Recent work: "Books Deconstructed"

Books that have been discarded by libraries or are too old and tattered to sell, become my fodder for making collages, both physical and via the computer. Old books, once valued and loved, now considered trash, come alive again in a new form. Salvaged and reconstructed.

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/books-deconstructed-425-carol-leigh.html

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 for your understanding and kindness.

What I'm working on: UPDATING

Before and after... New tools, new skills, new eyes. Yesterday morning I revisited an old photomontage I made in 2008. I decided it needed to be lightened, brightened, and have more depth.

Quite the difference (in my eyes).

Should I do this with ALL my old works? Ha! I'm not quite that insane. Yet.

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 for your understanding and kindness.

What I'm working on: PHOTOMOTIVATION

I’ve got a private group going over in Facebook called Photomotivation, where I give the group an assignment every month, they post their pictures, and we comment and offer suggestions, joke around, and in general have a casual good time.

The folks in the group are primarily my former students and their friends, and during the 22 months I’ve been conducting the group, we’ve gotten to know one another in a delightful way.

This month the topic is “More is More.” Where maybe one oil can can look good, but a grouping might be even better. Or where one postage stamp with a giant bug on it can be impressive, but three postage stamps with giant bugs on them might be even more impressive.

By the way, if YOU would like to be a part of this group, the web address is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/photomotivation/ The group is a private one, so just click where it says to become a member and you’ll quickly be added to the mix. It’s free. It’s fun. It’s informative.

Here are some examples I’ve posted this month.

Postage stamps from Burundi are pretty dramatic. One bug alone is impressive. Three bugs and you've got an infestation!

One oil can looks pretty cool, but the family portrait I find a bit more interesting.

The single pen nib is competently photographed, but the treatment I subsequently gave it makes a dramatic, slightly mysterious image, doesn't it?

One buoy on top of a pile of others implies more while focusing attention on the one. The second version of the shot isn't necessarily better, but it tells more of a story, especially with the crab pots in the background.

And then while we always see just one viewing scope, a two-fer is unusual and catches our eye.

Finally, one of these colorful toothbrushes might be a fun photo, but a grouping like this has a bit of absurdity and humor to it.

Anyway, that's the concept this month. Want to be a part of Photomotivation? Follow the link above.

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 for your understanding and kindness.

Recent work: "Encircled in Sunlight"

Something a bit different for me -- using watercolor to make a figure of sorts there in the lower right. The rest is created using my usual things, such as part of a hand-painted enso circle, a scrap of paper that had fallen to the floor in a thrift store, scratched metal, etc. I particularly like the colors!

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 for your understanding and kindness.

WHAT-IFFING . . . "Heading to Seattle"

In my ongoing experimentations, I ended up creating this postcard, which I like so much I uploaded it this morning to Fine Art America.

A lone tanker stood out nicely against the backdrop of Port Townsend, Washington a month or so ago. I converted it to black and white, added texture and color from a hand-painted paper, and then found an old address label from a vintage envelope to slap onto the front.

(I looked up the person, in hopes of maybe learning something about her, but had no luck. Sometimes I do, however, and it's fun to follow the threads back in time.)

The name of the addressee sounded Scandinavian, so I found an old stamp from Denmark in my collection that had birds on it, put it on top of an old stamp from Japan, also with birds on it. And then I added a cancellation stamp from Copenhagen, Denmark. A few other bits here and there and I considered it done.

I now have a gallery of almost 100 mail-oriented pictures at Fine Art America, and if you'd like to take a look, here's the link:

https://carol-leigh.pixels.com/collections/mail+art

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 for your understanding and kindness.

WHAT-IFFING . . . "Guido the Gull"

As I was deleting photos from my drives that should have been deleted years ago, I stopped at this one, taken in Astoria along the Columbia River, as I was waiting for a cargo ship to come into range.

(And what is it about gulls that we feel compelled to photograph them all the time? Just because they're there?)

