[art, virtual worlds]

Winter Lights, an art and photography exhibit, has just opened in the Gallerie Octaviana. The show features work from Mad Swiss Cow, Marcel Moré, Sume, Marjie Kennedy, Pirate Johnny, Smiling da Vinci, and Nancy Waldman on the first floor of the expansive gallery space. Upstairs are two new installations of a Circleworks box and a hued light environment.

The owner and artistic curator of the gallery is Annie Octavia.

What you may now be realizing is that Annie and her gallery are located in the magical space of a virtual world called Second Life. Annie is the online avatar of Beth Felice. I interviewed Beth about Second Life, her gallery, the show, and some of the special kinds of creative works that are all the rage in this Other (S)P(l)ace.

Here’s the interview along with shots and videos from the gallery, the installation.

1. For those people who have never even heard of Second Life… can you give us a brief overview of what it is and how it works?

Second life is an example of a MUVE, multi-user virtual environment, a fancified way of saying 3D web browsing. Does it look like a video game, yes. Is there any “game” objective, not really. Who is there? Currently a vibrant world community of about 7 million, including over 350 colleges and universities, NASA, CDC, libraries, museums, both with counterparts in the physical world and those that exist only in second life (sl).

For a presentation I gave in November at the Federation of State Humanities Councils I created a wiki at http://virtualplace.missourihumanities.org/secondlife. You’ll find a nice assortment of articles, factoids and links there.

2. How long have you been involved in SL? How long have you had the Gallerie Octaviana?

I stumbled into SL Labor day weekend 2006. At that time there were about 400,000 users. There was a release of virtual land (512 square feet is included with each paid account) in December of 06 and I staked a claim then, and built the first gallery.

3. Have you had other exhibits?

Yes, I’ve quite enjoyed bringing flickr friends into SL, and hopefully vice versa.

4. Is exhibiting art in SL a good way to get publicity for one’s work?

I’m not sure if you are talking about a subjective or a metric here. In a way, there is a large community of eyeballs, a very organized art community, and the ability to have things on display 24/7. That being said, the most traffic is generated by real time events, openings, artist discussions, etc. I am most interested in this idea of immersion, of being able to walk the representation of self through the art. I am very interested in this intersection of photorealism and illustrative style, and using some of the fantastical qualities, the “magic” not possible in the physical world.

As an aside, I have read that up to 10% (and many believe this number might be higher) of the Sl community is physically challenged in some way. There are some pretty amazing stories about the communities of stroke survivors, wheelchair bound, autistic, and people living with chronic diseases like cystic fibrosis rejoicing in the ability to be “just another” person…or just another person that can fly.

I’m still stuck on the concept of publicity for one’s work. I’m not sure. I think the most interesting work might be that which combines sound, movement, scripting, graphic, and interpretation. And it might exist specifically in a place like SL. Am not sure that work ports straight across from a gallery wall around the corner, into the virtual gallery.

5. I think it’s fairly easy to conceptualize how you put images onto the “walls” of your gallery, but you also have moving 3-d sculptures. Those are a little tougher for me to imagine creating. Tell us about those.

I made a little video, creating an object, and assigning properties and “textures” (graphics). SL Prim-er for Practically Creative Quarter folks

[readers: be sure to check out this primer on prims.
it’s well done and totally intriguing.
also you’ll see the pcq home page on the gallery wall!]

6. Tell us about your alter ego, Annie Octavia. How is she like you? How is she different? Did you have an idea of who you would be on SL or did it evolve out of the experience of being there?

There seems to be an ongoing discussion between immersionists and augmentationists in virtual worlds. Some people want to explore parts of their personality they might not commit to IRL (in real life) and some people see the avatar as an extension of self, trying to make it as close to reality as possible. I remember one of the first librarian meetings I went to, one fellow had made himself into a two story tall dust ball.

There is actually a good deal of scholarly interest in these topics
virtualworldsconnect.com/
edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/06/07/virtual_identity
ibiblio.org/nmediac/winter2004/matusitz.html
gwynethllewelyn.net

Annie began as a representation of self. I’m not much of an actor. Recently a great friend started to explore the visual and creative aspects of costume. Remember, as everything in SL is user created, this includes hair, clothes, etc. A current favorite designer mixes traditional Japanese costuming with a distopian future and goth.

