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