RedDancer-Studio

Creative Diva Day 5 - Quilt Packs

 
I've been working on small quilt packs for the vendor booth Suzie and I will host at Art Unraveled in August 2011. This is just a sample. I think I'll have at least 100 packets that will be suitable for small books or ATCs, or whatever. I didn't have time to do any other creative photography today. It was beautiful here in Flagstaff and I got to spend a little time outside. The Rennaisance postcards are all from the Madonna and Child series I found recently. I think they might make great covers for a book or for a small wall hanging.

Creative Diva Day #4: macro adjustments

 
Today, I thought I'd try to make a drastic adjustment to a macro image of part of one of the dolls' dresses. Then I finally figured how to pair the images into one new image then add a frame. I really wish I had an instruction book for PS Elements 4. If I had a little more energy, I'd go in the other room and use the Dell XP360 Desktop. But this is much more comfortable. And, sorry, no exotic writing or images new today. Maybe tomorrow I'll figure how to upload a photo of my granddaughter that was sent via a text message. Hey, stranger things can happen.

Creative Diva Day 3: Miniature Dutch Iris

Hard to believe but Spring has arrived in Flagstaff. I found these Miniature Dutch Iris blooms at the Friends Meeting House in Flagstaff, AZ. I saw them a week ago and the next day, we got a heavy snow which effectively crushed the 3 small plants. This evening, there they were again and as any great photographer would do, I got my trusty Nikon Coolpix S70 out of my purse, used the macro setting, and hunkered down to shoot some shots. You can't tell it but the flowers only reach 3" high. Once I got home and downloaded the images from the camera, I had to play with some filters in PS Elements. I think I like the flash and dash of the filters even more than the original images. I think I have more to learn about using PS Elements.

Original untouched image.
 
I used a filter with sharp edges, I think.
 
Of course I can't remember which filter I used. Maybe next time I'll make notes before I save the image for my blog viewing public.

Enjoy and remember this:

"We have a way of life in which God leads the dance" - Fr. Terry

Creative Diva Day 2 - precious doll #1

I've been collecting dolls over the last year from thrift stores and yard sales. I never had such pretty dolls when I was a child and these are more for looks than to play with anyway. Today, for my daily art project, I decided to take a few pictures of some of the dolls and used my little Nikon S70 with the macro lens. So much fun. But then I got into PhotoShop Elements on my laptop and couldn't quite get the layers to work the way they work for me in the regular PhotoShop that I have on my desktop. I really did have a great idea for layers but will have to wait for another day to experiment.

I used the filters for both images just to see which one I liked most. I think I may take the unadjusted image at a later time and use it to draw a doll face on another day.

Thanks to my friend, Cindy Kovack, I have this current group of dolls to use as my models. Enjoy.

 
 

Introducing Marrianna, The Creative Diva of Flagstaff

I purchased a new book at Barnes & Noble last night titled A DAILY CREATIVITY JOURNAL: 365 MAKE SOMETHING EVERY DAY AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE! by Noah Scalin. I don't know if I can create every day, however, I'm willing to give it a try. I don't have a specific focus/subject/medium in mind. And for me, that's not the important thing. What I need is the encouragement of my online readers to keep making art daily. Even if I don't finish a project, if I at least spend 15-30 minutes minimum making art, I truly believe my creative diva will show herself.

So, here's my first piece: A photo taken w/my Blackberry of a piece of frozen ice in the parking lot in front of The Campus Coffee Bean in Flagstaff, AZ, on Wed., 3/23/2011 at 8:00am.
 
My first love for years has been photography. That's because I have not applied myself to learning to draw and/or paint. I like to alter images in PhotoShop. And I love to find the beauty in the "everyday" pieces of life. I imagine that photography will play an important part in my new endeavor to create art daily.

This 365 days of making art is also about writing/blogging about my life as it changes and morphs into something greater than I could ever imagine. I'm in that slow process of losing my mother to old age and the beginning stages of dimentia; Mom, not me. I'm grateful she is well taken care of at a wonderful assisted living facility in Scottsdale, AZ. The nurses and caregivers communicate with me often and I can call at any time. Mom's most recent hospital visit started on Feb. 14 for 3 days followed by 2.5 weeks in a skilled nursing facility in Scottsdale. Everyone at the hospital and at the SNF were super wonderful and kind.

I'm an only child raised by a single mother. As a result of some recent situations in my own life as a mother, I am more aware of some of the anguish I caused Mom many years ago before I found God and my own Higher Power.

So now, here's some recent pictures of Mom.
 
Mom on 2-14-11 as we waited for the paramedics to take her to Scottsdale Healthcare-Osborn Hospital. She had pneumonia, congestive heart failure and 1 other heart ailment that I can't remember but that could cause a stroke; something like a-defibulation. Her temp was 103.5.
 
This was taken on Feb. 23, 2011, in the Heritage Court Skilled Nursing Facility dining room. You can see that Mom wasn't too awake or delighted with her situation. But this is about the time she was starting to respond to occupational and physical therapy as well as speech therapy. She's been back at her apt. at Brighton Gardens and is still very tired and weak. I'll be visiting next week for a few days and just be my usual talkative self and spend time with her watching TV and eating at The Gardens. They have some great cooks.

Right now, I'm watching the remastered version of the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The color looks different and it could be the new TV I got last year. It's in the background as I write and think about my life. Molly, my sweet 8 yr. old shih tzu is laying on the ottoman where I rest my legs for my laptop computer.

Enough tonight. Your New Creative Diva, Marrianna, signing off.