7. What else would you like people who haven’t experienced it to know about Second Life?

In a way it is a next iteration of the internet, and reminiscent of how you might describe what one could find “online” in the early ’90s. It is a communication tool, a collaboration application. It takes the more singular activity of person browsing web via computer to a social activity.

8. Anything else you’d like to say that I neglected to ask about?

Winter Lights is up through April. Anyone wanting a little help learning the SL environment, please feel free to email. The next project is a more intensive scripting project, coordinating events of sound and image with avatar movement through space, or interaction with other avatars. I also seem to be composing a lot these days, and that happens in a very NON networked world!

A Visit to Gallerie Octaviana

When Beth asked me to be in her show this time, I decided to go visit Gallerie Octaviana. I had never been on Second Life but had heard about it, so I was curious. It takes a little time—but not money—to get set up there. I would estimate that it took me between one and two hours to begin. This included time to register and decide on the basic parameters of my avatar (my name is *Aplomb Pomilio*—you can freely choose your first name but the last name must be taken from an extensive list). Then I went to the orientation island where I figured out how to navigate, use the map, chat and appearance interfaces and so on.

I then set out in the world to find the gallery. Even though I thought I had the parameters, I was not able to find it on my own. Second Life is big! I landed in some pretty amazing places though. Finally, I had to email Beth and ask her to contact me in SL. She pinpointed her spot and I was able to teleport there.

Walking through the gallery with Annie (dressed fabulously!) as my guide, is like being a character in a video game, I suppose, except better because you know no one’s going to shoot at you! I have to say it’s pretty amazing to see my photos and the PCQ home page up on a gallery wall in this other worldly place. Thanks Beth for a fascinating introduction to Second Life.

Here I am in some person’s clothing shop (sorry I am too disoriented in this foreign land to know where exactly I am):

I’m sorry I didn’t turn around to face the camera. I couldn’t figure out how to make that happen. The bird on my shoulder was given to me when I showed up on orientation island. It’s probably a sign of a real n%b*. Anyway, it was a stay-at-home adventure for sure. Cheers!

*Note from Beth:

The bird on your shoulder is not the sign of the n00b, just a gift from someone, who also was once new. In virtual and real world communities, people care about one another, and this just makes every day a complete wonder.

You can find all of Beth’s projects and websites at bfelice.jaiku.com :: Beth is also a member of our social network: Being Practically Creative Come on over and check it out.

February 08: Some of my thoughts and photos on further exploration of Second Life. And on the pleasures of playing dress-up!

[-fiber art, alterations-]

mormors syskrin grandmothers sewingbox

Originally uploaded by gunnels.

This morning’s inspiration comes from Gunnel Svensson of Sweden. She posted this lovely sampler to the flickr Practically Creative pool. It’s made of things from her grandmother’s sewing box.

What treasures!

What a wonderful idea!

Most of us who love fabrics, also love collecting old bits of lace, crocheted edges, ribbons, thread, buttons. Putting them together into a fabric collage is the perfect way to not only save them but also to display and pay tribute to them as well. As Gunnel shows, we can use buttons and thread and even scissors!

It’s a lovely way to incorporate small stitchery projects that were never completed. Now there’s a tribute to our creative but overly busy ancestral womenfolk—finally *completing* their incomplete projects! I would be delighted to think that my granddaughter would care enough to do that with all my incompletes some day!

Think not only of monograms and lace but also quilt squares and scraps made from those gorgeous old fabrics that cannot be duplicated by modern means. Or how about those handmade items that have long since worn out but that are too precious to be thrown away? I know I have some of those tucked away.

Think of it as Heritage Art whether the bits and pieces are from your relatives or are things that you’ve picked up along the way from antique stores and flea markets. They were done by someone’s ancestors and more than likely by women who had very similar instincts for making something beautiful out of what was at hand.

Thank you, Gunnel for your inspiring art.

Click the image to get a closer look at Gunnel’s work.
Please visit Gunnel’s bog.
Edited to add: I just found on Gunnels blog that her sampler has been made into postcards. How lovely! Check them out here.

[-photography, process-]

red carnation

Originally uploaded by nuanc.

This photo is one I took over two years ago. It came up this morning while I was playing the game Free Association! on flickr. The game involves posting an image in response to the last one posted by someone else. I did a flickr search through my photos for “window” and “silhouette” and this popped up. I hadn’t seen it in a long time and I found that I enjoyed it—really for the first time.

