"PAINTIFICATING" ~ CREATIVE ARTS THURSDAY/FRIDAY
"PAINTIFICATING" … ?
A word I made up upon an interesting, unanticipated discovery.
While working on a new painting, I noticed quite casually, that the cups in which I mixed my paint, tended to display abstract "designs," which, in-and-of-themselves, were paintings.
The word " PON TIFICATING" means … expressing one's opinions in a way considered annoyingly pompous and dogmatic," a short distance away from my made-up word … which I'll now explain.
First, a PAINT CUP, the contents of which I photographed, thus.
After which, in a somewhat pompous act, I digitized the photograph and proceeded to edit/manipulate it in a number of ways, to create this, which, I found I could market as "digital art".
Like this.
© A. Mac/A.G.
And, here's another that evolved similarly.
© A. Mac/A.G.
So, in my serendipitous revelation, I realized that, unlike the maxim, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there," instead, I found "The Road Less Traveled" by Robert Frost, in this instance, indeed, "made all the difference”.
Post your creative stuff and comment as you go.
Mac, your second photo above is a hat. I think that something strange happened to the artwork that was supposed to be there.
Let me check that; thanks.
Check it now … it should be this …
Fixed now, great piece, Mac.
Those are beautiful 'paintings', even if digitized. The framing is a great enhancement. The myriad of hot to cool colors in the painting are an exciting combination. Very well conceived, and very well expressed.
Well done!
I especially like the third piece, the one at the bottom. Awesome.
They're both cool, but I really like the one at the bottom, too. The circle with the swirls. That would look great on a wall.
It's fascinating what one can do when they have a creative bent - and you have scored very high with your artistic ability and imagination. Although the two framed photos/artworks are a display of great creativity, I still like, as I did previously, the one you used to post the article best.
A/noon Mac..your very first painting I would call that "Bushfire" as that is what I thought soon as I saw it..
You have an amazing talent..thank you for sharing...
Very cool process Mac. I love that you turned art into a different art.
No paints and probably not all that creative, but...
Q - What's better than a squeeky ball?
A - 2 squeeky balls!
Priceless!
So cute! My dog would've killed those things in 5 min.
He killed a poor little stuffed monkey with a squeaker in his bum.
He was quite proud.
He's better with the balls. They are made for chewers. Stuffed toys with squeakers don't last very long.
My dog killed 4 squeaky tennis balls in less than 10 min. on Christmas.
Check out Bullymake. They make stuff for chewers. We got a subscription box from a family member for Kobe for Christmas - they forgot to cancel the subscription and another box came yesterday.
I've gotten bully make products... those and the Nylabones are the only ones to survive... oh and a huge rope that's made for extra large breeds has held up pretty well.
Get it, Pitty!
My daughter adopted 2 sibling dogs that did to our $3000 couch set what your dog did to the stuffed monkey. But damn it all, I loved those brothers.
Wish mine would do something like that. He's such a big baby. I play tug-o-war with him and his big rope, but he's not into the typical dog stuff. He LOATHES the water. He doesn't play fetch. 5 minutes of play and he wants to be a couch potato.
A 20 min. walk is plenty for him too. He's a bum.
I'm very blessed that my Rocky doesn't have any interest in furniture. He used to love chewing on shoes, but once I got him plenty of chew toys, he leaves the shoes alone... he might relocate a shoe on occasion, but only if they're really stinky [and remember, I have teens].
That's Kobe too! Hahaha!
Great photos EG. And truly adorable.
Great photos EvilG.
My poor Polly loves chew toys, but she doesn't get them anymore. She just wouldn't stop, and would chew so hard that her gums would bleed.
That's a great dog mattress - good thing she doesn't chew it.
No, she doesn't chew that. She licks it, though. Go figure.
She just does that sometimes. I think it's winter boredom.
Last night's sunset Stone Creek, Ocala, FL.
The Boyz keeping an eye on the ''hood''.
The sunset is very beautiful, Kavika. So calming and serene. The perfect ending to any sunny day.
