In A Pickle???

It's a phrase I've heard often through the years, and Googling gave me the following information:

To be “in a pickle" means a challenging or difficult circumstance.

Its origin is the play "The Tempest"
by William Shakespeare, and I quote:

ALONSO: … How camest thou in this pickle?
TRINCULO: I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last …

Well, Tuesday night I learned it's a term used in softball! My grand-daughter came up to bat, hit one, made it to second base. (Good job, Karen!) Now, I'm here to tell you this girl is a base-stealing champion, and last night was no different.

We're in the bottom of the 6th inning... the score is us 14, them 0. SO! Not a really exciting game, ya know? I'm busy snapping pictures of everyone on the team, not a lot of action shots, except everyone at bat and a few slides. A couple pictures of the flags blowing in the breeze... a passing helicopter... yawn.

Suddenly, I heard yelling and screaming "Get her!" and "Run, Karen!" and I swung my camera around toward 3rd base, pressed the shutter button... nothing. So, while I'm trying to see if my camera is off, if the battery's dead, Karen's "in a pickle" between 2nd and 3rd. By the way, the "pickle" means she was caught between 2nd and 3rd, with opponents on either side of her, trying to get her out! At last I've figured out my memory card is full, and while I'm trying to get the second one out of the case and into the camera, she "landed" flat on 3rd... after some discussion, it was ruled safe! Now, whether she dove for 3rd or was tripped, she still made it... whatever, I missed the whole thing by not watching the numbers on the camera! (From now on, the extra card will be ready in my pocket.)

Below is the last picture I got, where she made it to 2nd base. But, as I told her when she said she got in trouble... it was the most exciting part of the whole game, so just smile and remember the moment!!!

Happy Easter!

Look who came to see me this morning! The Easter Bunny! He even sat there and waited for me to go inside and get my camera. However, I was pretty upset about not getting any Easter eggs. I know, I know... I'm supposed to be a grown-up... but, if you get to see the Bunny, you oughta get the eggs, right? Well, a little later I was passing the kitchen window when I saw the culprit!

At first I wasn't sure he did it... the first few pictures didn't prove anything...

but in the last one, I caught him! That just goes to show ya... you just can't trust those cute, little furry critters!

Now THIS is Spring Fever!

This is an example of what I've been doing lately! Girls softball season is going strong, and I go to all the games and take pictures of the team. This is my grand-daughter in her last high-school season, so I'm assembling a "brag book" for her. So far this week, we've had two games and another tonight. And so far, I've taken almost 600 pictures! Of course, I weed 'em out before I post them. Still, the last game has 200 pix. They're in a password-protected gallery, so I can't show them all, however, Karen's pix are located at www.pbase.com/deevinemissm/

The great thing about going to so many games is that I'm learning to anticipate the plays and I'm getting much better action shots. Well, that's it for today... stop in and say hello!

Funky Daffydils

A little touch of spring fever there in that title! (I didn't know the botanical name for daffodil is narcissus).The sun has been shining for almost 2 days now... I'm ready to put the top down on the car and go fishing!!! Actually, I did have it down Saturday for awhile, mostly so I could clean it out. But Sadie and I went for a short ride, before the clouds came back and the temperature dropped.

Continuing the theme...

The background started out as a picture of an orange feather on a gray background. I did lots of cutouts and overlays, color changes, until I saw something I liked. I knew I was going with flowers but waited until the background was done, then I found these photos of roses from our yard last summer. Now that I'm started I want to do a whole set!!!

Something New

I don't usually do abstract-style work, but read on one of the blogs - I think it was Deborah Ross or Uta Mooney - about doing a background first, and then seeing what came from that. So, here's my first try. This one was from a stock background shot and a photo I'd taken of a rose, but I'd like to start creating my own backgrounds and see where it takes me. I'm already seeing a whole new thing with all those flower photos I've been taking.... whoopee!

Rain, rain, go away...

Even though it seems like it's going to rain forever, every once in a while we get a brief hint of spring. Here's another new friend I met in the backyard last week. Well, actually, he was in the neighbor's backyard... and I was standing on tiptoe, taking pictures over the fence! Sure is a good thing she's a friendly neighbor - I gave her a nice print, just to keep her that way! :D

Words of Encouragement.

Yesterday I decided to check in on a couple of blogs I like and I discovered a real gem! A post named "The Near-Extinction of Blind Faith" by Ancient Artist. If you ever feel like you're not very good at what you do, be it creative endeavors, your role as parent and provider, or even your value as a person... you should read this! I had a recent stumble in my plan and it was very depressing. But we really do have people who care for us - we just need to look around us. I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.

Daffodils - it's Spring!

In spite of a 30-some degree drop in temps between Monday and Tuesday, and a change from sunny to cloudy, Tuesday morning I found this brave soul in the backyard. It's amazing the beautiful things to be found all around you. I don't have to leave the neighborhood, or even the yard for that matter, to see flowers and trees in bloom, robins, cardinals, mourning doves, woodpeckers, squirrels, and rabbits. Good job, God!

