First try at "TTV" shots...

I just got my Argus 75 camera in the mail and was so excited to try it out shooting "Through the Lens". It is called TTV and typically you use a digital camera and take your photos while shooting through the lens of an old camera. I did some post processing in PS and converted it to b/w, hand tinted and a weird teal just to see some different effects. The Flickr group that I saw this on is called "Through the Viewfinder".... Check it out if you like playing around with alternative forms of photography. They suggest shooting through the Kodak Duaflex, the Brownie Starflex or the Argus 75 to name a few....

Happy Easter Everyone!

Well, we had our first snow shower of the season here today....APRIL!!!! First time it has snowed here in Va. Beach in April since the 1950's....Thank God we leave for Florida in the morning! Off to Orlando for a few days for a Spring break getaway...It will be crowded but at least it will be warm! Have a great holiday to all my blog buddies out there!

Altered photo book

Here is a little handmade book I just finished. I made it using two 5x7 canvas style boards that i painted and I added an altered photo to the front of it. I forgot to "fix" the black charcoal around the photo, so it smudged a bit when I sealed the whole thing with modge podge, but it still looks pretty cool I think. I plan on painting the inside pages and adding the altered photos to the book when I get a chance...Thanks Karen Michel for teaching me how to alter photos in your workshop...it is still one of my favorite techniques!

Hershey

Meet Hershey...he was a sweet dog I had the pleasure of photographing over the weekend. We had a really beautiful day here on Friday...close to 80 degrees, a perfect day for a photoshoot on the beach. I love the shot of him sticking his tongue out...Have a great day everyone!

Greeting Cards

I am working on a new line of dog/cat greeting cards and this is my first sample. The photo is handcolored and distressed with sandpaper, then mounted on a handpainted acrylic background. It measure's 5x7 and would be part of a series. In an effort to produce these with less time involved, I am going to try and scan the original hancolored photo and get prints of it already altered...that way I can sell them for less and create more inventory. I am probably going to leave them blank, eventhough I am tempted to put my little sayings on the art work (i.e.-"Home is where the dog is.") What do you guys think? I would love to hear your opinions !

One of my favorite things...

Almost every evening a group of Cranes or Egrets? settle themselves in this one tree for about an hour or so. I like to think they come there to watch the sunset before they retire for the night. I don't know why it fascinates me, but I am always awed when I see them together. Maybe because they usually seem so solitary, hunting for fish by themselves in the local marshes. I suppose there is some scientific reason for this gathering every evening, but I like to think of it as one of those things that do not need an explanation. To me it is one more example of natures magic. It truly is one of my favorite things here in Virginia Beach

Clancy & Wiley

I am almost finished with this painting of two of my dogs, Clancy & Wiley. I need to work on Wiley's face (he's the one on the right) because he still looks really sad to me...I am quickly discovering that it is really hard to paint dogs! They seem much more diffcult to me because their faces have a lot more dimension than cats. Here are a few detail shots as well...

Art Journal Grunge Style

My nephew just turned 18 and since he is a very creative, artistic soul, I thought I would make him an art journal of his own for his birthday....He sent me some of his poetry, artwork and favorite CD inserts to use as a background for the book. I decided on altering an old Time Life book on Central America that I first prepared with gesso. It was a fun project for me because I wanted to do a book that was a style that reminded me of him, but kept a part of me laced through the pages. I embraced my inner grunge and had at it...very cathartic and freeing after all my recent oil paintings...I sent it off to him with a note saying that I wanted him to make it his own....write in it, paint over stuff he didn't like, add more images, burn it if wanted too...but to be fearless and not worry about messing it up or doing something "wrong". Now, if I would take the time to work on my own....this week!

Last cat painting for the show...

Here is the last one for the cat show....I tried to keep this one a little bit more simplistic...not so many patterns and details....He looks like one indifferent party animal...like "take this hat off my head before I scratch your eyes out"...

cat collage

This is a cat collage that I did today....I used one of my photos that I cut out and glued down to a collaged background that I made...I used telephone book pages, dress patterns, acrylic paint, bird epherma and Lyra aquacolor sticks. I am thinking about sealing the whole thing with beeswax so it has that wonderful smell and a little bit more depth....

New cat paintings

A local art gallery here in Va. Beach hosts a show each year called the Cat's Meow. All artwork must include a cat and a portion of the sales from the show go to benefit the Va. Beach SPCA. I figured I would take a break from the dogs for awhile and try my hand at painting cats so I could participate in the show...The first on is called "The Gift" and anyone who owns a cat is familiar with this phenomenon...The second is called "Purple Cat" because I have no idea what else to call it. I enjoyed painting the cats and will probably do more in the future. I feel bad that i haven't posted anything in awhile. We have been sick around here lately and I have not felt like doing much of anything...I can't wait for Spring!

Daisy the dachshund

I dragged my poor little dog outside yesterday in the feezing cold to make her pose for me wearing a scarf...As with most dachshunds, she was playing up the drama, shaking like she was going to freeze to death, etc. until I got the peanuts out...Brand new dog, most willing to please. I had to fake the snow since we rarely get any here in Va. Beach...My husband wants to know what I am going to do with all of these dog paintings.....yard sale?

