both good and bad. I always check that section to see (a) how FAA is doing with the quality of their work (are the colors true, did the picture arrive in good condition, are people complaining) and (b) how the buyer(s) liked the image.

This morning I saw this image show up and the buyer wrote: "It's in my living room now in a beautiful frame. Me and my wife love it. Thanks. --G.K."

It's always pleasing (and reassuring) to know that the buyer truly likes what he/she purchased (these things ain't cheap) and also to know that the buyer took the time to write back, to offer feedback.

Personally, I love this image. I like the rich colors and I like the uniqueness of my technique (blending and merging bits and pieces of various photos together). But no matter how confident and pleased I am about something I've created, for some reason it just isn't complete until it comes full circle. That art needs to be seen. It's a bonus if it's received well, but I think it truly does need to be seen for the circle to be complete.

Would I make these things if no one saw them? Probably. Would it be as rewarding? Probably not. And not nearly as much fun!

So thank you to G.K. who bought this picture. A picture that's now hanging somewhere in Greece. Opa!

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Latest works . . .


I'm sort of in a postcard rut these days. My actual photography doesn't seem to exist at the moment (taking care of various things lately and not carrying around the big camera; disenchanted with the quality of the iPhone), so when I need to create something, I'm rummaging around in previously-taken images to see what I can put together.

Here we have one rather monochromatic image ("John Dory Fish Postcard") and a colorful one ("Crow in Orange and Pink").

Have I told you how much fun I have making these? Well, I'm having fun making these!

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!