Recent Work: "Digging for Gold"

 I've certainly got a circle motif going, don't I? Not only do I find them appealing, but in this case the colors are just wonderful. Ahhhhh . . .

©Copyright 2020 Carol Leigh

Recent work: "Fenced In"

When I first began putting this picture together, I liked the blue/ochre complementary color combination, the cold/warm contrast. To hold those elements together, I opted for the rich darker blue stripe along with a touch of salmon and yellow. The abstract round form of a watch face then holds everything together and marks time.

Around the world we are watching the seasons change, the days change, the colors change — as though through a porthole on a ship. And off in the distance a rising colorful “sun” awaits. None too soon.

"Fenced In" photomontage.
Copyright ©2020 Carol Leigh

 

Recent Work: "Time Out"

When I go back and see the art I've made, there are some pieces in particular that I'm especially fond of, and this is one.

I made it in March of this year, as the pandemic was gaining traction. We didn't know what to expect, we were isolating ourselves, and time stood still, became meaningless.

So this mixed-media picture began with a big circle, a circle which is a photograph of a watch face. With no hands. There are some watch face bezels, hand-painted papers, and metal tags in the mix as well.

The colors are both bold and strong, bright and subtle. The vertical elements within the frame contrast wonderfully with the big circle. 

I made a square version as well as a full-frame vertical, and it looks good both ways. Because I sell my work online at Fine Art America/Pixels, this gives my buyers flexibility -- flexibility in format and in price. Sometimes a square works better in a certain location than does a vertical picture. 

Click here to see this picture in high resolution at Fine Art America. And, as always, thank you for looking at my work.

Images copyright ©2020 Carol Leigh

 

Strange times call for strange pictures ...

I haven't used a "real" camera in months, and it feels weird. Being "isolated in residence," my time has been spent primarily indoors. Yours probably has, as well. I shall say no more about that.

What I've been doing, however, is riffling through old photo files, making physical collages, and blending them together somehow.

This is one example, and, frankly, I'm not so sure about it. Perhaps the most I can say is that at least it's different! I combined ink-stained papers I made a week or so ago with a photo of an osprey I took perhaps 10-15 years ago in Portland, Oregon.

Chris says it looks too contrived. And he's probably right. Again.

Image copyright ©2020 Carol Leigh

Recent work: "Blue Enso on Plaster"

This is one I finished the beginning of May and uploaded to Fine Art America.

A light blue Enso circle seemingly floats above a horizon line of warm red, yellow, and orange colors. I like the comforting colors, the complementary blue/orange combination, and the overall texture.

Copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

Around the island . . .

A solo deer on the bluff at Fort Ebey becomes the focal point in a landscape created by using my photos of the side of a fishing boat, cement patterns on a bunker, and a seascape... Insanity reigns! ©2019 Carol Leigh

Recent work: "Deception Pass Montage"

I create a lot of my montages by combining a number of photos (often totally unrelated) together. In this case, the photos I selected were all taken in the same place — Anacortes, Washington. I also added some pictures of rigging, and some hand-painted papers, then uploaded it to Fine Art America.

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: "The Beauty of Imperfection"

Numerous elements came together here, including an old teabag, a paper from the Braille edition of the New York Times newspaper, and a scrap of vintage Japanese paper.

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.

Kimono Package Montage #7

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. It's 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.

Latest work: "Dappled Crow in Blue"

When you're sitting in the car, holding a camera, and a crow's on a fence right in front of you, well, what would YOU have done?! This guy was quite handsome and made a fine silhouette.

There are a number of photos contained in this one picture. All were taken in Port Townsend, Washington and then I added strips of dusty pink, orange, and turquoise to echo the colors in the background peeling paint. So much fun to do, so difficult to describe . . .

I've uploaded this image to Fine Art America, where you can see it much bigger and at a higher resolution. Here's the link directly to it.

P.S. Wishing a good morning to Shirley, my friend in Bend.

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.

Daily photo: 20190124 Moon Phases (1 and 2)

Because I work as a collage artist as well as a photographer, sometimes the two combine. That’s the case here, where I’ve mixed a collaged book page with a piece of textured paper and created something completely different. Because of all the stir about the recent full moon/lunar eclipse, moons have been on my mind. This is the result -- two different versions, which I began this morning, had breakfast, then finished them up, uploaded them to Fine Art America. My day can now officially begin.

Sometimes it's worth getting up early!

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.

Daily Photo: 20190123 Golden Leaf on Red Paper

I began this picture this morning and it's taken me most of the day to finish it. Man, oh, man. Sometimes they come together so quickly, other times, well, not so much.

I collected and dried a number of these leaves last fall, put them in a heavy book, then took them out today. Most of them broke -- so delicate.

I combined the leaf with some bright red paper, added a hand-scribbled Enso circle, and a Japanese signature from an antique book I got in Kyoto.

It's done. It's uploaded to Fine Art America, and it's my Daily Photo. I do believe it may be time for a Cuba Libre!

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.

Latest work: "Dockside"

As usual, I've been experimenting with various photos and techniques, attempting to create something new, different, and interesting.

This composition came from various marinas in Anacortes, Washington, where I found textures as well as subject matter to photograph and then bring together in the computer.

It went through at least six different versions before I considered it "done" and I uploaded it to Fine Art America this morning.

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.

Latest work: "I Would Go Back There Tomorrow"

Created from my photos of vintage Japanese book covers and pages, India ink calligraphy, and a ledger book cover (daifuku) I gathered in Kyoto, Japan.

The original image was so big that I decided to create three other smaller, square images from it. Since I uploaded this to sell at Fine Art America, it gives me four different options for my buyers. (Trying to be smart about marketing!)

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: "Canyon Walls"

This picture began as a vertical image and I started with stripes, working from right to left. It was when I placed the far left stripe that I saw a landscape of sorts.

From there it was a no-brainer. Rotate the picture 90 degrees counter-clockwise so that what was originally the far left stripe now becomes my base.

I like the overall warm colors and how the complementary bluish elements at the bottom are just the opposite -- cool colors.

Gotta say, the process often feels simply magical, how everything goes together.

I also cropped the picture down to a square format, to give my buyers on Fine Art America a choice of sorts.

There's an autumnal feel to it, isn't there? Well, the weather around here feels pretty autumnal right now. Happy fall everybody!

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: "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.

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 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.