My Irish is surfacing...

I think I'm on to something here! Every month I do a desktop calendar for all my friends. This month my daughter wanted one with her dog on it. Well, her best friend wanted one with her dog... my sister has a dog... I have a dog... 4 calendars later, the Oklahoma Cat Ladies protested for equal treatment for cats, so... I did a cat. Today I decided they would make great St. Patrick's day cards - check out the Greeting Card page at my Cafe Press Store!

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

Lots of new things are happening nowadays.... maybe it's because Spring is finally peeking around the corner! (Thanks to Ralph Waldo Emerson for the quote.)

In 109 days I'll be going back home to Tulsa!

I recently found a site called Meetup.com. It's a place for finding or starting groups in whatever area you live in, and with common interests. I've joined a photography club called Picture This Photography Club of Hampton Roads - figured it wouldn't hurt to learn how to use that great camera I have!

I have a new online shop for my artwork. The great thing is that they do all the "work" part of it, like printing, shipping, taking the money, etc. All I have to do is be creative - (well, there's a little more to it than that!) The name is The Deevine Miss M's Shop (original, huh?) and it's hosted at Cafe Press.

Today, February 26th, I graduate from physical therapy! I had a total right shoulder replacement October 3, 2008, and I can't begin to express my gratitude and appreciation to everyone who was a part of this. Being right-handed and a computer artist, I admit I was very scared that I would lose some of the use of my arm, but I have way more than I've had for years. So, thank you, Dr. Mancke - you're my favorite surgeon. And Sentara's Great Bridge Therapy Center - I'm gonna miss you guys! Thanks!

Affirmation

Well, I haven't made it to painting yet, but I do have a new "potholder." (I KNOW it's a coffee cup! If you're wondering why I called it a potholder, read the previous post.)

Since this time of the year seems to be all about re-grouping/planning/taking stock, whatever you want to call it, I've been doing a lot of it lately. And I've decided to stop apologizing for being a digital artist! Thus, the title of this picture...

And speaking of Affirmation, I stumbled upon Christine Kane's blog yesterday. The ideas about creativity fit me so well... who would have thought the blog was by a musician???!!!!
;>

Oh, No! Not Another New Year's Resolution!!!

Just got back from seeing Jim Carrey's new movie "Yes Man". It was a typical Jim Carrey movie - zany, slapstick, very entertaining... and a pretty good movie for the new year. The plot revolved around Jim Carrey agreeing to say "Yes" to everything. Well, I'm sure you can imagine where that led... it WAS funny!

Thinking about the story on the way home, I could see it made sense. For the past 5 years I've done lots of photography, with digital art my main focus, yet I've always longed to do traditional art.


Since I've been in Virginia (almost 3 years) I have done ONE small pastel landscape. And yet I have a cabinet full of pastels, watercolors, tubes and bottles of acrylics, pens, inks, pencils, charcoal; there are probably 4 or 5 pads of paper, in sizes ranging from 8 x 10 to 16 x 20, not to mention a package of 5 x 7 canvas boards.


And the books! Here's a picture of the ones I've gathered up over the last couple years... and I subscribe to 3 artist magazines! But I can't seem to get started. I understand some of why I don't - fear is first and foremost. It won't be good enough, I'll mess it up, it'll look amateurish... I'm sure everyone goes through some of that, but how to get past it? The second reason (that I'm aware of) is impatience. I want to hurry up and get done! My Grandmother taught me to crochet when I was seven and I loved her beautiful white cotton crocheted bedspreads. But it took her 3 months to make one! So I never got past the potholder stage... well, I did crochet 6 snowflake ornaments for my tree a few years ago...

So, I suppose you know where I'm headed with this ramble, don't you? Yes, I'm going to learn to paint - without the computer. Not that I'll ever stop creating digital art - after all, potholders are nice,too - but I'm ready to expand my horizons a little. So... thanks, Jim Carrey, for the motivation!

Water, Water Everywhere...

Even after living in Chesapeake, VA, for almost 3 years, I continue to be fascinated by all the water - and the boats, birds, lighthouses, fishing, etc. Of course that’s probably evident in my artwork.

Back home in Tulsa, there’s the Arkansas River, which is not the biggest river there is. Big sections are sandbars - and in places, you could walk from one side to the other. If you want to take a trip, there is Keystone Lake, Grand Lake, the Kerr-McKlellen Waterway... but you have to drive awhile to get to all of those.


But, the Norfolk area is amazing! Within minutes, you can see three rivers - the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth. Then there is the Chesapeake Bay, and finally, the Atlantic Ocean. And, of course, about 10 minutes from home, the Atlantic Inter-coastal Waterway and the Great Bridge Lock Park, I could probably go on for days if you add in all the drawbridges and the tunnels, but I think you get the message! That’s why I have so many water- related pictures in my galleries. Hope you enjoy!

Beautiful, beautiful flutterbyes

Does anyone else have this problem? I just keep on... and on... and on... creating artwork... until I have one of those "V8" kinda moments. No one can see all this creativity if it's tucked away in a folder somewhere on my computer! Duh! So, this blog gives me the excuse to start showing off.