Deh boyz haz gots deh hoodt in deir scopez. Watch it!!
Cool eagles, Kav. I never see eagles right here around the house. I'm going to have to take a road trip to one of the lakes. Maybe some of the caves and springs, too.
There's an awful lot of stuff to take pictures of around here. I just need to go do it.
These two are our local full time residents. They are sitting on a roof across the street from me.
There are a lot of excellent photo opportunities in your area. The lakes offer great opportunities for photos.
One bird to the other: "Make sure none of them covids sneak into this community."
Kutna Hora, Czech Republic
Great photo G. That really is a beautiful old church. And what a distinctive bell tower as well. Looks like a very well preserved piece of history.
Thanks Raven Wing. The town first began in 1142, and it was a very nice place to visit. It is about 74.5 miles from Prague. The church in the photo is the Gothic Church of St. James. Its construction began in 1330 and was completed in 1420.
Wow. You've been around.
I've traveled to quite a few places around the world. We had a major trip to Denmark, Sweden, the Baltic countries, Finland and St. Petersburg, Russia, planned for last June, but it got canceled because of the pandemic.
Kavika is the one who has really been around!
True. He has.
He sure has. It's amazing.
Well composed photo.
Thanks!
What's with the names under the avatars?
Anyone else seeing them?
Here is a link to Perrie's article to explain what they are for. It's all in fun.
Perrie posted a seed about it the other day.
My talented daughter painted this a couple years ago.
Your Daughter is very artistic. A very nice painting.
Thanks! She doesn't get that talent from me. I'm far too analytical. I think she was only 14 or 15 when she painted it. It's one of my favorites.
That's terrific.
Another talented daughter - I was a really imaginative finger painter when I was 3 or 4 but couldn't draw worth a damn after that. Unfortunately none of my masterpieces still exist.
I'm too analytical. I used my finger paints to color in sidewalk blocks.
Here is one for Thursday...
Beautiful RW!
Thank you Ahyoka.
That is a great image, Raven Wing. So, what's the story?
That you G. The story is that the image in the center of the background are the symbols for the various Spirit Guides. The background is a woven decorative emblem.
That's wonderful, RW.
Is there intentional symbolism with the creatures? How many are hiding in there? I think I see a hummingbird, a snake, an eagle, and a couple kinds of cats. Or maybe one cat and something I'm not sure about. What else is in there?
Thank you very much, Dig. You got most of the animals, and there is also a turtle on the right side below the head of the Eagle. I wanted to add two more, but, it would have been too crowded and would then spoil the clarity of the image.
Very nice. Are those Hopi designs surrounding the circle of creature image?
Thank you Buzz. No the background is not made by the Hopi. The Hopi artwork are much more ornate and tend to look very much like their Kachina dolls.
A tree top came down because of ice and bent this smaller tree over. I freed it after taking a few shots.
A Cardinal and a White-throated Sparrow.
Junco.
Nuthatch.
Female Cardinal.
The elusive Birdus Aluminus FedExus .
Whitetail doe.
Three shots of tonight's full moon just above the horizon, rising behind trees and wispy clouds.
Great pix !
Thanks! I took about a million shots of that moonrise tonight. I had a cramping shutter finger, lol. I might have the first or second one printed at a large enough size to frame and hang somewhere in the house. I think they're kind of artsy.
I was hoping to get a clear shot of it once it was all the way up, but it was too cloudy, so I still don't have a good shot of a full moon. Maybe next month.
Although all three moon shots are superb, I actually like the third one best, perhaps because it's different.
Glorious moonrise tonight. It's been 3 months since Halloween, but I kept waiting for a witch on a broomstick to fly across it.
Great photos Dig. The ones of the moon are kind of chilling. I'm expecting to sense the Wendigo is close at hand. Whoa, I scared myself.
And there I was, way out there in the front yard. In the dark. By myself.
Heh.
You were lucky, Dig.
Lucky the Yowie did not get you..
That is a mythical Koori creature that grabs people etc and lives in a billabong...Bit like your "Big Foot"..
