Time

©Carol Leigh

Childhood

When everything was a treasure. ©Carol Leigh

Time in San Miguel

I combined a photo I took of a decorative iron scroll with a cracked and colorful wall and then added some Roman numerals. It's funny where ideas come from. I saw (or thought I saw) an illustration with Roman numerals all over it. Turns out they were letters, but the "Roman numerals" concept stuck. I made a note to begin including them into my photomontages and here's the first one. I cannot believe how much I love this stuff. ©Carol Leigh

Oil can #3

Yesterday I purchased a new (well, it's old) oil can -- my current obsession. Here I've combined it with gauze, an old ceiling tin, a wooden box, and cardboard. I then played with Channel Mixer in Photoshop and added some shadowing. Do I know what I'm doing? Um, no . . . But I'm finding incredible delight in my ignorance. Remember when you were a child and everything was possible and time stood still? This be that. ©Carol Leigh

Cracked Sunflower

A crack in my garage floor and a sunflower. ©Carol Leigh

Snowy Tree

On my walk around the block this morning I photographed the bare branches of a birch tree against the sky, knowing that I would use it sometime in a photomontage. I didn't expect to be using it so soon! This is a combination of four different photographs taken along the coast, here in my neighorhood, and in Mexico. This has been a really, really good morning. ©Carol Leigh

Below the Ice

Rock hearts appear trapped under ice, created by using a piece of scratched metal. ©Carol Leigh

Oregon Coast

Canvas from an old printing press, trees from Yachats, and a crow photographed this morning on the beach in Seal Rock come together in this photomontage that has a sort of dark and spooky look. The photomontage was finished a month or so ago — all I needed was the bird, who I finally found this morning. ©Carol Leigh

The D Teem

I began working on this piece last June. And it's now so old I don't remember where I got the various elements. The letter "D" is part of a rusty old sign peeling away from an even rustier metal background. The Teem advertisement came from (I believe) a nursery in San Diego. The rest? A complete mystery! I like the warm tones, the monochromatic look, and the overall grunge. ©Carol Leigh

Twilight Trees

During a walk around the block, I photographed these trees against a cloudy sky. I then added part of a mural I photographed in Florence, some stars, and created a reflection. In one of my online classes I have a lesson/assignment called "Walk Around the Block." Photographers moan and groan that there's nothing interesting on their block. The point is to look and to see. You can always find SOMETHING! In that one walk around the block the other day, I've now created three decent photographs -- one of the letter "R," another involving the number "2" I found on a telephone pole (below), and now these trees. ©Carol Leigh

French Blue Two

Sometimes these things just come together so easily. I was thinking about an old algebra book and how I'd scanned some of its pages. Aha! Combine it with some cool texturey stuff! But I couldn't find my algebra photos -- they must be in the other computer and I didn't want to start mucking around with all that. I then found a page of French handwriting from 1892. I combined that with some rust and a number "2" I photographed yesterday on a telephone pole. And voila! I love this photomontage. And I believe I have three more versions of it waiting in the wings for me to finalize. How long did this one take to create? Just a few hours (most of which consisted of sitting and staring and thinking). Once I begin selling prints again, this one definitely will be in the mix. Just a quick thought . . . How often do YOU get really excited about what you've created? Doesn't matter if it's a photograph, a cake, a child, or a painting. Creation and the wonderful SURPRISE of creation -- what a fantastic high. Have a great day. ©Carol Leigh

Totem Cat

I photographed a board covered with peeling paint and staples and combined it with a photo I took in Santa Fe of an ersatz totem pole. I then added some paint and bits of a weathered door, also shot in Santa Fe. ©Carol Leigh

Fire on the River

Trees on a riverbank combine with trees photographed at sunset in this strange photomontage. ©Carol Leigh

Waterfire Two

A number "2" from a railroad car in Santa Fe, a close-up of a Chinese cabinet taken in Portland, Oregon, and the reflection of sky and orange lights in a stream in Breckenridge, Colorado come together in this fire-like interpretation. A few blue strings running across the top and it's complete. ©Carol Leigh

