Randi Art

Hot Pink Rose

2009-07-14T21:38:00.002-04:00

Hot Pink Rose
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is another photo from a recent walk at the Cummings Center Pond. I saw a scraggly little rose bush surrounded by mulch, but the roses were beautiful. Tonight I cropped the image to focus more attention on the rose itself. I think it might look good posterized. Perhaps tomorrow. . . . Life has been pretty hectic, but I am glad I took some time today to "smell the roses," even if the roses were digital.

Cat Tails

2009-07-13T23:59:00.000-04:00

Cat Tails
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a photograph that I took a few days ago during a walk at the Cummings Center Pond here in Beverly, MA. I liked the way the cat tails looked against the water, so I took a picture. Tonight I cropped the image to get this composition.

Heart Shaped Box as of July 12, 2009

2009-07-12T22:23:00.002-04:00

Heart Shaped Box as of July 12, 2009
Originally uploaded by randubnick

I had to drop some things off at the studio this morning, so I decided to stay and spend an hour working on this project, a heart-shaped box that I am covering with decoupage and collage designs. I was very motivated to work on the inside of the box top, an area that I just started working on last time, so that's where I began. The work is going fast on that part because the pieces are larger, but also because at the beginning, it is much easier to fit pieces together. Then I continued filling in some gaps in the gold area around the perimeter of the box, and also fit a few pieces into the red interior of the box. Even though (especially because) the rest of the day was hectic, I am glad I managed to fit in a little time to make art.

More Pink Roses (Digital Woodcut)

2009-07-11T20:17:00.002-04:00

More Pink Roses (Digital Woodcut)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Tonight I used my Painter program to create this digital woodcut from the posterized photo that I published here yesterday. I really struggled with this one, trying to get the right amount of black edge. I am still not completely happy with this, and am thinking about adding some color overlay. Meanwhile, I am posting it because this is the image that I made today.

More Pink Roses (Posterized)

2009-07-10T19:30:00.002-04:00

More Pink Roses (Posterized)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Here are more pink roses from Long Hill Gardens in Beverly. This image began with a photograph that I took on July 6th, around 5 PM. When I transferred the photo into the computer, I could see that the insects had been chewing on the leaves, but I really liked these roses, so I decided to see what I could do. I opened the image in Painter and used digital pastel to patch the holes in the leaves. While I was at it, I turned back the clock for two brown, withered rose petals. Then I posterized the image and cropped it to get this composition.

Heart Shaped Box as of July 9, 2009

2009-07-09T19:21:00.002-04:00

Heart Shaped Box as of July 9, 2009
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This morning I spent a little time working on this project, a heart-shaped box that I am covering with collage and decoupage designs made with printed metallic ribbons. I have been trying to finish the outside area (predominantly gold), and am down to just filling in small gaps. Although it is great to be so close to finishing the gold area, filling in the little gaps is painstaking work. So to make this more fun, I decided that I would start a new area, the inside of the box top. I came across a piece of ribbon in the pattern I want, and pasted down some pieces around the perimeter. Just a few pieces of ribbon, but it did the trick in terms of adding fun and energy to the whole project, even the more tedious parts.

Late Afternoon Roses (Digital Woodcut)

2009-07-08T21:45:00.002-04:00

Late Afternoon Roses (Digital Woodcut)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a digital woodcut created from the image that I posted yesterday, a photo (digitally edited and posterized) of roses in the late afternoon light. Tonight I opened the image in Painter and began to fiddle with the "digital woodcut" controls. It was a bit of a challenge and took several attempts to get what I wanted. I was trying to get the right level of edge and heaviness (to control the amount of definition and black outline), but it seemed that when I got that right, I wasn't getting enough color, resulting in gray or beige flowers. After a number of tries, I decided to go with the amount of black outline that I wanted, and just add some color overlay to the roses. Here is the result, less naturalistic and less sunny than yesterday's image. This version is a bit more mysterious, suggesting roses at twilight rather than late afternoon. Same subject matter, different mood.