Your photos are really great. All of them.
Thanks, G. I think I'm getting addicted.
Good. I'm looking forward to seeing many more from you.
Wow, a great series of photos - I didn't know birds of a DIFFERENT feather flocked together. You're making great use of your zoom.
Thanks, Buzz. Seeing them sitting there together kind of surprised me, too. It wasn't for long, though. Lucky I got the shot.
So far I have shots of three Canadian snowbird sparrows. The White-throated Sparrow, the Junco, and the Fox Sparrow. I forgot to include the Fox Sparrow above, but here it is:
We get spugies...Slightly different colours but can pick them a mile away...
Didn't know they were allowed to cross the border without first being tested.
Lovely photos Dig...Like to see your birds, so different to ours...
Thanks Shona. Do you have lots of colorful, tropical-type birds?
Evening Dig..Yes we do but they are more up North..
I am in Victoria a Southern State where it is a lot cooler..I am not very apt when it comes to technology and would put up some pics etc but no really sure how to do it..
If you call up Rainbow Lorikeet, Blue Wren, Eastern Rosella, Crimson Rosella (they live here) would give you some idea...
Wow. Those are truly beautiful birds.
These are all great photos Dig. The moon shots are just awsome!.
Just gorgeous. Just an FYI... I sent you a PN.
Great pix Dig! I hardly ever see our neighborhood cardinal.
It's funny that I have never seen a Cardinal in So Cal in all the years I've lived here. I've seen a lot of other types of birds that I never saw in the South. But there are some of the same types of birds here that I saw in Florida during the times I visited Ft Meyers.
Phooling around with my Fotos.
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That's some 'phooling' around with the photos, Buzz.
Looks like you had a lot of fun as well. They are all amazing. Great job!
That looks like fun. Does the software add the frames?
I opened a photo in my new Corel art software, but didn't know what to do or where to begin. I guess I need to watch the tutorials.
I have CorelDraw, and indeed it does have quite a learning curve. There is a lot of very nice features, and I use that software a good deal when creating some images. Then I finish the artwork in MS PowerPoint, which has some capabilities that CorelDraw does not have.
I also use the free software OpenOffice, which is compatible with Microsoft software. It has the various programs and similar features that are in MS software. And the fact that it is free software makes it an even better choice for some. I used it when I began to do my artwork. But, when I became a MS MVP (Most Valuable Professional) I was able to some MS program software at a nice discount, so I changed over to the MS software. I still use the OpenOffice to convert some documents from others to the MS format.
When my computer was on Windows 7 I used Photoscape photo editing software and was able to to all those things and much much more, including adding many great frames, but 7 died and I had to replace it with Windows 10. The original Photoscape program was only tied in with 7 and 10 has a different Photoscape X program that isn't even half as good as the 7 one was and is ten times more complicated. I can't understand how a program could get to be so much worse when the operating system is more advanced. Now I scavange what little I can from other programs like Adobe's free editing program, but I can't do anything close to what you see above with my photos any more.. I have tried Gimp, but it too needs an engineer to figure it out.
Here's the new 16 gallon tank all setup. This weekend I'll swap out the inflow pipe to a glass one, 'cuz this plastic one is ugly! My sister got a 3D printer and is making me risers to bring the light up off the water too.
Wow! That's great EG. That looks very much like the floor of the ocean in areas. I am sure the fish will love it. The rocks give them a place to hide, and they have the open area to wander around in. A great layout!
Very well done!
There are 12 fish in there now, but in the photo you can only see one. LOL!
The other 11 fish must be sleeping in the rocks. Fish like cubby holes where they can hide. And you have given them a good many to do that in.
What type of fish are in there?
The rest of the fish could be blobfish. You can see why they are hiding.
OMG! That is soo funny! With slime oozing out of its mouth, and its nose hanging down by its mouth. Yeppers, if I were the other fish and had to share the tank with that, I'd be hiding as well!
6 kuhli loaches
4 dainty cories (will get more next time I make a trip to Minneapolis)
1 pair of fancy guppies.
