Something old, something new

Once again, rummaging through old photographs and seeing them with new eyes, new skills, new ideas, new experiments.

I found this clematis photo, taken in April of 2009 at the Oregon Coast Garden Center. (Loved that place. So sorry to see it close a few years ago.)

I knew I wanted my original photograph less vibrant, paler pink than it was originally, and so began experimenting with layers, masks, toning, painterly effects, etc. I wanted it painterly, but not too painterly, if that makes any sense.

I'm pleased, this morning, with the result.

April and May, my two favorite months in the Pacific Northwest. Followed closely by September and October. Wishing you cool breezes, fresh air, and lovely flowers.

©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!

A walk on the beach

Chris and I headed up to the north end of the island to walk on the beach. Very cool location with lots of driftwood, rocks, barnacles, and a huge stump that had washed ashore.

Walking around the "root" end of the stump, there were all these nooks and crannies where rocks had lodged. Whether the rocks were there as a result of storm and wave action, or had been nudged in place by various artistic souls as they walked past, I can't say for sure.

What I CAN say is that it looked great! We were there around noon on a sunny day, so the lighting was less than ideal. One small part of the rock-encrusted stump was in shade, however, so that's the section I concentrated on.

Both of these are cellphone shots, and they look surprisingly good to me.

Next time? I set out on an overcast day, armed with tripod and reflector, and see what else I can do here.

Chris added a few more rocks to the mix before we left.

©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!

Boatyard art

Nothing like a boatyard filled with grungy, half-refurbished, long-neglected boats where a simple partial sanding reveals multiple layers of paint, striking colors, and interesting shapes.

The only thing better is if the boatyard sits right next door to an automobile salvage lot.

Down the street from the railroad museum.

Over by the fishnet repair facility.

On an overcast day.

 ©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!

Walking Crow

I created this image back in 2010 but wasn’t quite satisfied with it. And, poor guy, he’s been completely overlooked all these years until this morning, when I rediscovered him and decided to re-work the image.

(And thank you, Jan Hagan, for recommending the Nik filters. They are making a big difference in what I'm doing.)

There are lots of torn papers, images of old papers, a reflection of a fishing boat (!), a hand-painted number “4,” which is impossible to see, and some hand-painted squares over there on the left.

I like the really aged feeling of the background and how the crow stands out so well against it.

So glad I rediscovered him. And saw him with new eyes.

 ©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!

CITY

I was looking through some old photos today and came across one I took in Portland in 2014. It's part of a sign in a more industrial part of the city. I tweaked it a bit, added some hand-painted papers to the mix, used a paint program to fluff up the "clouds," and called it done.

One of my favorite color combinations is red and turquoise, and this satisfied that particular proclivity today.

You can see the original, what I began with, below the final result.

©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!

Latest work: "Three Zees"

Handpainted papers, a hand-sanded letter “Z,” and a few other elements come into play in this piece. I know it’s a bit strange, and won’t appeal to everyone, but I’m fond of the weirdness, love the muted blue, brown, beige, and sepia colors, and am always drawn to diagonal lines.

 ©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!

Fun to see

I am grateful that my work sells as well as it does at Fine Art America. And I love seeing how the buyers end up presenting it.

These two prayer flag images I created were purchased by someone in Connecticut (thank you, whoever you are) yesterday, and the matting/framing they selected looks very elegant. The frames work perfectly with the photos.

You never know what other people see when they look at your work, so for me it's fun to see how they interpret it and how they wish it to be displayed.

Just thought you'd like to see it as 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!

Red!

We walked around the docks in Anacortes yesterday, just seeing what we could find. I was particularly interested in reflections (bright, sunny day -- perfect for that sort of thing), but was open to whatever came my way.

Well, at the end of the dock was this big red boat. The vibrant red was an eye-catcher, but what I really liked was how a ladder was tied to the side.

More specifically, I loved the diagonal lines. See how the rungs of the ladder diagonate one way, the ropes diagonate another way, and then the sides of the ladder also run on the diagonal, but in the opposite direction? Woo hoo!

And one other thing. See the horizontal line there in the lower third of the frame? That subtle line contrasts HUGELY with all the diagonal action, and emphasizes the concept of diagonal lines even more. That line also grounds all the flighty activity above it.

