Cay Denise

The Scarf Studio in Denver, CO is unfortunately closed to business as of November 17th.  But I was able to get one final order in before the close.  First, a big shout out to Jennifer who took such pains to help me with the digital file of my art so that it could be printed in their last batch.  Thank you, Jennifer! I'm delighted with how the range of colors, outlining and detail work came out, and I'm going to wear this scarf with glee!   The source for the art work were multiple continuous pages from one of my concertina sketchbooks and was done using Sharpies and Posca pens.     

The top image is a blind contour drawing done earlier this year.  Yes, the facial elements are totally askew and as a result the -- image is quite distorted. Tonight, I worked in Photoshop Elements to move the facial elements to their proper locations.  Had that been done originally, this is what the drawing could have looked like. For comparison, this is the source photo.   In the original drawing, I think I lost my bearings in terms of where I thought I was.  This can easily happen when the pen is lifted off the paper - even for a moment - and ends up being lowered into a totally different place.  Doing that kind of thing can have a very obvious effect, as you see above.  If you look closely at the first drawing, it is curious how the eye and mind still manage to convey the information/form even if it results in distortion.  That is pretty amazing!  

From the photo of a small stained glass window to an edited 4-patch of that window to an inverted, extruded, and color- and filter-manipulated image...using Photoshop Elements.  It was playtime today!   The images are in reverse chronological order from the description above. 

A neighbor recently left a curbside pile of Magnolia Tree trimmings in the street -- that will be hauled away as yard waste when the next garbage truck makes its stop. What stood out to me in that pile were the bright red seeds nested artfully in the pods they were beginning to awake and emerge from.  I'm aware of appreciating Magnolia blossoms in full flower, but I haven't noticed this activity in the trees life cycle -- of fruiting and then going to seed.  These red seeds contrasted with the glossy green finish of the Magnolia's leaves seem the perfect herald of seasonal change accompanied by a different kind of beauty.