The loaches and cories are mostly nocturnal fish, though I will sometimes see them chase each other if no one is near the aquarium. The guppies follow me around looking for food.
They sound like very interesting fish to share a tank. I have never seen a cori catfish. Those little Guppies can be soo cute. I have had a few of those.
The worst thing I ever did was to put aquatic frogs in a tank with Goldfish. Not long after I noticed that one of the frogs was missing a hind leg, and I wondered how that happened. The next day the other frog was also missing a hind leg. Now I was really worried. So I went to the pet shop where I bought the frogs and asked them why the frogs would be missing a leg. When I told them there were Goldfish in the same tank they looked at m e in surprise and said, "Didn't anyone tell you not to put the frogs in a tank with Goldfish, as the Goldfish would eat the frogs.
I nearly cried when they told me that, and I felt so guilty, and so sorry for the poor frogs. I cried all the way home and immediately took the frogs out and put them in another tank. Luckily they had not yet lost any more legs. They lived a long and happy life by themselves.
But, I feel guilty even now for not thinking at the time I bought them to check what fish they could and couldn't be with and cost them a leg.
Oh no... Yeah gold fish are voracious eaters and make waste in return. So many people are surprised when you tell them they should be in large tanks, 20 gallons per fish, because of how big they grow.
There are lots of versions of cory cats or corydoras. I picked one of two small species 1/2" is as big as they get. The most popular used to be the Julii corys. They can get up to two and half inches. They are hard to get real Juliis and most people get what's now called False Julii - slightly different species with the similar markings.
Can't blame it for hiding.
They eat each other as well. My one and only experiment with having a fish aquarium started with me putting 4 goldfish in it - one gold, 2 multi-coloured and one black. (This is not meant to be a racial story - it is what happened.) after a while I noted that the tail of the gold one was getting a little ragged, and later on, there were only 3 fish in the aquarium, and the black one looked a little fatter. Then there were only two, and finally, only the black one was left and he was much fatter. Maybe I should have eaten the black one to get even with it. No more aquariums for me after that.
Lucky fish.
"Friday...Friday...you're here at last!" And time for a new creation.
A wonderfully conceived and executed image!
As you may now realize, where there is ICONOGRAPHY, I'm on it.
The Cormorant symbolizes taking action, bravery, and resourcefulness. This regal bird knows exactly what it wants and how to get it. Cormorant is asking you to dive deep to catch your desires.
I have some action images of cormorants … maybe I'll post a couple later today.
Thanks for the great Iconography information, Mac. It is very interesting. And I would be very happy to see the Cormorant videos. They really are amazing and beautiful birds.
Actually, my cormorant photos are stills … but stopped action … like this …
A. Mac/A.G.
Wow! That is a beautiful photo, Mac. The color of the feathers, the reflection on the water, and the visual movement of the water behind it are all totally awesome. A real live action photo.
Very, very well done, Mac.
I watched fishermen on bamboo rafts on the Li River in the midst of the Karst mountains fish with cormorants. They put a band around the necks of the birds so that they don't swallow the fish but bring tham back to the raft. This photo is from the internet, as I was too lax in taking photos of them.
That's a great picture, Buzz. I have read about such fishermen. depending on where they are fishing, there can be an abundance of fish so they not only have enough to feed their family, but, some to sell for other needs as well. Plus, it helps provide fish for those who can't, or don't want, to fish. And of course, the birds do get their share in order to keep them happy.
Still not where I want to be with the paintings, but, I am learning a lot about the qualities and tendencies of the paints and media involved. And, being able to photograph and digitize elements of the process and market those as entirely separate images, is something that I only came upon in a moment I lost focus on the act of painting while straightening up my work space.
Crazy and serendipitous.
Otherwise, lots of good stuff posted so far this week, and, as always, I thank everyone who makes the Group a success.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Nice. It made the words 'deep autumn' randomly pop into my head.