It has unexpected qualities. The distorted shape of the window. The gradation of blue from the top of the window to the whiter light at the bottom. The reflection of green on the window sill and the way the light between the tree branches seems to slide inside into to the corner of the window. The pop of red! And there’s something going on between outside and inside. That’s open to interpretation, of course, but either the flower faces the window as if yearning to be outside or perhaps the bare birch tree is admiring/envious of that splash of living colour. I’m not sure, but there’s certainly a hint of communication between the two.

All of this, of course, was unintended.

I took the photograph with my LOMO LC-A. It’s a refurbished version of a cheap camera made in Russia decades ago and it gives erratic and often impressionistic results—which is why LOMO’s have become popular and lucrative long after the cameras stopped being manufactured.

This photo was of a truly unremarkable scene. My step-son had been visiting and left an empty can of 7-UP on his window sill. Also in his room (this was after he’d gone home) I found a red carnation that he’d picked up in some restaurant we’d been to. Rather than toss both of them immediately into the waste basket, I put the carnation in the 7-UP can and took some LOMO’s.

This morning when I really saw it for the first time, it made me think about the act of creating as one of constantly expecting the unexpected. This image isn’t just about the unpredictability of the LOMO, though that’s a big part of it. It is also about taking the time to photograph an unremarkable scene and to chance shooting a dull, unsuccessful photograph in order to come up with something that has something different to offer. It took combining the colours of what was there: the metallic green 7-UP can and the red carnation against the white and blue background and taking it from a low angle in order to catch the super blue of the highest sky. It took depending on the unpredictability of the little Russian camera.

Each act of creation is an act of faith. We don’t know if it’s going to work out or not. That’s never the point. Doing it is the point. Doing it with an open heart and sense of expectancy that will allow us to recognize—once it’s done—when we have indeed caught the unexpected.

[-photography, process-]

Originally uploaded by tejana.

This beautiful macro taken at a beach, by tejana, reminds me of the impermanence of … everything.

Sand is one of the most malleable of substances. It’s constantly altered by the tides, the wind, even the small beings living within it. Whether a large wave, a sprinkle of raindrops, or a human foot, each causes a rearrangement and a new design.

Our lives, our creative efforts are no different.

If I had finished my novel last December, for example, instead of waiting until now to do it, the words I chose would have been different. I’m subtly rearranged from the person I was when I put the writing aside. Therefore, what comes out of me now, will be altered from what it would have been then. This isn’t a bad thing, but it is something to acknowledge. It might be a (well-needed ) reason not to put things off if we can help it.

Each new day, we need to attempt to put our mark on something in order to capture what and who we are on that particular day - the way tejana so beautifully preserved the sand’s essence in this spot on this day.

Thank you, tejana ~~~

Here are some links to articles about paying attention to the marks we make:
- doodles by Maureen Shaughnessy
- marks have meaning, about self-promotion
- marks have meaning, an art tutorial
- mark my words, a graphic reminder

Procrastination articles:
- Suze Corte - Mind Space
- a PCQ-QCP - The Imaginary Deadline
- a Practically Mperfect article - Collecting Dust

The other side of NOT finishing things:
- Karen Hatzigeorgiou - You, Me and Leonardo da Vinci

Originally published in the original Practically Creative blog, February 2006

[-photography, practices-]

Curvyques

Originally uploaded by suzeque.

This photograph is taken by my cohort [and, btw, sister] Suze and is an image from Texas, taken in San Antonio.

I’m crazy about it. But why?

Taking the time to analyze what we love about someone else’s work is a useful exercise. Heightened awareness can only help to make our own work more instinctive and personal and therefore, better.

This is what I like about Suze’s image: The composition is beautifully balanced without being predictable. The colour contrast between the graceful curlicues and the background is lush and the colour combination unusual. Then there’s the texture on the green metal, the layers of paint - light green, darker green yellow and more - and the rust, which I love. We might as well revere rust for its beauty since it’s inevitable! But in the interest of heightened awareness, let me just ask myself, why? Why is rust so great?

It isn’t predictable. It eats through surfaces irregularly. It makes the surface not only visually variegated but also texturally varied. It adds as it takes away.

Any ideas on rust?

Thanks, suzeque, for your curlicues!

See Suze’s other articles on the PCQ.
See photographs of lots of gorgeous rust and other beautiful signs of aging on our Patina page.

