Mum's Eye View

Day Trippin'

2009-03-15T13:27:00.001-07:00

I took a couple day trips last weekend.

One to Mt. Diablo and the other to Point Lobos/Carmel.

Flowers in Thailand

2009-02-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sweet Bits

2008-08-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing sweeter than baby bits...

Swans

2008-01-29T21:59:00.001-08:00

I'm not complaining (not really),

but I think maybe I need to get a slightly more powerful lens...

I wish we had more snow...

2007-12-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

Really. I wish we had more snow around here. I know it would be cold and it would be a hassle to dig our cars out of morning frosts and shovel our walkways and blah blah but I just love snowy photos. And this is about all I could get as way of snowy photos aroung here. Driving over the Grapevine on Interstate 5 there was snow at the very top. Well, better than nothing.

Before Daylight Savings...

2007-11-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

I'm not an early riser, really, but I happened to be up before the crack of dawn this one weekend so I grabbed my camera and just went. Unfortunately I wasn't in the best of moods so I'd forgotten about doing any camera settings when I ran across this awesome spot not too far from my house. I think I was too much in shock. haha (plus it was early!). I've uploaded relatively small versions so you can't see how bad they really are. (^_^)' There were a ton of egrets there, one Great Blue Heron and a pelican... sigh, better luck next time.

Peek a Boo

2007-10-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

I went to the Strides for Life walk/run at Lake Merced in San Francisco this past Sunday to cheer on a friend. And while they were doing their thing I walked down the path to do my thing. Jumping about in a near by tree was this little guy. I almost didn't get him. I happened to stop to call my husband and saw this bright yellow flash in the bushes. With one hand and the wrong lens I tired to capture his image. One out of three tries aint' bad I'd say. (~_^)V

One of those days

2007-09-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days??? yeah...

Curtains can be cool

2007-06-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Especially gauzy types. That soft filtered glow of sunshine,

who can resist it? Well, not me.

Beauty is in the eye...

2007-06-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

...of the beholder, yes, but in this case it's a really beautiful eye.

Then again, I'm probably just a tad biased since,

ahem, that eye happens to belong to my daughter. heh

Spring is here! Yay!

2007-03-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

Spring spring spring! I love spring. I love flowering branches and tulips and fog that's so heavy it's mist (ok, I really do NOT love that... but it does make for pretty photos).

I was in San Francisco visiting a friend. Afterwards I had to get out and take some photos in Golden Gate Park, even though the mist was getting heavier by the minute. I still didn't stay out as long as I wanted - I really was ill prepared for the weather. It was hot and sunny where I live!! Living out of the city for too many years made me forget about those lovely foggy days...

Cherry Blossoms rock. Did I mention I love flowering branches?

Hello?

2007-03-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's hard to keep posting when there seems to be no point. But I GOTTA do it. I gotta.

Nature's Gold

2007-02-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

I was really lucky to get a shot of this flower; hiding out in the shade of a tree surrounded by its buddies. Somehow one skinny shaft of light decided to grace this flower with its presence. Maybe the little ant foraging in the center had something to do with that...

The Grandkids

2007-01-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, well, they aren't MY grandkids, but they are THE grandkids. My daughter and my nieces enjoying a day out. In the distance you can see my nephew calling to them. I was really pleased to catch this moment.

Just because...

2007-01-29T08:52:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting very much at all and I really want to try to get into the habit of doing it on a regular basis. Even if I just put up a photo with a quick blurb I think it'll be a good habit to get into. So here's a photo I took yesterday. I really like how the trunks create an interesting look against the water...

The Orton Effect

2007-01-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

I have to say this got me really excited this morning. And maybe it's old news to a lot of people (I've certainly seen this effect before) but I only just learned an easy way to do it so i'm super excited. It's called the Orton Effect and you can see the easey peasey tutorial here at pcin.net . Great for portraits.

Have a great day!

Inspiration: Violet Visions

2006-09-11T00:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted anything anywhere. I'm glad Inspirations is back from Summer break... maybe I can get properly motivated again. It's harvest time around here. And for the first time I saw fresh brussel sprouts on the stalk! Yeah, first time. So I'm a city girl. They were wonderfully green but when I inverted the colors it seemed that much more interesting. I added a tinge of violet for this submission. Enjoy!

Inspiration: Sea and Dream

2006-07-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

So many possible photos when it comes to the sea! I finally settled on this one...

Inspiration: B&W Inspiration

2006-06-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

I love this photo I took of Lupin enjoying the afternoon sun.

Inspiration: Time Pieces

2006-06-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

This week's Inspiration challenge is Time Pieces.

My in-laws have a bunch of great old clocks in their house. hee hee

Inspiration: Smile

2006-06-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

So many photos I have of smiles, but a messy face and huge lollipop ... how can it get better than that?

Inspiration - The Perfect Number "3"

2006-05-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't been keeping up with my weekly challenges, shame on me. Here's a photo I took while on a mini vacation this past weekend in Lake Tahoe...

