Happy Halloween

(from a volunteer pumpkin in our yard)

Watercolor Society of Oregon Fall Exhibition Paintings

Paintings for WSO's Traveling Show are now online. These are the 21 award winners from the Fall Transparent Exhibit (the 44th annual) which will be traveling around the state during the next 6 months. Show locations and info are available at WSO's website.

The Art of Seeing

I ran across a book at the local library which, although written for photographers, provides some interesting insights and exercises that could be adapted by artists for really seeing a subject, then expressing their own interpretations and feelings toward the subject. It is called Photography and the Art of Seeing, by Freeman Patterson. I am enjoying reading it from both an artist and photographer viewpoint. The edition I am reading is an older one, 1989, but there is a 2004 third edition.

Fall color

A little fall color abstract. Color in the trees is great here this fall.

Birefringence

At the 4C's (Columbia Council of Camera Clubs) Photography Convention this past weekend, we got a chance to experiment with photographing birefringence in plastic objects. A sheet of polariing film was placed on a light table, then the plastic object(s) and a camera polarizer or another sheet of film was used to bring out the very colorful optical effect. Cool, huh?
Examples below (click to enlarge):

Betty Barss post

Betty Barss, a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon (where I am webmaster) has been highlighted in a blog by Joy Henkle at White Water Warehouse (where I am also webmaster). Have a look at the post at the White Water Rafting, Kayaking & Hiking Blog and see some of Betty's watercolors of southern Oregon subjects.

Craft in America

There were two very good programs on PBS last night, Craft in America, Parts 1 and 2. In Oregon, they will appear again tomorrow, 10/9, on OPB at 2am and 3am (good times for a recorder) and on Sunday, 10/11, at 1am, 2am, 12pm and 1pm. There are many segments highlighting artists in different parts of the country working in many different fields of craft.

Visions from Kew Garden

Some images from a recent trip to Kew Garden in London,
a wonderful place to visit.

All images copyright of the artist 2009