Suze Corte is a writer, artist and pre-school teacher in Houston, Texas. In 2007, she was chosen as be the Houston Area Association of Educator’s of Young Children’s Teacher of the Year and the Texas Association of Educators of Young Children’s Teacher of the Year. Congratulations, Suze! It is a well-deserved recognition.

Originally published in the original Practically Creative blog, March 2006; edited for re-publication

[-photography, digital art-]

Memories of hope

Originally uploaded by Baywhale.

This locally sunny (woke up to snow, but the sky has ‘blued-up’ nicely) Sunday, I’ve chosen a photograph by baywhale.

His abstract images use reflection, transparency, colour, texture, words and numbers to bring us in close to his unique view of an urban world. Fragments of walls, windows, surfaces - rusted, painted, peeling, dirty - are transformed into visually rich, deep and poetic works of art. In addition, he uses titles to expand upon and offer glimpses (though no simple explanations) into his own interpretation of these images.

Here’s a tutorial that baywhale was kind enough to do for The PCQ on the technique he uses to make what he describes as “photosandwiches.”

Thanks, Baywhale!

© 05 - 07 baywhale, all rights reserved

Please visit Baywhale’s flickr stream to see more of his creations.
Of his Adventures in Wonderland set, Bay says,

I see this set as ‘pure’ art, the deep and dark psychology takes place when I take the individual pictures but when I combine them it’s all about pleasure.

Baywhale, a computer operator in London, is also a proponent of the World Community Grid, a painless way to contribute to our world. Information on his World Community Grid group can be found at the flickr group, The Painless Charity of the Amazing Secret Angels- photograhers who flickr

Originally published in the February 2006 on the original Practically Creative blog; edited slightly for re-publication

[-photography, alterations-]

The Patina group on flickr.com is for images of anything that has “a rich, interesting, complex surface sheen due to age and use.” At this writing, 101 photographers have contributed close to 900 photos, gathering, IMHO, one of the most gorgeous collections on flickr. Read the rest of this entry »

[-photography, how-to, art-]

Words and Images by Angela Petsis

Polaroid Transfers are a fun and creative way to elevate your photography to a whole new level. The most important thing to remember when starting out in the world of transfers is to have patience, and be open to experimenting with different transfer methods because what works for one person will not necessarily work for another.

antique store still-life © 06 - 07 all rights reserved angela petsis

Angela says,

This image was taken on a sunny afternoon in St. Augustine Florida. This is a great example of an image I felt would benefit from extra alterations after it was dry. The colors were added using colored pencils, but you could use any type of paints, crayons, even markers – the sky is the limit! Make sure to wait at least 24 hours before making changes because transfers are very delicate when wet.

To begin, a Polaroid transfer is made using specific Polaroid films. These films are instant color film; when you take a picture using this film you wait about 60 seconds, and you get a color picture that’s ready to go into a photo album or scrapbook. The beauty of the Polaroid’s ER line of pack films is that if you disrupt the development process at just the right time –and your photograph can become a whole other work of art. The two most common and least expensive of these ER films are type 669 and 690. They are 3.25 x 4.25 inches. There are larger formats, however these require more elaborate equipment and money.

polaroid daylab copy system

In order to create a Polaroid transfer you must first have a method of exposing the film. You can do this several different ways, the most popular being either a slide printer or a Polaroid Daylab Copy system. The slide printer takes 35mm slides and prints them directly onto the Polaroid film – the great thing about the printer is that everything is handled neatly without a darkroom, and you need very little space to work. When I used a slide printer I worked right off of my kitchen counter. The Copycat system (see photo) uses 4×6 prints instead of slides. So you can take your digital pictures or film, print them out, and copy them right on to Polaroid film for a transfer!

Once you have a method for printing your photographs onto Polaroid pack film, you are ready to start making transfers. Your work area needs to be flat, and accessible to electrical outlets (working in a kitchen or bathroom is probably easiest, so you can have access to hot water as well).

You will need at least two 8×10 photographic trays, a receptor (such as paper) to place your transfer on, tongs, and a drying rack.

Transfers are made by interrupting the development process of the film; instead of waiting 60 seconds to have a fully developed print, you will pull apart your film after 10-15 seconds and throw away the actual print.

By disrupting the development processes, all of the dyes have not had a chance to move over to the print itself – much of the dyes have remained behind on the negative. It is the negative piece that will be placed on top of a new receptor to create a transfer. Experiment with different materials – the most common receptor sheet is hot or cold pressed watercolor paper; but you could also use silk, handmade paper, even papyrus – the choices are endless.