Hey, I was wondering. What do you make of Bob Ross's style of painting? You know, the guy on PBS? I always thought if I was going to try painting, I'd try what he does. A lot of splotching big brushes around. Do you think his stuff is any good?
In my art class during my Sophomore year in High School, I tried my hand at painting with sponges. I made it my primary project for that semester. I was really surprised at how difficult it was to us the sponges instead of a brush. I used 4 different sizes of sponges, each with a different size and shape. I had to first learn to use and control the sponges before I could begin to actually try to paint with them. My Teacher gave me several good tips in using the sponges as I went along.
Once I started to create the painting, an abstract, I thought I would never get it finished during the semester. But, I finally completed it the last week of the semester. The Teacher liked it and wanted to keep it. Why I am not sure even now, but, I let her keep it.
A very interesting experience, and the end of my painting days.
Neat story. I'm often surprised by how many different ways there are to do things.
I'm not a fan of Bob Ross, but, that is not to say I am critical of his work or style … it's just not my taste. For individuals who want to try painting, Ross would be a good starting point.
I had watched a program on TV that showed an artist painting using sponges. The artist explained the use of several different sponges to achieve the texture, atmosphere and 'story' of their painting and they made it look so easy. Like all things that look so easy, it was anything but easy. The class was given permission to choose our own type of artwork and present it to the class, explaining the techniques and materials we used to create our artwork.
I was the only one in the class that used sponges to do my painting. And I had to prepare the sponges for use on my project, which meant cutting the various grades and types of sponges that would be needed for the painting I had in mind.
I like doing things that are different, out of the norm, so to speak. Making up my own style and pushing the envelope when I can. And it's really fun to challenge myself to see how far I can go.
That is really a beautiful painting, Mac. The view of the bare trees in the front overlapping the fall colored leaves of the trees in the background, gives the impression of the trees in the front overlaying those in the background. Together they make a truly beautiful salute to Mother Nature.
The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw that image was a wildfire in California. I know that would not have been your intention.
This photo was a "mistake". For some reason I've always like it. I didn't think I would ever post it, but Buzz is showing me the way. It's from Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands.
The flowers really are beautiful, G. Often our mistakes can also be very amazing.
Thanks, Raven Wing.
I have to admit that I've made some very amazing mistakes.
Same here, G. Some of the mistakes I have made are nothing close to what I had in mind to begin with, but, they turned out to be something I would not have though about in the beginning. And they were far better than what I had started out to do. I have posted a few of them here on NT.
Well, your mistakes turn into beautiful creations. Mine are better left hidden!
Unfortunately, not all my mistakes are salvageable, G. About a 1/4 of them are simply nixed. Most of those are backgrounds or images that don't work as well together as I had in mind. In some the colors clash in the image or background and do not provide the kind of results that I wanted.
And, a lot depends on my mood that day as well. It's hard to create a piece of artwork that is serene and calming when my mood is anything but. Mainly, I try not to have a particular technique. I want my work to be versatile and inventive. That way, I, nor anyone else, will eventually get bored with my artwork, and everything I create is like a broken record.
LOL. You mean that my "way" is that nothing can be too weird? Okay, can you identify THIS mistake?
That would be one, valid, interpretation.
You unintentionally took the picture while your camera was pointed as the ground? I have some really beautiful shots like that.
LOL. You got it. Exactly.
It's nice that you framed your mistake.
Presentation is important, sort of like lipstick on a pig.
Moving on to Saturday...
Very nice, Raven Wing. Beautiful image.
Thanks G. This one goes back at least 3 years. This is one of my first experimental artworks, and learning new techniques. I really had little experience with B/W creations, as well as framing. It was the beginning of a very exciting learning curve that opened the door to many new and enjoyable artistic adventures.
She's cute, and appears thoughful or pehaps a little apprehensive.
Thank you, Buzz. She is dressed in her Tribal regalia at a POW WOW, and the look on her face is one that reflects her anticipation of joining other young children when it is their turn to dance.
Finally...it's Saturday....and there is sunshine for a change....
Fascinating, but requires an explanation.