Farewell Dumbing Them Down...

2006-05-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm. I guess my brother's blog has gone along the wayside. I have just been informed that trying to reach it gave nothing but a ton of pop-ups and some non-art-related site. So, I'm sorry for the disappointment. I'll have to remove the links for now until I can find out what happened. Thanks for the flag!!

Inspiration: Brilliant Grass

2006-04-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

I've been on vacation! And missed out on some weekly challenges. Aw.

Here's a photo I took awhile ago actually. Of some dew drops on grass (obviously =p), but I think it looks brilliant. (^_^)

Inspiration: Dreaming A Leaf

2006-03-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure what this theme was supposed to be exactly, so I took a look at some of the other entries. Then I remembered this photo I took a couple of Seasons ago. It seemed a good match for the theme. I imagined this little seed pod dreaming of having leaves like the ones surrounding it one day. tee hee

Inspiration: Multi-colour

2006-03-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

I found another weekly challenge to participate in. I think it's a great way to keep me thinking creatively, even though I might not always make a submission. It's also refreshing to see what other creative people are up to. Inspiration is this week's fun find. New topics are posted on Sundays. There is also a contest I guess... I'm not sure how it all works yet. hee hee Check it out if you have the chance.

Illustration Friday: Insect

2006-03-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Ugh, Ugh, and triple Ugh! I sketched this out on Friday and I've been trying to color it ever since. Or even darken it for that matter, but everything I do past this point I've been really unsatisfied with. So, I finally decided to just post this anyway, and perhaps one day there'll be a more complete looking version available. Sigh. Sorry... (T_T)

New toys! And it's not even Christmas or my birthday!

2006-03-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

(which, incidentally are only one day apart =p)

I got some new toys! Well, I got ONE new toy really and then in the process of ... well let me announce the new toy first: an XPS laptop!! Wooooohoooooooooo *drool* ok as I was saying, in the process of installing all my lovely stuff that I need for my daily addictions to be satisfied I came across a forgotten program. In the depths of my Wacom tablet install disc lay a small program called Procreate Painter Classic. ooooooh what a fun little thing! I'm sure you can do all the same things in any Adobe program or some much better drawing/painting program out there, but 1) this program came free, and 2) it's me-friendly so far. Me-friendly... I get turned off by stuff really fast if it takes too much digging around to use. Is it me being lazy? Maybe, but anyway this is what I did with that program today...

Not anything super but it was just so fun to do. I'll have to experiment some more. I'll also have to try spending more than 10-15 minutes on my drawings and really try to fine tune things. heh. Have a great day! Hope I didn't make anyone late to anything this time... ahem(^_^)'

art•ist (är t st) n.

2006-02-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

Let's see what dictionary.com says about an artist...

1.One, such as a painter, sculptor, or writer, who is able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value, especially in the fine arts.
2.A person whose work shows exceptional creative ability or skill: You are an artist in the kitchen.
3.One, such as an actor or singer, who works in the performing arts.
4.One who is adept at an activity, especially one involving trickery or deceit: a con artist.

Hm. Well I'm certainly NOT definition 3 and I hope I'm not considered definition 4. I'm a little uncertain about the word "exceptional" in definition 2 and aesthetic value? fine arts??? Well...

Ok that didn't help me at all.

What I'm trying to figure out is... do I consider myself an artist? No. And why not? Two things I think the reasons are that I believe an important part of being an artist is consistancy and style. Being able to produce whatever it is one produces creatively with consistancy. Sure every artist has their off days or slumps. Ok. Fine. But what about style? Every artist also has a distinct style. Something that you can trace from work to work and say without a doubt, "Oh yes, dahling, that is definitely so-and-so's work." Sigh. I just feel I haven't quite found my own yet. So maybe I'll consent to being called a fledgling artist... a flartist? ew. no.

My brother the ar-TEEST for Illustration Friday: Tea

2006-02-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

I've always known my brothers could draw, but lately Brian has really been wowing the pants off me. It seems I finally convinced him that taking part in Illustration Friday just might be a fun thing so he did the above pic for tea. Sheesh... I'm not sure I oughta share my site with him... he's putting me to shame...

Illustration Friday: Tea

2006-02-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

My very first post for Illustration Friday. I was hesitant to do this, because I'm not an artist, but it did say in the welcome that there's no need to be an artist. I've always liked to doodle... and I do have a pen tablet... so I might as well start to really use it for what it's for (drawing! Not just as a mouse replacement). This was fun! I can't wait till the next topic...

Make time to play...

2006-02-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

It's taken me three years of "playing" with my daughter to remember that I need to make time to play. And when I say play, I mean PLAY! Care-free, silly, energetic, two second attention span, play. Or just finding a few moments in my day to do something that doesn't require too much thinking. Something a little more artistic maybe and free flowing. So I stumbled on the website... Illustration Friday where each Friday they post a new topic and people are encouraged to draw, collage, paint, create, whatever and share it. And well, I wanna play! So here goes nothing...