Little Red Studio

True Confessions of a Mixed Media Artist

The following photos are raw reality, not the idealized portrait of a studio like you may find in lovely publications like Where Women Create.  Actually, these photographs weren't taken in my studio at all, but in my dining room.  The truth is that it has been so cold here that I can't work in my studio.  Built in the 1840's, it is seriously lacking insulation, and the windows leak cold air like crazy.  I do have a very nice space heater over there, but that is the only source of heat and it just isn't  enough when the temperature outside is below freezing.  So, I have been working in the dining room...and in the kitchen...and the living room a little.  I miss my little studio.  We have had 5 straight days of fog, more fog tomorrow, then rain the rest of the week.  At least it is warming up and I plan to make the trek to my studio tomorrow.  

By the way, my ceiling isn't pink like the photo below.  I used my older camera, and it has been adding a strip of pink to all photos for awhile.  I left my Canon DSLR at my neighbors house and the weather was so bad that I didn't go to get it for awhile.  I love my Canon camera and I am happy to have it back home now.

 

    My dining room window.

 

My deck....

 That is the roof of my studio next door.

 

Flea Market Style

via www.fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com

There is a new magazine coming this year, and I am looking forward to reading it!  I always enjoy anything from Matthew Mead or Ky Nassauer, so I am sure I will love it.  Watch for it at the end of February,

 

Snow, snow, go away, come again sometime in July!
We have had a very cold winter so far and lots of snow. More is coming tonight and tomorrow, I am told. Enough, already. I haven't been working in the Little Red Studio the past week....too cold. It is heated only with an electric heater, and does very well until those single digit temperatures start appearing. Once it gets up to 30 degrees, I can work there again. Not that it will be 30 degrees inside, but about 65. The studio building was built in the 1840's and has no insulation in the walls and the windows are rather leaky. But I love it!

Having Fun with Photos!

I just bought a new Mac and I am having a great time. I have been using a Mac for about 5 years and I love them.  I love to use Photoshop Elements to make digital art, but I have been downloading some other programs to try and one of the is especially fun....and free!  It is Image Tricks and I have been having a great time experimenting with some of my more colorful photos.  There are many things you can do, but I will show just a few.  Here is the photo I started with, a picture I took at Echo Canyon in northern New Mexico...

Then I tried the kaleidoscope filter and this is just one of many versions I did... 

There are hundreds of possibilities with the same photo.  Then I tried a tiled texture filter...

This would be a great way to design backgrounds for other digital work, or scrap booking.  

Then, for a fantasy effect...

Anyway, you get the idea.  If you are not already aware of this program, visit the website and download it and have some fun!