Thanks Buzz. It is just a different representation of the Native America's 'White Buffalo Woman'. Here is the story.....
I hope the story helps you and others better understand the legend of White Buffalo Woman.
Absolutely, thank you.
Sunshine is COOL at times.
© A. Mac/A.G.
A beautiful shot, Mac. The sun glistening through the trees over a snowy forest in an array of colors is really awesome. The nearby mountains here are now heavily covered in deep snow, as we have had three back to back rain and snow storms this past week alone, which have left us with no sun all week. And today I woke up to a bright sunny day.
Oh, yeah. That's great!
Ornamental pear tree in bloom and the blue skies over L.A., less than an hour ago. More rain coming next week.
That's a beautiful blossoming pear tree, G. We will also be getting more rain next week out here in Riverside Cty. But, hopefully, not another week of back to back storms.
Thanks, Raven Wing. I think the rain forecast now is just for Wednesday. More would be better though. We need it.
You can have mine. I had rain 5 days ago, snow 3 days ago, and then rain again today.
I love it when it rains. We don't get snow where I live, but there was some in the mountains. We did have hail for a few minutes one day this week. We have not had hail at our house for quite a while. For several years, I think. There was hail here at the beach a couple of days ago. That is very unusual.
It does not snow where I live either, but, the mountains are not that far away, and Big Bear resembles the Matterhorn. (grin)
I really enjoy sitting out in the rain. Especially, when it is just a shower. It feels so relaxing and refreshing. I have always loved to sit in the rain, and would run outside when I saw the rain first starting. I hated to wear a raincoat, as it took all the fun out of being in the rain and feel the rain drops on my skin. It feels like it is replenishing my soul.
"Ornamental" means pretty, but no fruit?
Correct, no fruit. We have several of them in bloom now.
Green leaves and blooming trees... in January.
Pretty neat. Are the blossoms aromatic?
Our garden has something in bloom all year. Right now we have lavenders starting to bloom, also. The ornamental pears usually start to bloom in December, but this year December was too warm, and they bloom in cooler weather. We even had a couple of days in December when it got into the 90s. At least we are starting to get some very necessary rain.
Ornamental pear blossoms have no fragrance. The lavenders do, as do our sages, which bloom later in the spring.
With a forecast of 8 to 12 inches of snow in Philly beginning tomorrow, I decided to post a picture of flowers … abstractly.
Geranium Abstract
© A. Mac/A.G.
We are looking good headed into Sunday; thanks to a good Group.
Beautiful !
That is awesome, Mac. Both types of art blended together into a fabulous work of art. This could definitely lead to some great artwork in the future. Keep extending yourself. It is really paying off big time. That would look beautiful on anyone's wall.
That is a magnificent creation.
If I may ask, Mac....what did you use for the background for this beautiful flower? Is only one image, or a combined one? It looks as if it might be digitally created. The background itself is truly amazing, and compliments the flower so perfectly.
I don't remember all I did with the background … it was done years ago, but, I think I took all of the image other than the geranium and selected just the edges of the background leaves, stems, garden debris and negative space, and made them glow.
Thanks for the explanation about the background, Mac. Sometimes the ideas that you come up with today that don't work as well as we thought, will be just the ideal answer to a difficult project down the road.
Very nicely done.
And now it is off to Sunday....
And a flaming Sunday it is.
Ya'betcha! And that is one Phoenix (aka Fire Bird) no one ought to tick off.
wow
When I used to work in my father's factory during summer holidays, when I was a young teenager, my great-uncle Bill who also worked there used to say damn near every day.."Another day, another dollar." So here I'll just say "Another day, another photo."
That photo is really odd, but, really lovely. It looks like the plants are doing a square dance of some sort.
So..now my turn to ask YOU...what's the story? (grin)
It's located outside the wall near an entrance to the Sichuan Art Institute (about a 10 minute walk from our home). I don't think it's created, but a section of actual wall with a real growth of roots and trunks that have been preserved. No doubt it was considered a natural i.e. "nature's own" creation engulfing man's creation (the wall).