I like to dampen my watercolor paper with hot water before placing the negative on top. This technique is the wet or heat transfer method.

Some people will use a hot plate or blow dryer once the negative is in contact with the receptor sheet, to help the dyes migrate to the paper properly. I like to gently roll my image with a brayer to help insure that the image will be evenly transferred. Leave your negative to develop for about 60 seconds.

This is the time you could place it in a tray of hot water, or on a hot plate, but you can also let it sit until you are ready to peel off the negative. I like to peel my negative off the receptor under warm water as it seems to prevent any of my image from lifting off and helps to avoid any damage to the image.

Once your transfer is complete, let it sit in a tray of gently running water for several minutes, and place on a drying rack in a safe place until completely dry. Never stack your images or place anything on top of them while they are still wet, or they will be damaged.

Once they are completely dry you can use watercolor paints or colored pencils to enhance the look of your image, or use them just as they are. They look wonderful framed or in a scrapbook. Have fun and enjoy!

More Information: Polaroid.com
Essential book:
Polaroid Transfers: A Complete Visual Guide to Creating Image and Emulsion Transfers by Kathleen Thormod Carr

Supplies:
Daylab - a Polaroid company that produces everything for image transfers; the slide printers, copy systems, film - daylab.com

B&H Photo (has the best prices) - bhphotovideo.com
Freestyle Photographic Supplies (Excellent source for those readers on the USA West Coast)- freestylephoto.biz

Dick Blick – they have the best art supplies at the best prices (the only place I use for buying different kinds of papers/receptors) - dickblick.com

Definitely search for supplies on line auctions as well. A slide printer or copy machine (the basic models) is going to cost about $200 new. You can get them off of Ebay for half that price, and every week there are at least 5-6 listed.

all words and images by Angela Petsis - © 2006 - 2007 all rights reserved

See more of Angela’s Polaroid transfer artistry here.
Angela wrote this and took the images for The PCQ. Thanks so much, Angela! We appreciate the great tutorial!

About the author/artist:
Angela is an artist/photographer who has recently relocated from Florida to Washington state. Please feel free to direct your Polaroid transfer questions to Angela at venusthemuseatyahoo.com. Her beautiful new website: angelapetsis.com

Originally published in the April 2006 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: alterations

[-process, journaling, found poetry-]

by Nancy Shepard Metzger Waldman

In the course of researching Altered Books for the January 2006 issue of The PCQ, I couldn’t resist tackling my first altered book. Here is the journal and some photos I made of the process and progress so far.

Take heart other beginners, from the lumpy pages and [way]less than professional results.
It’s a beginning!

ALTERED BOOK PROJECT

First Question—How can I mess with a book?
Tomes are SACRED, aren’t they?

So, I found a book in a give-away bag…Country Walks in Connecticut.

Since I live in Nova Scotia now, I’m unlikely to use it ever again. Plus, it’s well-used already. Dog-earred and warped, it also has a very ugly stain on the cover and through the first 7 pages or so.

It’ll do. It has some lovely maps and black and white photos.

MAKING IT MANAGEABLE

1st step - glue pages together … eeek… it’s not easy for me to get over the feeling that I shouldn’t be doing this. I have to think of it as recycling, renewing, making art out of what has become a book no one wants.

It takes me a couple of hours to glue the pages. I used white craft glue diluted with water. It’s lumpy … but it worked!

NOW WHAT?

Since the book is about trails through the woods, I decide to make the art about a trail through the book….

I jot down words from the page that I like or that seem to relate to each other. The last word on the page is “connects.” This makes me smile!

JASPER JOHNS: “Do something…. do something to that…”

I color the words I want to HIGHLIGHT in CRAYON (goldenrod)… I try covering up the words I don’t want. First I use some brown ink that I’ve had forever. I like that I’m using what’s here … it looks nice on the page but the print shows through. ENTER: “Acrylic Colored Gesso, Unbleached Titanium” That should cover up anything…

I took digital photos of the book so far… then began modifying the photo of the photo on the righthand page. Put in loads of color - played with Hue & Saturation, Brightness & Contrast, Tone Adjustments, and Negative.

Tried to print out on TRANSPARENCIES but my printer objected. Had to make do with card stock.
NEXT I …

until …. VOILA! here are the first two pages:

The found poem on the right hand page is:

It was fun but I haven’t gotten back to it since. I love looking at other artist’s altered books but it may just not be ‘my thing.’ How about you?

