Lost Aussie on the loose

Graphic Fun

Photoshop and Illustrator hold endless thrall for me.  There are always so many nooks and crannies to explore.

Lately I have been obsessed with creating patterns.  Converting raster images into vectors and then back again to use in PS...(OK I can already hear you snore...) - but hey, it floats MY boat and that's all that counts here!

You can download these fun patterns for free over at my Digital Magic blog (if you are so inclined).

If you are not sure how to install patterns into Elements or Photoshop, give me a holler and I will help you out.

Buried Treasure - December 23rd 2010

Over at the Altered Page, Seth is having his annual Buried Treasure bash.

The deal is that on the 28th of July you re-blog something significant from your past years worth of blogging and share it again.

I chose this particular post because I like the photo (ha yes!) and well it never hurts to think about who you are and what you are about, nevermind what the time of year!

Enjoy! - Again!

Reflection from December 2010

There's the hustle and bustle
the holiday lights
folk dashing hither and thither
last minute things to be done
cooked, bought, sought

but shortly there will be a time
to stop for a moment

to marvel
at things passed this year
things achieved
loves found and loves lost
wonders dreamed of and seen
some not
prayers sent
and some met
folk we miss, and some we forgot

and perhaps amidst it all
you can find time to find you

think about who you are
who loves you
thinks about you
does not mind that you have paint on your fingers
glue in your hair
photoshop on your brain
or perhaps just dirt under your nails

perhaps amidst it all, there will be a moment to feel

you are loved

no matter what...

What a Gift!

Art and Music

How is it that these two genres of creative expression are so inextricably entwined?

Whether you groove to the soul sister beat, move to Mraz, Mozart or Goo to the Dolls, it  seems that invariably there is a connection between creative expression and music.

As a child, music was of the turn table variety ... I think Bing Crosby at Chrismas was the most memorable event. 

Then at 15 my first boyfriend was a radio DJ and so music became a BIG thing.  Listening to the radio under the covers of my quilt, when I was supposed to be asleep. Yeah really!
And then at 16 going to the Radio Station and hearing first hand the tapes of Casey Kasem.
Later, sitting in the sound studio and getting to press the PLAY buttons, with a wicked smile on my face but able to say nothing....

Oh yes,.... the radio and music were everything at that point.

And now?  Thanks to my sons and DH (who loves to jam with his guitar and is a big rock fan) I get to listen to it all, both old and new.

And... where was I going with this? - yes, Amy Winehouse.
It's sad when an artist of her calibre is lost.
She has accompanied many a mad painting moment.

What is it about music that when it is playing loud and hard that we can create?

Perhaps not for you, but that's the way it works for me.

Triple bass, bother the neighbours kind of loud.  The kind of loud that they "facebook" your kid in Australia to say there is a problem next door! (yeah really!)

I make great art - then.

I shall miss Amy and mourn a life cut too short.

RIP Ms W.

Twelve Years and Counting.

 

Happy Anniversary Honey!

xoxo

Seeking Distraction

The house is quiet.  #2 son has trekked his way back to Australia and I spent part of the night and then the morning glued to Flight Stats, watching his progress around the globe.  An email sent from Dubai, a text from Perth.  I don't know how I would manage without technology.  The "connected-ness" (is that a word?) is a blessing.

I talk to #1 son on Skype for 2 hours.  He is upset about the dog too.  No-one to hold his head as he sobs and I feel rather helpless.  I gently steer the topic away and we focus on other things - eventually he seems calmer.

But all day I hear the chink of "her" collar as she walks up the hall and the 'humphf' as she sits down.  I know it's only in my imagination.  A sound that I expect to hear.  Pattern, habit.  It will take time to understand this new and emptier house and the part of us that is no longer here.

In the meantime I have cleaned and sorted my desk and rid the kitchen table of mounds of accumulated flotsam.  Catharsis I suppose - and then some Photoshop to soothe the soul.

And .... so that I can close on a brighter note -  I have my first posting up as a Collaborator over at Vision and Verb.   Their photography, thoughts and perspective are so diverse and interesting and I am thrilled to have been invited to join this talented group of women.

Ode To A Friend

Nearly 14 years ago we stopped by a Petsmart in Houston and left with a gangly blonde adopted dog of uncertain pedigree but a catch light in her eye and a snuffle and whip that told us that she belonged to us.
Little did we know she would end up being quite so big or oh so furry!

It did not matter for she had found a place in our hearts from the get-go!

She has been a stalwart companion, along many runs (less as the years have gone by), suffered through boys bouncing on her back, shaking her tail and delighting at visitors at our door and forewarning of those we did not know, patient with cats who sought to tease and torment and slept at the foot of my bed for each and every night since she has been ours.

We did not chose her name, she was called "Precious" when we adopted her and Precious she has been.

And as I type, I weep.

She has been much loved and I am just glad that David was here today to say good-bye.

We love you Preshie'

A Visiting We Will Go ...

On Wednesday we took a trip north and visited Rhode Island School of Design.  As you may have guessed, #2 son is very enamoured with art and photography and is keen to scope out the US Universities to see what they have to offer and on Monday we will visit with Pratt and Parsons.

The biggest hairball I have to swallow here is that each US school wants in the vicinity of $40K for tuition alone, per year.  In Australia you can go to a comparable University for $16K per year and it only takes you three years to gain a degree - and no it's not one written on the back of a cereal box! I'm talking about colleges that rate in the top 100 in the world!

Frankly, after visiting RISD, I just don't get it.  Monday's visits will be interesting for sure and I don't mind taking the time to make informed choices :-)

Like Minds - The Boy Version

They are like two peas in a pod, down to the ankle socks and baggy shorts. 
This is when you know the nurture part of the argument wins over nature and 12 years of Step parenting builds a bond that is heartwarming and enduring.

Hot Summer in the City

Graffiti walls the backdrop of her balcony vista.

The hum of airconditioners

louder than the cicadas in the Park.

City life,

in the Summer.

Like Minds

How is it that I am 6" shorter?

And I am not that short....

We stepped along the Highline and had cameras in concert.

Some things come unbidden

and they are perhaps the best.