Alsea Tree

A tree I photographed this afternoon at the Port of Alsea looks great with some illumination behind it. ©Carol Leigh

Bare Branches

After a day of high (75mph) winds and a lot of rain (3"), I doubt there's a leaf on a tree anywhere this morning. I put together this photomontage of a bare tree on the Oregon coast and a couple of different pieces of rusty metal to represent the last 24 hours. Happy New Year?! ©Carol Leigh

Oregon Winter

Winter in Oregon often consists of mists and fogs, eerie scenes in half-light, cold yet with a touch of golden warmth, which is what I attempt to convey here. ©Carol Leigh

Blue Oak

The beauty of going through your collection of photos over and over is that each time you do, you see your work with new eyes. And maybe you've learned some different techniques. So all of a sudden that tree you photographed in the fog in Sacramento ten years ago becomes the perfect thing to combine with the bit of canvas on an old printing press you shot last month. Which is what happened here. It just never ends, does it? ©Carol Leigh

Two Apart

Trees and benches from Maine, rusty metal from Oregon. ©Carol Leigh

Rusty Pear

A pear, some rust, some fancy script. What more could a girl want? ©Carol Leigh

Coastal Twilight

Toward the entrance of Tillamook Bay are offshore formations called "The Three Graces." They're beautiful and you have to walk across the Coast Highway and some railroad tracks to photograph them. I don't know which "Grace" this is, but I love the twilight look, the almost Asian look, of this photomontage. ©Carol Leigh

Two Boats

My photo of two lonely fishing boats combines with some crumpled paper and the rust from the hull of another boat. I'm loving the new square format! ©Carol Leigh

Lodi Sunrise

I was there before dawn, hoping to photograph sandhill cranes. Alas, very few cranes and very far away. But oh, as the sun began to peek over the horizon and the fog began to lift, this tree lit up. Naturally I've added texture and shadowing to augment the ethereal glow I saw that birdless morning. ©Carol Leigh

Lantern and Window

At Ranchos de Taos, Judy T. and I were walking and talking and shooting and I came back with this image which, naturally, I've transmogrified, adding texture, scrapes, scratches, shadows, and more. It's sort of a new concept, an experiment, involving square format and different subject matter. ©Carol Leigh

Foulweather Pima Five

A photo I took of a weird piece of metal (with holes in it) combines with the broad arcs in a painting. Since there are five holes in the metal, I looked for a number 5 in my photo archives. Aha! Pima Air Museum in Tucson filled the bill, where I'd shot a huge 5 on the side of a building. I included the 5 (and the roof of the building) in the montage. I then added scratches, nails (five of them), and paint splatters to complete the look. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

A Nine

Two different A's from two different trains combine with an out-of-focus painting of trees. Rivets and scratches add to the overall texture. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Wooden Flag

The flag comes from the side of a wall in Maine. The texture from a close-up shot of the back of a chair at an antique store in Seal Rock, Oregon. And the bits of blue are rivets from the bridge over the Alsea Bay in Waldport, Oregon. Is there no end to this madness?! Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

El Nopal #39

Texture on a wall in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico combines with a mangled Loteria card — El Nopal. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Door 15

This is a an interesting door I found in San Miguel de Allende combined with a spray-painted "15," a faded and peeled political poster, plus various paint splotches and scrapes. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

San Miguel de Allende Six

Having just spent a week in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, I've come home with an amazing amount of material to work with. This is my first photomontage from the trip. I combined texture from two different walls, a big number six, hand-painted flowers and flourishes from a third wall, a photo of a heart I found above a door, the words "San Miguel de Allende" from a tobacco shop, and a number three found I don't remember where. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Five Star

Here I combined a star and a colorful wall found in South Beach, Oregon with a number 5 from a train car in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a board covered with fish scales in Newport, Oregon. Triangles from a stairway in Santa Fe, paint, rivets, and overall grunge add to the texture. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Birdhouse Number 02

This was a fun one to do. I combined a tacky-looking birdhouse (shot in front of an antique store) with a photo of rusty metal from a fishing net salvage yard. I added various photos of numbers, paint, a checkerboard, and a wooden step from a staircase to complete the look. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Half Moon Heart on Blue