Late Afternoon Roses (Posterized)

2009-07-07T20:18:00.002-04:00

Late Afternoon Roses (Posterized)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This image began with a photograph that I took yesterday during a walk at Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, MA. It was shortly after 5 PM and I loved the look of these roses, back-lit with the late afternoon sun, so I took a picture or two. Tonight I cropped the best photo to get this composition, and that's when I noticed that some of the leaves had been eaten by enthusiastic insects. So I opened the image in Painter and used digital pastel to fill in the holes, which in some cases meant actually drawing in part of the leaf. As I worked, I also noticed some places where stems just stopped short because a blossom had been cut. So I used more digital pastel to make the cut stems disappear. Then I posterized the image, and here it is.

Day Lilies Against Rock Wall

2009-07-06T19:53:00.002-04:00

Day Lilies Against Rock Wall
Originally uploaded by randubnick

I noticed the day lilies blooming in front of this rocky backdrop, so I took a picture. I liked the romantic disarray of the flowers and leaves, lichen and moss. Tonight I cropped the original photograph to get this composition.

Stage Fort Park at Gloucester, MA

2009-07-05T20:58:00.002-04:00

Stage Fort Park at Gloucester, MA
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Today we drove up to Gloucester, MA, and took a walk in Stage Fort Park. I took some photos as we walked along the water. This was one of the best photos. Tonight I edited this photo, just the usual straightening and cropping. I also lightened the darkest shadows a bit. But apart from those minor adjustments, this is how the photo looked right out of the camera. I am pointing that out because parts of the image look posterized, especially the water in the foreground.

View of Swampscott from Lynn (Posterized Photo)

2009-07-04T20:27:00.003-04:00

View of Swampscott from Lynn (Posterized Photo)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Today's destination for an early celebration of July 4th (and of the fact that the sun was finally shining) was a walk along the ocean at Lynn, MA. I took this photo from the walkway along the beach. The town in the photo is Swampscott, which borders Lynn. We walked up there today to a great little sandwich and ice-cream place (called Lime Rickey's). It has outdoor tables, great if one of your lunch companions is a dog. We had sandwiches and drank egg creams. Tonight, I edited my photos from the adventures of the day, and chose this one as the best. I opened the image in Painter and used digital pastel to clean up some distracting marks on the railing, and then I posterized the picture.

Heart Shaped Box as of July 3, 2009

2009-07-03T20:06:00.002-04:00

Heart Shaped Box as of July 3, 2009
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This morning I went to the studio to work on this project, a heart-shaped box that I am covering with decoupage and collage patterns. I am using printed metallic ribbons to create the designs. At this point, I am simply filling in gaps in the gold area around the sides of the box, and also working a little bit on the red interior. Sometimes I am impatient to finish the gold area. Although the work is painstaking, it isn't tedious. It is only my desire to go on to the next pattern, the next area, that makes me impatient. But impatience leads to mistakes, so I stop when I begin to hurry. The solution is to slow down, stay in the moment while I work, and enjoy the process. By the time I took this photo, my impatience had passed, and I think it shows.

Quiet Pond on Misty Evening

2009-07-02T21:10:00.003-04:00

Quiet Pond on Misty Evening
Originally uploaded by randubnick

It rained hard most of the day. After dinner, it was misty but no longer raining. There was just enough time for a walk at the Cummings Center Pond before dark. I liked the way the pond looked in the misty weather, so I took some pictures. When I got back home, I edited them. This was the best composition, but there were three neon orange buoys in the water, and they were creating a bit of a distraction. So I opened the image in Painter and used digital pastel to cover them up. While I was at it, I decided to use a little digital pastel to mask some glimpses of cars going by on the road behind the trees.

Yellow Flowers by the Fence

2009-07-01T20:01:00.004-04:00

Yellow Flowers by the Fence
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a photograph that I took yesterday during a walk near Independence Park here in Beverly, MA. I saw these yellow flowers and I liked the way they looked against the white fence, so I got out my digital camera. The sun was out (briefly) which is reason enough to take a picture these days! Tonight I cropped the photograph to get this composition. I think the yellow flowers might be buttercups.