Have fun!

Here’s lots more articles on artistic Alterations.

Originally published in the January 2006 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: alterations

[-tutorial, photography, alterations-]

by Maureen Shaughnessy

I collect images, mostly with my own camera, but also from old manuscripts, ephemera, found objects, cultural flotsam and jetsam. Sometimes I do digital collage, other times I work with paper, paint, drawing tools and glue in 2 dimensions or I make 3-d mixed media sculptures. I work in layers, often more than 20 or 30 layers, as I am trying to create something with visual, symbolic and spiritual depth. The stories of the objects I use are glued into the collage layers. Emotions, connections, poetry, unspoken words, events, songs, dreams and spiritual meaning are embedded in there too. Often the layering will only be apparent on a subtle level. What’s important to me is that I know the layers are underneath somewhere, giving the piece personal depth and intimacy.

When I’m looking at one of my own layered collages or someone else’s, I tend to judge it based on first my emotional response, then on the craftsmanship of the execution and finally based on some intellectual understanding of the piece. Sometimes I want my work to be wild and spontaneous and passionate. Other times I’m aiming for an almost cool control, which in itself can convey an experience or an emotion as effectively as a more passionate piece. It’s hard to say what makes a layered piece “work” for me. It’s intuitive. Can I connect with something the artist was trying to say? Or does it leave me cold? Really, it’s such a personal thing … one viewer may respond to a piece that another person thinks is inferior.

Here’s a little about my altered photograph, “Ghost Root Tapestry.” The main image I used was of the lower trunk of a tree. When I first saw the tree, the roots looked like they were twining together in a Celtic knot shape. I have some background in fiberarts and weaving, and I thought of trying to bring out this aspect of the roots – that they were threaded and knotted together, not only around each other, but around the rocks and pebbles on the lake shore and down into the earth, around the leaves and soil and micro-organisms that live down there. I wanted to make something that looked like a tapestry, like threads and cords and knots, textural and subtle and fine.

I used Photoshop to alter the tree roots photo by blending it with a photo of the frozen lake surface and another, of branches against sky. I choose photos based on their dominant shapes, lines and textures. For example, to create the look of a tapestry, I needed lots of texture, so I chose photos with lots of different line weights and shapes going on. The different textures of these three photos contribute to the feeling of woven cloth. Likewise, if I had been going for a minimalist feeling, I might have chosen only photos with simple shapes and few lines.

After I played around with the colours and blended the three main photos, I rotated multiple copies of the image and blended many layers to make something like a tapestry with the appearance of depth and criss-crossing threads. I like that it’s not perfectly symmetrical … very much like my actual woven tapestries used to turn out.

This series of altered photos is in a set I call “Dead of Winter.” Sometimes I come up with a title for a series that almost contradicts how I really feel about the subject of the series. Yet to me, it fits. I hope the title makes people stop and read it twice, to puzzle out why I might have chosen those words.

In this case, “dead” is the opposite of what I think winter is. Winter is very much alive – it is just sleeping; it is the Earth dreaming, growing secretly underground, holding the light of short winter days in her heart, in her belly, holding it in until everything is ready to leap out again, be born, and come back to the warmth and the air and the green. It is a time for meditation, concentration, inner-focus, silence and dreams and spiritual contemplation. With that in mind, I tried to bring out the subtle, quiet spirit of leafless trees, frozen water, and strong, connected roots. Not all of the photos in this set are altered. In fact, some are just as they came out of my camera. But they all belong together because of the thread of winter-quiet.

All images: © 2005 - 2007 Maureen Shaughnessy all rights reserved | see the entire “Dead of Winter” set on flickr | see more of Maureen’s altered photos on flickr | Maureen’s blog

Other articles in The PCQ by Maureen Shaughnessy:
The Thread of Winter-Quiet: images.
Doodles from Maureen’s sketchbook

about the artist:
Maureen is a: landscape designer . artist . gardener . writer . companion to her soul mate . mom . daughter . sister . friend . independent sort . lover of nature music animals plants beauty sunlight&darkness. Maureen lives in Helena, Montana. She is working on a personal website but is almost too much of a perfectionist to finish. She likes to quote da Vinci, “art is never finished, only abandoned.”

Originally published as cover art on the January 2006 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: alterations