Camera Fun & What I've Been Reading Lately

CAMERA FUN & GAMES:
These are the results of a new camera lens plus a little help from Photoshop Elements.

Above is a dried hydrangea blossom that still sits on the bush outside the door. The one below is a glass dragon - clear glass. I just had fun making it blue!

This last one if a multiple image of one of my fiberart pieces, "Chaos/Opportunity."

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING LATELY: is a hodge-podge of things, but it suits me quite well.

My GGG Grandmother was Betty Grant, born to Thomas Grant & Jean Seivewright in Gellan, Strachan Parish, Kincardineshire, Scotland. Lately, I've been exploring the Grant clan for lack of any other excitement in my genealogical research at this time...

This is a wonderful watercolor book I recently purchased entitled: Fill Your Watercolors with Nature's Light by Roland Roycraft. I love the way the author handles color, light, and composition. I'm toying with the idea of returning to watercolor - for fun, of course!

Collage Techniques: A Guide for Artists & Illustrators by educator/artist/author Gerald Brommer. This is mostly paper collage info, but easily tranferred to fiber. Great photos of HS & adult student work. Good assignments to imprint learning.

This book is one I picked up in a wonderful little privately owned bookshop in downtown Williamsport PA. The title of this next one simply caught my eye, and then, after reading the blurb on the back, I bought it. The Wingless Crow by Charles Fergus is a wonderful collection of nature-related essays that blend hunting, country living, odd little anecdotes, bits of wisdom & philosophy - just the kind of book I'd like to write, if I ever get around to writing a book... The essays are reprinted with permission of the Pennsylvania Wildlife Magazine. Mr. Fergus wrote a monthly column entitled "Thornapples" and these essays are collected from those columns. It's a delightful read - one not to be undertaken quickly. Hunters, by the very nature of their task, become skilled at contemplating the nature that surrounds them as they await their prey. These observations of life/death, seasons, the land, etc. are meant to be savored, not rushed through. I'm still not done with it, despite the fact it's only 156 pages long.

Last, but not least, is C. June Barnes new book entitled: Stitching to Dye in Quilt Art. It's a book full of lush images, delicious textural/tactile eye-candy, and full of inspiration. I'm not a dyer, nor will I be. But one can apply paint to fabric after quilting just as easily as dye. The effects may not be as rich in color, since dyes literally saturate the fibers, while paint generally sits on top of the fibers, penetrating them only a little. Anyway, this is a book of delightful inspiring fiberart - one worth exploring, if only in the neighborhood library. Although the libraries, these days are cutting costs and this book is printed in the UK. Maybe you'll have to buy it with another pal and share! It's available on Amazon, but we owe Ms. Barnes a great deal for her willingness to share this exquisite collection of work, so it would be ideal if it was purchased from her directly.

And I've saved the best for last: here's our little Granddog, Keegan.