Hazy Day at Independence Park

2009-06-30T19:25:00.005-04:00

Hazy Day at Independence Park
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Here north of Boston, we have been having crazy weather, wild swings from cool and rainy to suddenly warm and sunny, sometimes in the same day! This makes for mist, fog, and haze. Yesterday there was a break from the rain in the afternoon, so we took the dog for a walk at Independence Park here in Beverly, MA. This is a great little park on the ocean with a view all the way to Salem Willows Park (in the distance). Last year we came here to watch fireworks (set off a Salem Willows and Marblehead and Lynch Park). But even on an ordinary afternoon, the view is spectacular. Yesterday we couldn't go down to the beach because of the dog, but even from the sidewalk, the view of the ocean was great. The hazy weather made for interesting light, so I took a few pictures. Tonight I cropped this one to get this composition.

Massachusetts Ice Cream Stand

2009-06-29T20:23:00.002-04:00

Massachusetts Ice Cream Stand
Originally uploaded by randubnick

I took my sketchbook along to Starbucks yesterday and started this little drawing. I couldn't find my Sharpie, so I started the sketch with a plain black pen even though it doesn't show up as well, especially with this sketchbook which has light brown paper. But once I got going, it didn't matter. I decided to draw a Massachusetts ice cream stand, working from imagination and memory. And I have plenty of memories because I have made lots of visits to the wonderful Mom and Pop ice cream stands that make Massachusetts famous for its ice cream. Well, yesterday's Starbucks break was over before I had finished the drawing, so tonight I decided to work on it some more. This time, I had my Sharpie, so I used it to go over some lines. I had already drawn in a couple of bicycles, so I thought I had better include the bike riders!

Pink and White Flowers

2009-06-28T21:18:00.002-04:00

Pink and White Flowers
Originally uploaded by randubnick

I took this photograph during a recent walk at Long Hill Gardens here in Beverly, Massachusetts. I love the little pink and white flowers because they look as if they have been painted. I don't know what kind of flowers these are; sometimes the shrubs are labeled at Long Hill, but I forgot to look!

Heart Shaped Box as of June 27, 2009

2009-06-27T20:36:00.003-04:00

Heart Shaped Box as of June 27, 2009
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This is a collage and decoupage project in progress, a heart-shaped box that I am covering with designs created from printed metallic ribbon. I went to the studio this morning to work on this for a while. It was in the 80's here yesterday, and so I was expecting it to be very warm in the studio, and it was. One advantage of the warm weather is that the glue (acrylic medium) seems stickier, and that makes the work a little easier. However, about an hour is all I am good for when the studio is so hot. I concentrated on filling the remaining gaps in the gold area around the perimeter of the box, and also placed some red pieces in the interior as I came across them. Filling gaps is a bit tedious, especially because I am already thinking about what designs and colors to use for the remaining surfaces.

Clematis Pattern Mandala

2009-06-26T19:31:00.003-04:00

Clematis Pattern Mandala
Originally uploaded by randubnick

A couple of days ago, I published my photograph of clematis, posterized in Painter. Yesterday, I used that photo to create a pattern. Tonight I decided to see how the pattern looked when I used it with Painter's pattern pen. I just started making circular movements, and then decided to make a spiral. (That's harder than it sounds when you are drawing with a mouse. It took several attempts!) Then I decided to fill in the negative space with a second spiral, and that created a kind of natural mandala (circles within circles). This seemed like an appropriate image for a day in which I sometimes felt like I was running in circles. Seen from the right perspective, the circles become a mandala, and the day becomes, actually, quite beautiful.

Many Clematis

2009-06-25T21:39:00.002-04:00

Many Clematis
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Tonight I used my Painter program to create a digital pattern. I used the posterized photo of clematis that I posted here yesterday. I thought it might make a good pattern because of the darker area on the right side of the image.

Clematis (Posterized)

2009-06-24T20:59:00.003-04:00

Clematis (Posterized)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

I knew it was about time for the clematis to open. They usually bloom around the third week in June, but the weather has been cool and rainy. But the clematis bloomed right on time, apparently determined to have their annual June celebration despite the weather. I took some pictures yesterday while I was on my way to run an errand. Tonight I cropped the photo to get this composition, and then posterized it with my Painter software.