Anyway, here you can see the original, untweaked photo, straight out of the camera. It's awful. Bad lighting, no catchlight in the eye, just a gull standing in dead grass.

As I was about to "move to trash," I stopped. And wondered, "what if?" What if I used some filters in Photoshop? What if I used some Topaz effects? What if I just played around with this bad picture?

So many times I have a plan of sorts, or a routine, or just a way of processing my pictures. And I often wonder "what if" I did something else. But no, I'm on a particular quest and that can wait for some other time.

That time is now. I'm going to make an effort to research what some of these other features are in Photoshop. Features I see every day but never take the time to explore.

So here we have Guido the Gull, a bored bird sitting there, hoping I'll toss him something edible. Bad photo. But then I went into Photoshop and played with a few filters, then into Topaz and played with a few more, and then back to Photoshop and did some other things.

And here's the result. Is it wonderful? No. Is it different? Yes. Do I remember how I made this? Sorta, if I go back to the original file and take a look at my layers. Was it fun? Heck yes! And will I keep this version? Yes (sigh). Perhaps for a few years, when I'll look back and wonder what the heck was I thinking?

I shall try to make what-iffing a part of my regular routine. (Yeah, like there's a regular routine.) And if not now, then when?

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 for your understanding and kindness.

What I'm working on . . . KIMONO WRAPPER

I have an 1828 wrapper for a kimono that is gloriously soft and weathered and yet sturdy.

I have photographed various bits and pieces of the wrapper and then have combined those bits and pieces to create a variety of photomontages, montages that are slightly different, yet honor the spirit of the object.

The wrapper is made of old, used boro paper, multiple layers pasted together so that it's thick and very soft. I'm reveling in what this kimono wrapping paper is offering, and I hope you enjoy seeing my interpretations of it.


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 for your understanding and kindness.

The art of fishing

Lately there's been a bit of housecleaning at Fine Art America. I'm slowly removing some pictures that I don't feel are my best, as well as adding more to the mix.

These four were added recently. My "art of fishing" images sell well at FAA, so why not include a few more choices in the mix?

The top two came from the Oregon coast, and the lower two (actually the same photo, but one is a square, the other full-frame) came from Seattle.

Can't get enough of this stuff! Color and grunge. What's not to love?

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 for your understanding and kindness.

What I'm working on: BUNKER ART

There’s one project I’ve been working on for years, and it revolves around photographing military bunkers and forts throughout the Pacific northwest. The subject matter is usually considered strange, the pictures are mostly abstract, and the colors are mottled and subdued. But my heart races when I go out to shoot, which tells me I’m doing the right thing.

Why is this project a good idea? Because it gives me a purpose. At the end of all this, maybe there will be a book, a gallery exhibit, a photo essay. Or not. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that I have a focus, one that makes me explore the wonders of black and white photography rather than the instant gratification of color.

And it makes me happy.

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 for your understanding and kindness.

What I'm working on: MADRONE TREE BARK

This is my summer project since it's rather weather dependent. Madrone trees are often tough to get to, and rain makes the job even tougher. So summer's my main window of opportunity.

But not TOO summery, because harsh sunlight can create dappled shadows, which aren't necessarily good for this project.

(But it's also tick season, and as I waded through weeds the other day, I got my first one. Ick! Luckily I saw it on my leg, a black spot smaller than the head of a pin. He'd taken a bite, was easy to remove, leaving a tiny red bump. He's now stuck to a Band-Aid, inside a little box, inside a plastic baggie. Why? Just in case this red bump gets bigger and I need the guy checked for some nefarious disease. Did I mention ick?)

So high overcast light is ideal: a little bit of shading, a little bit of shadowing, a little more light over here, and I've got depth, darkness, texture, and a glow.

The weather report decides what I work on that day. If the weather doesn't cooperate, no worries. I've got four other projects in progress. And I'll talk about the next one in the next post.

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 for your understanding and kindness.