I was carrying a camera with a 70-200mm lens on it, which was way too long for me to take this image, so I used the iPhone 6+ and am pleased with the result.

Because, to me, this shot is all about screaming red color and bold lines, I also cropped it as a square, which emphasizes the lines even more. Is one format better than the other? Well, the top shot emphasizes left-right movement more, whereas the square format emphasizes the design concept more.

I like them both. The artist in me likes the square better, but a more casual viewer might be drawn to the top shot because it tells more of the "story." And there's more red. What do YOU think?

©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!

Then and now

In Mexico in 2008 I photographed a detail on a tin mirror. I posted the photo on my blog in April of 2009 (second photo).

This morning I revisited the shot, used some Nik filters to pump it up, and created what you see in the first photograph. It's not nearly as dark and murky and lacking in detail as my original.

Shot in 2008. Prepped and posted in 2009. Revisited and posted again in 2016. Wonder what I'll do with it in 2024?

©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!

Look at the difference

Here's an example of an image I made at Fort Casey on Whidbey Island. I liked the texture of the wall, the combination/contrast of curved lines and straight ones, and the shadowing.

The focal point is the iron ring. That's where I want your eye to go first. But, if you're like me, your eye probably went first to the green patch of paint on the left.

If my photo is all about texture, curves, lines, and shadows, what does GREEN PAINT SPLOTCH have to do with anything? Nothing. And that's the beauty of black and white photography.

Black and white images take away the distraction of color and enable your viewers to see and appreciate what drew you to an image in the first place. In the black and white picture, your eye probably went immediately to the iron ring, maybe back and forth along the strong horizontal line, and slid lazily down the curve bottom right.

Notice how the smooth patch in the black and white shot is no longer the distraction it was as a big green rectangular shape in the color version.

It's often the case that we see in color, but we notice the artistry in black and white. (And ooh, didn't that sound terrific? You can quote me on that!)

©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!

Early morning shadows

I create folk art primitive paintbrushes and have them on display here at the house. I like the way the early morning sun created strong shadows, both from the brushes as well as from the mullions on the windows. 

Do I paint with these? Pssshhhhh. No. (Well, with one I did, second from the right.) But I do make cool brushes! 

 ©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!

Latest work: "Red Enso Collage"

I am so lucky to have friends who know my predilection for old Japanese paper and so they give me bits from time to time. I was working on a handmade envelope and all these papers just seemed to come together quite nicely as a collage. Ta da! Love when that happens. And thank you, K.A.

©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!

Latest work: "Remains Unsaid"

Rummaging through my more recent boatyard photos, I came upon one I'd taken of peeling letters on a sign. The stick-on letters were all peeling inward and I just liked them. Click.

I found a couple of other shots I'd taken that day, combined them, and ended up with this image.

My routine, when I create photomontages, is to save the image and all its layers, so that if I decide I want to change anything, all the layers are there for me to work on. Then I flatten the image and save it under a different name.

Alas, sleep-deprived and awake way too early this morning, when I went to save the image and all its various layers, I clicked "Save" rather than "Save As," remembering too late I had already flattened the image, so all those layers are gone, leaving just this. Not the end of the world. Just stupid!

©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!

Latest work: Faux Postcards

Something a bit different. I found a couple of Japanese illustrations published in 1902, made two more versions, made a postcard, then combined everything to create what you see here.

My favorite of the two is the one with the rabbits. I mean, how often do we see an aerial view of rabbits?

Speaking of which, two bunnies are now hanging out here on the property. I'm sure the owls are quite pleased.

©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!

Recent work: "Principles of Accounting"

I created this a week or so ago and uploaded it to Fine Art America. Will it sell? I never know any more! I just keep making things and putting them out there.

This one is a combination of 1937 Japanese ledger paper and a monoprint I made using acrylic paint. What I think is cool is how I made some of the background calligraphy white, a reverse of the black foreground characters. The color palette, too, is rather different for me.

Having fun here in Washington state, where the rhododendrons are coming into full bloom, the grass is green, and the air is fresh and cool.

©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!

