Joyful Purpose

Artfest 2011 is Up!

I am teaching two (very cool in my humble opinion) classes!

Painting into Portals

Multiplicity

Check it Out!

A visitor

This is what I saw looking out my kitchen window yesterday ...

 

So I grabbed my camera and clicked and inched my way forward

 

He knows I am here but the obvious preening says you are far enough away ...

 

now eye contact is made - ah what a magnificent bird

 

close enough sister ...

And so it begins ...

I started a group of new paintings and so it begins the "process"  thought you might enjoy the journey so here is stage one ...

 

stay tuned ....

Online Classes

It seems as though the economy and time constraints have caused all of us to hunker down and rethink things - speaking for myself this is true.  Online classes keep coming in my path and while they are not the same as going and being present they are a wonderful alternative.  I had been encouraging my dear friend LK to do one for some time now and lucky for me and many others she has.  Be sure to check her out.

That being said I have been asked by many of you if I would consider an online class in lieu of a physical one.  My first step would be to see how much interest I would have?  So I am putting out the proposition....

If you are interested in either "online" class please contact me for the details at [email protected]

ANIMAL SPIRIT GUIDES

"All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man ...the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports."  Chief Seattle

Many Native people believe that animals present themselves to us in the form of guides and teachers. In this class we will journal about why certain animals are prominent in our lives, what we can learn from them and how we can express ourselves through our art using them as guides.  The techniques we will explore will include using b/w photographic images along with paint, pen, pencil, color and poetry.

La Canzone del Mare ~ Song of the Sea

“You have heard the beat of the off-shore wind,  And the thresh of the deep-sea rain;  You have heard the song  - how long?"         Kipling

La Mare will be our muse in creating a unique book filled with poetry, photographs, drawings, paintings, and more.  We will walk the shores for inspiration and to capture images of deep beauty. This class will focus on the Sea and all the wisdom she has to offer. 


These will include such topics as~

Digital Photography - layout, settings, and design
Post Production editing - photoshop, iphoto
Sketching from photographs and objects
acrylic painting
water color and pen sketches
preparing background papers
coptic journal construction

Once was new is old again

These are some photos I took on a recent trip.  I love to bring them home and alter them so they look old.  Can't wait to use them in a future painting.

Journaling from the Lake

We got to our beloved Priest Lake, Id on Sat. and have been enjoying the beauty, peace and bliss.  I love to  watercolor journal when and I am here. 

The view the first night we were here


morning view from the deck of the cabin




supplies

black and white photo

Black and white photo taken at malibu beach

I love black and white photos

Father's Day Morning

Shoot Shoot Shoot

Annie Leibovitz says if you want to become a better photographer you should just shoot, shoot, shoot - take pictures!  For me I need to take hundreds at an event to get some really good ones.

Here are a few from the cd release party of my dear friends - The Delgado Brothers

Judi is the wife and Katie is her daughter staring on ...

Mad Skills

Ah, the wonder of photo editing ~ some argue that digital photography and its post production editing process i.e. photoshop, etc is cheating.  However, in my opinion it is just like working in the darkroom.  I rarely printed a pic straight from the camera - I cropped, used different papers, burned and dodged in the darkroom to make the image better.  Now we just do it on the computer with less toxic results.  This is one of my favorite things to do.  Take a photo and fool with it - make it more interesting. 


 








Want to learn some mad skills? 

Join me May 2 Sat. at Zinnia in South Pasadena.

Advanced Digital Pix:*
A photography and Mac computer Workshop

May 2nd      11:am - 5:pm        $70.m      *Mac computer and digital camera required
This class is an opportunity to explore the different facets of digital photography and Mac computer programs including photobooth, iphoto, as well as Photo Shop Elements and Photoshop.  You will learn fast and easy techniques to enhance your photos.  The class will explore various ways to take better digital photos and how to use various computer programs to make them more dynamic.
This is a HANDS ON class!  We will be shooting pics and doing computer post production.

Additional Materials:
Tripod (if you have one)
Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
Several small objects that you would like to photograph and are significant to you.

Please visit my website for a look at my work www.sweetsistergina.typepad.com
Email me with any questions – [email protected]