A couple of old doors from Santa Fe, New Mexico combine with a metal heart from Half Moon Bay, California. Texture abounds! Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Multicolored Car

A license plate found in Madrid, New Mexico combines with peeling paint photographed in Taos, New Mexico combines with an old car shot in San Diego, California. Woo hoo! Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Half Moon Heart

I found and photographed this heart in Half Moon Bay, California last week and combined it with the weathered wood and peeling paint of a door found in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (I used this same door in a photomontage a couple of weeks ago.) The way the colors come through the metal heart is incredible. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Davis Heart in Silver

Carol Davis's pin appears now in front of a red and blue painted cabinet. I added more paint and part of an old car to add to the funky look. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Davis Heart in Copper

Using the pin that Carol Davis gave me, I combined it with a background from an old car. I added part of a weathered door and some handwriting to complete the look. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Davis Heart in Blue

What's appealing to me here is the combination of textured metal and weathered wood. I photographed an old wooden door in Santa Fe, taking numerous shots of various sections, and then combined them to form the background for this pin, given to me in Santa Fe by Carol Davis. I added rivets, some paint, and it was done. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh For more photomontages, please visit http://www.carolleigh.net Thank you.

Davis Hearts

Carol Davis gave me a metal heart pin, which I photographed and then incorporated into a photomontage along with other photos of an old car, an old door, and various splatters and splots. Thank you, Carol D., for your generosity. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Front Door

Doors, walls, texture, and the letter "F" all from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Way too much fun! ©Carol Leigh Not yet available for sale.

Red Blue Five

Corrugated metal from a garage door in Newport, Oregon combines with rivets and peeling paint on metal from a fishing net storage facility and both sit on top of a "5" from a train in Santa Fe, New Mexico. All of that blends in with various scratches, scrapes, scuffs, and splatters. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh For more photomontages, please scroll down and/or visit http://www.carolleigh.net. Thank you.

Riveting

I'm particularly fond of this one. I love the texture, the way the rivets stand out, and the warm, golden colors. A door in Santa Fe, New Mexico, an "S" from Taos, and a blurry shot of a painting in Newport, Oregon combine with handwriting, scratches, and splats. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

For more photomontages, please visit http://www.carolleigh.net. Thank you.

Corrugated Chrysler

A photo of an old Chrysler near Taos, New Mexico combines with a photo of a silo in Palouse, Washington. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Horses on Wood

Here I combined a wooden horse I found in Cerrillos, New Mexico with a weathered board found in Santa Fe. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh For more photomontages, please visit http://www.carolleigh.net. Thank you.

Railyard 6

A trip to Santa Fe is exhilarating. Art is everywhere. And when you come home it's swirling around in your head. At all hours of the night. This piece is made of a "6" from a train in The Railyard, a piece of metal found near Taos, and peeling paint on a piece of wood again found at The Railyard. I returned home with thousands of "bits" that will keep me in photomontages for a long time. Whew! Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Aquatic Five

Consisting of a "5" from a train in Santa Fe, New Mexico, rivets from a door (also in Santa Fe), rusty metal from a fishing salvage yard in Oregon, and yet another door from Santa Fe, this piece has a definite watery, aquatic look to it. Blendings, blurs, and smudges complete the look. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh For more photomontages, please visit http://www.carolleigh.net Thank you.

5-5-5 on Wood

Rugged and weathered wood, lots of colorful peeling paint, and a "5" found on a train -- all from Santa Fe, New Mexico -- comprise this piece. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh

Walkin' A in Bronze

Here I've combined a big letter "A" with part of an abstract painting, some handwriting, and weathered metal. It's a rather handsome look, I think. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh For more photomontages, please visit http://www.carolleigh.net Thank you.

Nine on Wood

A photograph of a "9" on the side of a wooden building combines with a photo of scratches and texture on rusted metal. Not yet available for sale. ©Carol Leigh For more photomontages, please visit http://www.carolleigh.net Thank you.