Seduced by color

As I've been working in a lot of neutral tones lately, when I see some of my more colorful images, they sort of startle me, shake me up, and make me happy.

Here are three examples, two of which were "as found" and one a photomontage.

The "tickets" image was taken in San Diego, the longhorn skull on the front of a shop in Madrid, New Mexico, and the "P?" The background (including the stripes) is a reflection of a fishing boat photographed in Newport, Oregon. The "P," too, comes from a fishing boat. I like the repeating pattern of the stripes and the diagonal-ish lines in the background contrasting with the upright-ness of the letter.

Purple and orange is the theme of these three, apparently. I remember in eighth grade, living in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, receiving a bright purple mohair sweater from my Aunt Lucy, and loving it. Especially combined with an orange pleated skirt! Totally clueless about style then as I am today.

©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!

Lines and curves

As I continue to work on my black and white series of military fort details, I'm seeing how much easier it is to see line and design when not being distracted by color.

Color can seduce you into a photo, but composition, line, and design keep you interested.

Ooh, that sounded good, didn't it? (I was going to elaborate, relating it to bad relationships and life, but I won't go there. And aren't you glad?!)

In the first shot, I liked the contrast of the textured background behind the smooth railing. I also like the diagonal bits. And finally, I like the little rounded knob on the railing against all those incredibly straight lines.

Same thing in the second photograph. In this case I like the curve in the lower right, the curves of the round ring, both contrasting with the bold black horizontal line.

Then in the bottom photo, all we have are straight lines. The sharp edges of the steps, precisely cut, diagonating across the frame. I purposely let a bit of warmth come through in the background just to set off the steps a bit.

Gotta say, I'm enjoying this black and white work. And it's fun to go back through years of photos I've taken in various forts and bunkers and look at them with new eyes and new skills. And a new attitude.

©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!

Latest work: "Winter Tree"

Whenever I create something, I usually think a) nope, this isn’t quite “there” yet, or b) this is crap, don’t show it to anybody, but keep it because I think it has potential, or c) yes, this is good, or, preferably, d) yes, this one’s solidly good. Option d) is always the preferable one, of course, and that’s the case with this image.

I get a solid “yes.” A definite “yes.”

I began making this image back in November of last year. Although a simple picture, it didn’t come together quickly, and it’s been in my “Works In Progress” file, waiting for a bit of inspiration. Which arrived yesterday. A few tweaks and boom, done, and uploaded to Fine Art America.

So I show it to you here today. You may not agree with my “yes” feeling, and that’s okay. The main thing is that it resonates with me, the artist, as well as with Chris. It looks best when you see it large on FAA. I’ve left it as large as I can here in the blog, but man, it looks great on the FAA site! The subtleties get lost in a thumbnail.

Wishing you a solid “yes” sort of day today. Oh, and here’s a shout-out to neighbor Shirley in Bend, Oregon. Wishing you a fine day today, madam.

©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!

Things that probably only I find humorous ...

Walking along the street in Charleston, South Carolina. Luckily the two cars left just enough of a gap to let the store sign show through clearly.

It's just not funny if one has to explain these things . . .

©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!

A slightly different direction

When we moved here to Whidbey Island, one of my first goals was to photograph the military bunkers and gun emplacements on the island (and nearby). So I began doing that and, instead of creating color images, decided to work on toning them and/or creating black and white versions. They haven’t been successful in my opinion, so although the photography has been continuing, the processing has sort of gone by the wayside.

I was inspired to return to it for two reasons. Fay Henexson showed me some intriguing black and white photos that she had taken. (Here’s a link to her blog, but I couldn’t find the black and white images:  http://henexson.zenfolio.com/blog/2016/4/abstracts-and-other-pleasures.) And I also have begun playing with Nik filters this past week.

I believe I’ve come up with a satisfactory way of making my images into black and white, which involves not only using the Nik filters, but a lot of other techniques as well. We shall see. It’s all an experiment.

Since I continue shooting and I also have a large backlog of photos taken over the years, I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ll post some here from time to time as I move through. You know how excited I get about photographing in boatyards? Well, military bunkers do exactly the same thing. It’s all about texture, line, and design. Woo hoo!

©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!