Color Abounding--Hard Crops of the Studio Flotsom, and WELCOMES To New Followers!

First off, before I become lost in this post, which is completely possible with my swiss-cheese-for-brains state...LOL!!.....  WELCOME to my new readers! Hope you have a good time here; jump in, comment, ask questions, or if you have something you want to inquire about privately, click the *more about me* (or whatever it is on the side) and e-mail.

Happy to chat, happy you've found the studio! :-)

Yesterday, after working the amount I felt safe with doing and not having myself in deep *You-Know* with both DH and the upcoming visit to the Surgeon, I took a quick look around the studio and realized that right under my nose was all this color.

You have to understand that I can walk into a wall and not pay much attention to it if my mind is in creative mode, which thankfully it has been, so I knew the studio had a lot of *stuff* out, because I had been tripping over it and shoving it from pillar to post, but I was not looking at it.

Seeing, but not looking, is the greatest sin of the artist, or anyone who wishes to put more creativity into their lives. I don't care what you do, what medium you work in or what you would like to try, learning to see is vital. Basically, unless you live in a white cube, there is always something of visual interest about you. It is a matter of honing in with a different view.

One of the simplest things you can do, and it's fun, is to take a piece of cardstock and cut two *L* shaped pieces (about 2" thick strips), hold them so there is a hole in the center and there you have it; your own private viewfinder to the world! It is a simple tool, fun to use, and let's you rethink the overlooked in your personal space.

Thank heavens for cameras and computers to crop our photos with! Above are pieces I had tossed into my scrap basket during one of my emergency table cleaning escapades. Just sitting and waiting......Suddenly the mundane becomes sublime. You start looking. You start seeing. Life gets interesting!

Everything I have photographed was out in the studio, photographed as is and the only manipulations were to move a piece of junk if it was obscuring the frame or to go in and crop. That's all.

That means I have a lot of junk out in here---a lot.

A LOT.

I discovered that the Christmas bows I had not put away were extremely difficult to focus with an auto-focus digital. The abundance of color made up for the lack of clarity and sharp edges, so this one snuck in..... I know, I know; I should have tougher standards but I am not a professional photographer, and I don't think the *photography police* are going to pay me a visit! (and if they do, good luck getting in the door....HA!)

A simple close up of a cigar box shrine I made several years ago.....I happened to look only at the bottom...cropping everything else out mentally and decided I liked the possibility. I really am fond of that little segment, all by its self.

Last, and certainly not least, my pencils and markers on the table. This was both a close up and hard crop to remove a lot of distracting items and leave the sharp focus of the implements and the nice soft focus of color and pattern in the background. Also, the matte covering on the right container shows nothing, but the glass holder reflects pattern around it.

Maybe I should have recommended sunglasses at the beginning of the post, or put up a dislaimer of my love of bright, intense, saturated color!

I'm hoping you'll forgive me......

Now go make art, or at least take a walk about and try and look at your surroundings a little differently!

Pax.