Schotzie

This is a painting of my sisters seeing eye dog, Schotzie...I really struggled with this one and I am not really happy with the way it turned out, but I think when you are learning to paint you get to a point with a certain piece that you know it's time to stop and move on to the next one...I am happy that I worked through some challenges along the way that I think were resolved, it's just something about his expression that is bugging me...the eyes I think...On to the next one, maybe a dachshund this time....

Painting Class

Well, in an effort to combat the winter blahs and spark my creative slump, I decide to sign up for a painting class...Since I photograph dogs and cats, I thought it would be fun to learn to paint them. This is Lily, my sisters dog, and I did this painting for her birthday. I think it turned out pretty good considering I haven't painted in quite some time. The important thing is, I really enjoyed doing it and can't wait to do some more! I have so many photos that I think could be fun paintings now...I tried water based oils for the first time and I love them. You get the effect and feel of oil paint, without all of the smelly chemicals and difficult clean up. Whoever came up with this paint is brilliant! Thanks for looking and any constructive criticism is appreciated!

Sanctuary Fatbooks are on their way!

Here is a shot of the finished book...I used Catherine Moore's beautiful bird paper for the background of the front and back cover. It's hard to see in the photo, but there is a small twig glued on the front of each book along with some green moss to give it a more natural feel. The artwork for this book was really wonderful as you can see in the images I've posted below. I will be auctioning off one of these books on Ebay soon to benefit Bernie Berlin's A Place to Bark. Check back in a few days to see when the book is up for auction if you are interested.

Kimber Kline &Wendy McGowen

Kara Klein &Ellen Gray

Ellen Gray & Kimber KlineChrysti Hydeck & Connie Senyitko

New Journal Spread

I got this cool little point and shoot camera for xmas this year and I have to say that I am loving it. As a professional photographer, I always felt like I had to haul around my big digital camera if I wanted to take photos...more often than not, I would leave it at home because I did not want to carry it, worry about it, etc. Now, with this new little point and shoot that i keep in my purse, I am taking a lot more spur of the moment photos that are much more spontaneous...it is kind of "freeing" in away...

This new journal page is reflective of my current state of mind which is blah lately...I always seem to get really depressed during the winter months for no real reason, I must have seasonal affective disorder. It felt good to put it down on paper and I must credit Evanescence for the quote "breathe into me and make me real"...seemed fitting.

Sanctuary Fatbook page

I am currently hosting a fatbook called "Sanctuary" that is all about birds...This is my page for the book, which I have since further embellished with a piece of black tulle??(spelling?) I think the book is going to be really nice. I have had some really great pages come in for this one. I will post a photo of the finished book in a day or so when I get them collated and bound.

I think I am going to take a break from hosting for a little while. I am definately getting a little burned out on fatbooks...I mean really, after awhile how many do you need? I have enjoyed hosting and participating in them for the past year mainly because it gave me a project to do. I really need deadlines and prompts to get me going in my art sometimes and fatbooks really fit the bill. Now, I am looking for something new to inspire me...mail art is something I have been playing around with which I really enjoy...maybe that can become my new obsession? Or maybe I should get back to my art journal??? I always do well with it for a few weeks, then slowly but surely I lose interest...Does anyone else out there have that same problem?

I have definately been in a creative funk lately so I have been concentrating on projects that are more business related...new website, order forms, postcards, etc. It makes me feel productive to get something important accomplished when the creative juices aren't flowing...It must be the time of year, I just want to curl up and read a book. Anyhoo, thanks for listening to my rambling thoughts!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Well, I am so excited to start off the New Year with a brand new website! Karen Michel has just re-designed my pet photography website and I would love for you all to go and check it out and tell me what you think. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated....Is it easy to use? Do the links and buttons work for you? Do the images look good on your browser? Here is the link to the new site. Sit. Stay. Smile. Photography. Thanks everyone!

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas...

Sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile...I have been busy with the usual holiday stuff, but now finally the dust has settled, the gifts are wrapped and I can now sit back and actually enjoy the season. I love it when everything is done and I can relax and do the holiday things I enjoy like baking cookies and spending time with friends and family. This is our Christmas tree this year...we have made the change to colored lights for the past two years and it is growing on me...I used to be a white lights only kind of girl, but my husband and daughter are slowly wooing me to the other side. My tree is of course slowly going tothe dogs....I have more dog ornaments now, my collection growing each year it seems. Luckily everyone else in my family shares this passion or they may think I am starting to obsess...
We are staying home for Xmas and then going to visit the In-Laws in Baltimore after that...I am looking forward to the visit since we still have a lot of friends there that we are excited to see and hang out with. I hope that everyone has a safe, magical holiday season and a very Happy New Year!

This one of my favorite ornaments...it looks just like my Daisy!

This a recent cabinet card that I altered...I sent out a few as xmas cards to some of my online friends....maybe you will get one soon?

Pet Portrait Day at the VBSPCA

What a fun weekend! I met a lot of really cool cats & dogs, some crazy pet owners and survived the weekend without getting my eyes clawed out by a few cats that were less than happy to be there. It is always exhausting since the appointments are every 20 minutes and you don't have a whole lot of time to get the perfect shot. By 5pm, I am usually pretty fried. The photos I have posted above were a few of my favorites...