Good news, good news!

Last month, I posted about how I was freaking out about a difficult class I had to take. Well, guess what? I GOT AN A! WOO HOO! I was also inducted into the National Technical Honor Society last week, and I will be inducted into Kappa Pi Honorary Art Fraternity next week. On to of that, I was approached personally for some ongoing freelance work. I think that at this point, I can call myself a graphic designer now instead of a graphic designer wannabe. :) I am also enjoying the mixed media class I'm taking now. I haven't worked with soft pastels since high school, and I forgot how much I enjoyed them. Last week, we were asked to play around with the medium using different techniques. This assignment reminded me of my coloring book days; see the attached images. I'll be drawing something recognizable this weekend, so if I remember, I'll share the finished product with you.

Moran Fine Art

I mentioned in a prior post that when I paint, I prefer using acrylic paint. It dries quickly and cleans up easily. However, I wondered if I would be able to get more depth in my paintings without having to use oils. Well, I have discovered that it is possible after looking at the work of Moran Danan. Her abstract, landscape and music-themed paintings burst forth with color and richness. I noticed that she uses a lot of black and warm colors, and any cool colors she uses tend to be very bright. This combination of colors and her strokes, especially the way she paints flower petals, makes me feel like there should be smooth jazz music playing in the background every time I look at a painting. I've used similar strokes in my digital paintings, so maybe I could try that with acrylics. Please visit her gallery. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Diana Levinson

I saw this abstract artist in action on Martha Stewart about a week ago, so I just had to check out her work on her Web site. I love the colors and the movement in each piece I saw in her online gallery, which contained oil and charcoal paintings and prints made through etching and aquatint. I love the whole gallery, but if I had to choose a few favorites, I suppose they would be Meter, Naples, Diptych I, Meander I, Vertical Tangle and Page from a Sketchbook IV. Levinson also has a video of herself painting one of her masterpieces, which is fun to watch. I usually work with acrylic paint, but I am tempted to grab some oil paint and "go to town." Her work is truly amazing and inspiring.

Bitten by the shutterbug

Since I bought my little digital camera this past summer, I've discovered something about myself: I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY! I mean, I always liked pretty pictures, but I never thought I would enjoy taking them so much. I should have known, though. Throughout my life, I would look at a sunset or a tree or a flower and say to myself, "Wow, I wish I had a camera right now to capture this." I guess I never got into it before because I hated the thought of taking a picture and not being able to tell if it turned out right until I got the film developed. Now, since I get instant gratification with the digital camera, I can retake shots all I want, and I can upload and share my work right away.

sunrise at the park, # 4 by reasontolive
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Bogue Chitto Creek by reasontolive
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These are two of the pictures I have taken that I think turned out very well. I have many more in the Nature section of my Zazzle Web site, which includes my first calendar.

Dramatic Nature Calendar by reasontolive
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I am hoping to one day have more equipment so I can take even better pictures. First on the list: a tripod. This blog entry brought to you by:

Digital artwork by Shane Gilreath

Good use of color and repetition of subject matter - need I say more?
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