Here's a beautiful black Eastern Swallowtail that I almost missed. If I hadn't stopped to rest... well, you know!

99% of my artwork comes from my own photographs, the rest are from clients for restoration, retouching or for a digital painting.

Thanks, Sue, for my very first ever comment yesterday. I feel like such a success now! :> Let's hear from some more of you, okay?

"...it's pretty, but is it ART?" (2)

Yesterday, in my hurry to argue my case about digital art, I forgot to post the quote the title came from...

"And the first rude sketch that the world had seen was joy to his mighty heart, till the Devil whispered behind the leaves "It's pretty, but is it Art?" Rudyard Kipling

That has been my most favorite quote since I went back to school in 1995 to become a graphic designer. I became a student again at 55, and, to quote Ancient Artist:

"I went back to college when I was 51. I sat in chairs designed for the young, next to my fellow students who were also...well, young. Adding insult to injury, I needed tutoring -- from the young -- to learn the new technology that these kids in their late teens and twenties grew up with and used as casually as I once used the rotary phone."

My problem was in convincing instructors that my design ideas were just as valid as the ideas coming from the young students! I would work twice as hard only to be told that my concepts were "weak" or "bland" - in fact, my final semester's portfolio review was a disaster! The only things I got good marks on were appearance and communication skills. (Of course, my first job, which started 2 days before graduation, was for a hearing aid company whose target market was people in their 50s & up.)

It took me 3 years (and an invitation to the school to present my new portfolio to a graduating class)to be able to throw away that evaluation. So, that's the explanation behind the quote.

And, perhaps there's something in a lot of artists that makes us question our creative abilities in such a way: "..it's pretty, but is it ART?"

"...it's pretty, but is it ART?"

Okay, I'm ready to start some serious blogging, now! And I thought I'd start with my biggest hurdle as an artist - the controversy over whether digital art is "real" art.

In the September issue of Artists' Magazine, (which I subscribe to because I consider myself an artist,) there were half a dozen letters to the editor about whether digital artists produce "real art." The majority opinion was NO!

There were statements like "...I'm glad that you (Artists Magazine) feature artists who have spent years mastering their craft, making art that sometimes takes months to produce." Or, another... "I, too, can produce a so-called painting on my computer, but I would never consider it to be included in a real art competition." And, how about "Digital art doesn't get the fingers dirty(....)the result may look similar-though it will lack the wonderful texture and thickness we can build up with our "dirty" media-but the process is worlds apart from working with a real brush and real paint."

Well, as you can probably tell, I'm tired of having to explain that what I do takes creativity, imagination and talent. Sure, there are lots of paint filters and programs out there in computerland, but just because you have the tools, that doesn't make you an artist, just as having a complete set of automotive tools doesn't make you a mechanic! (one time I took the carburetor off my car, thinking "How hard can this be? If I put it back in the same order I took it off, I should be able to fix this!" Well, guess what? I sure ain't no mechanic!)

Here are several interesting links about digital art - the first one is "Convergent Media - Stretching the Imagination" an article by Barney Davey, posted on http://www.artprintissues.com/.
JD Jarvis, MOCA contributing editor, has many articles on the Moca website.

I will be posting more on this issue later, but in the meantime, let's hear from you out there... what do you think? And while you're here, check out my galleries at pbase. There is quite an eclectic assortment there, some photography, some digital art. Hopefully, you'll enjoy looking.

The Birds...

Spring has definitely Sprung! We had a lot of fun watching the Robin Family from start (well, almost!) to finish. When the last baby left the nest I felt the "empty nest" syndrome kick in. However, I did save the memories in this slideshow. And I will always treasure the awe and wonder the grandkids felt watching this beautiful cycle of nature. (Be sure to turn your speakers on.)

Happy Mothers Day

What a nice day it was! It took some work to get all 3 grandkids organized with gifts and cards, not to mention the occasional
"You're not supposed to fight - it's Mothers Day." Or... "Do it for your Mom - it's Mothers Day." But, all things considered, it was fun!

We have a robin's nest right outside the kitchen window and it's been great to watch the process, from building the nest and setting on the eggs, to seeing tiny little heads popping up last Thursday. So I got out my trusty camera and was able to get some good pictures.

I never realized how hard mama birds have to work until we started watching this one. Back and forth, back and forth... all day long! Sometimes dad watches the nest while mom searches for worms. One of them is there practically all the time. Even the "terminally cool" grandkids are fascinated!

Hello, world!

Just a few words to let y'all know I'm still alive and kickin' here in Virginia! Poor old blue Buick was on its last life, so I went car shopping. Doesn't that PT Cruiser just look like the Deevine Miss M??? It sure does need some pink going on somewhere, though.

As for old Blue, I figured it was way more hassle than I wanted to try to sell it, so the American Cancer Society's "Cars For A Cure" was happy to come take it away for me. I couldn't resist a parting photo... kind of looked like it was chasing that little silver number on the back of the tow truck.!