At the Harvard Coop ( Digitally Edited)

2009-06-23T20:42:00.005-04:00

At the Harvard Coop (Digitally Edited)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Sunday's excursion into Cambridge took place on a rainy day. But it was a good day for coffee and bookstores, and fun to see all the new students, who were enrolling for summer session I assume. I didn't think it would be a good day for taking pictures, but I did see a good photo op while I was exploring the fiction section at the Harvard Coop (Cooperative Bookstore). The fiction section is on the second floor, and runs around a kind of balcony with an open view of the floor below. It's a great space, and it is fun to walk around the balcony, so I did. When I got to the front of the store, I looked down on the entryway, where I saw this view. I like the carving, and I also liked the geometry, all those circles and rectangles, so I took a picture. I have spent a great deal of time on college campuses, which may be why the fliers taped to the door were invisible to me when I took the picture. I only noticed them when I saw the photo on my computer screen. So I opened the image in Painter and used digital pastel to remove the pieces of paper from the door. While I was at it, I also removed a glimpse of a passerby's shoe, visible through the doorway in the original photo. (Cambridge was crowded on Sunday, but not crowded!) So now here's a clear and unobstructed view of a Harvard classic!

Two Color Roses Posterized

2009-06-22T22:11:00.005-04:00

Two Color Roses Posterized
Originally uploaded by randubnick

During a recent walk at Long Hill Gardens, we saw these amazing two-color roses blooming right next to the house. I don't think I have ever seen roses in two colors growing on the same bush! Of course, I took some pictures, shooting the flowers from below because they were leaning over somewhat. As I took the photograph, I could already see that the leaves looked like they had been eaten alive. In fact, some of the rose petals looked like they were past their prime. For a second, I wondered if it was worth it to take the picture. But nothing in life is perfect, and I think that if you see a bi-color rose bush, you can't pass it up! Tonight I decided to see what I could do to rescue my photo. I cropped this composition out of the original photo, and opened the image in Painter. I drew into the photograph with the digital pastel, covering up the holes in the leaves. Then I did a little clean-up of a few of the rose petals. I posterized the image, but was losing detail in the brightest yellow flowers. So I added just a bit of color overlay on the inside of the flower, and tried posterizing again. This time I was happy with the result, even though this image is not perfect. But then, nothing in life is perfect, not even art. In fact, insisting on perfect can often mean missing out. I am glad I didn't miss out on these pink and yellow roses!

Gone Fishin' (Posterized)

2009-06-21T20:56:00.005-04:00

Gone Fishin' (Posterized)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This image is a piece of digital art based on a rescued snapshot. The original snapshot was crooked, so I started by straightening and cropping the image. Then I opened it in Painter, and posterized it. I also used color overlays and the "magic wand" tool to colorize the image. I found this image among some family photos. The fisherman standing up in the boat is my dad as a young man. I don't know where or when the photo was taken. But based on other photos, I am guessing it is around the time he was in the army, either shortly before he left to go overseas, or soon after he returned. At the time this was taken, he probably wasn't my father yet, although he soon would be. But this photo brings back memories of going fishing with my dad and my uncle at Lake Isabel, back home in Colorado. Once in a while, my cousin and I got to tag along. I was always too squirmy a kid to be interested in the actual fishing part of the trip, but I remember that I certainly was interested in the worms and minnows. My cousin and I each had little fishing poles, and I remember that my dad and uncle were trying to teach us to cast. Well, I don't believe I ever caught a thing. But even after all these years, I still remember the excitement of going on an adventure with my dad. That's why I thought this would be a nice image for Father's Day, so here it is.

Queen Anne's Lace Posterized

2009-06-20T20:50:00.002-04:00

Queen Anne's Lace Posterized
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Today, walking towards the gardens at Long Hill, I noticed some Queen Anne's lace growing beside the path, so I took some pictures. Tonight I cropped this image out of the original photograph. Then I opened the image in Painter, cleaned up some distracting debris with a little bit of digital pastel, and then posterized it.