Ahh...OK..now I see. Thanks Buzz. A very interesting concept. A rather unusual, to say the least, way of preserving the actual roots and trunks, but, it does make for an interesting conversation piece of artwork.
When I was a new lawyer 40 years ago working for an insurance company as my first job, I got on the elevator one morning to go up to my office. The owner of the company also got on, said "Hello" and "Another day, another dollar in debt." I've always remembered that.
LOL. The differering philosophies of my great uncle and your first boss indicated the difference between the glass half full and the glass half empty - optimism vs pessimism.
He was, of course, joking. And very wealthy.
So I bought a cheap projector on Amazon and a cheap movie screen on Craigslist to watch movies outdoors in good weather. In shitty weather it’s set up in the basement to watch dvds. It’s cool because the screen is as tall as me, and you can walk right up to it and take an iPhone pic with pretty nice resolution. This dog is four feet tall on the screen and photographs well on pause. Points for anyone who knows his name and the comedy series he starts in. Bonus points if you know his name in real life.
???
This is Doug from The Sarah Silverman Program, which originally aired on Comedy Central 14 years ago. It’s Sarah’s real life untrained dog, named ‘Duck’, who shows up at the end of every episode and has a starring role in one episode. Sarah is my favorite comedienne and one of my favorite actresses, although I get that she’s too controversial for some folks.
That's a very nice photo, Hal. Very natural and relaxed. Although, I have no idea what the name of the puppy in the photo is, nor what movie he stars in. But, the photo and framing are very well combined.
Good job!
I took this photo within the last hour. Today is cloudy. It shows more of the ornamental pear trees in bloom, two plants with yellow flowers that I do not know the name of and one of the lavenders in the lower center left, although the flowers cannot be seen too well because of the cloud cover.
Great photo, G. Your garden is very floral and beautiful. The blossoming pear trees give it a very spring time look, even if it is in the middle of winter here in So Cal.
Thank you, Raven Wing. I do love our garden, very much.
Since we're on flowers, here's a Coreopsis to take us into Monday.
And THANKS again to everyone.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Beautiful flowers.
It's Monday afternoon here, so I'll join you on that...
Very nice.
A truly beautiful picture, Buzz. The blossoms are so bright and fresh, and the framing is a perfect match.
Well done!
I should have posted a little more explanation about that photo. The peony is the National Flower of China. I took the photo at the annual National Peony Festival in Luoyang while there with my wife, and NT member USA1 and his Chinese wife. We had met on NT, happened to be living and both teaching about a half-hour train ride from each other, got to be good friends and did touring and celebrating of events together. He moved back to NYC, with his wife, and eventually we moved far away as well. Many of my photos are of the Luoyang area, including Longmen Grottoes, King Park, the Yellow River, the Geological Park, and White Horse Temple, photos of which have been posted in photo essays on NT over the years.
Here I am with my wife, USA1 and his wife, at the National Peony Festival in Luoyang (I think I've lost some weight since then. LOL)
A very nice photo Buzz. It is nice that you were able to meet up with an NT member also living in China and spend some fun time together with your wives while he was in China. The garden area where this photo was taken is truly beautiful, with an abundance of lovely yellow peonies.
A great photo. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
That's a very beautiful artwork, Mac. The gradient colors of the background, the varied colors and sizes of the reflective orbs, and the diverse bright/dim coloring of the plants, flowers and buds really brings it all to life.
It is so well done on all fronts that makes the overall artwork so very interesting, beautiful...and magical.
Monday here we come.....
Wooo. A little scary. The finger to his lips does not seem rooted naturally - Is he holding something other than a finger?
No, just his finger to his lips in a gesture of 'silence'. He is a mystical Priest whose realm is the supernatural. He is the protector of the people against Demons of the the nether world and injustice.
Most, if not all, Native American Tribes have similar supernatural protectors of all descriptions.
I have no idea what kind of floral species this is. Maybe it's somethng that has seen its day.
It is a cultivar of a GRAPE cluster.