THREE DAY WEEKEND (Into Monday Morning) ~ Creative Arts Group
NOTE: At the closing of last week's "THREE DAY WEEKEND," I decided to lock the article on the MONDAY MORNING following the Friday/Saturday/Sunday, instead of what I had originally planned -- midnight Sunday.
This will continue going forward as it allows 8-10 hours or so of additional posting while still addressing the problem of slow connections due to a high number posts.
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New Paintings; I am continuing to experiment with technique, composition and paint behavior related to chemistry and density. I can't believe it took all these years for me to combine into my paintings, my backgrounds in science (Biology) and Art History/Fine Art … but these paintings are the result of both.
© A. Mac/A.G.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Bring it Ladies and Gents …
Love your paintings. One is very bright and bold, the other a bit subdued in color, but, very bold in its expression. The second one reminds me of Buckeye wood burls I have seen and worked with. I used them often when I was making wood burl clocks several years back.
Both are beautiful and very impressive. Very well done.
I very much like the second painting. This may sound a little crazy, but you seek honest opinions of your workis. I feel a little intimidated by the first one - a really strange feeling to get from looking at a painting. Perhaps I feel that the images I see in it, such as a monster's or dragon's face, and the fact that it seems as if it prodrudes because of the white background.
I went a bit thick with the paint so it is physically raised and also pops because of the white surrounding area. The monsters are how one perceives them.
And I have the opposite reaction - I love the jewel tints of the top painting. To me, it's a summer garden in full bloom, or a vibrant cityscape.
I guess if we thought of A.Mac's paintings as Rorschach tests you would come out in a happy way, but my interpretation of that painting might be considered troublesome.
I don't know. To me, the bottom painting feels - threatening. Fire and smoke and cobwebs.
Different strokes for different folks.
And it probably depends on our mood when we're viewing. If I were cold, for instance, a painting that reminded me of fire might feel warm and inviting.
Agreed. Our interpretations could be affected by any number of factors.
Very nice. The bottom one looks like it has gold leaf.
It does in fact have a metallic paint in the mix.
I love the metallics.
Well then, watch for others.
Interesting stuff, Mac.
The top one almost looks edible, like melted candy. I like the sharp colors in it. Did the edges come out clean like that while you were painting, or did you have to do clean up as you went? I'd probably have drips, smears, and runs all over the place if I tried something like that.
The second one looks like a sheet cut from some kind of ore-bearing rock, polished to a high sheen. Pretty cool.
After a snafu with FedEx my new aquarium plants came in on Wednesday. Swapped out the spray bar for a glass lily pipe and moved the inflow. With all the new plants the intended Iwagumi style has changed to a more Brazilian style.
That is just beautiful, EG.
Very beautiful, imaginative, and impressive. I like your choice of plants to create a great habitat for your lucky little fin swimmers to dwell in. Great job!
The weekly aquarium story is one of my favorites. That looks really beautiful.
I don't understand what you're saying (Iwagumi, lily pipe, Brazilian style) but I like what I see.
Where I live is known as the ''Horse Capital of the World'' and for good reason. Every year since 2005 we have what we call ''Horse Fever'' Statues of horses are painted by artists in a specific theme and they are bid on by Ocala businesses. After they are shown at a few different venues in Ocala they are then delivered to the business and become a symbol for that business and are all displayed outside of the building. As you drive around Ocala you'll see them and they are quite the symbol. Proceeds go to help a number of charities in the area. This is only part of the group there are 20 in total.
These are cool!
WOW! Those are very impressively decorated horses.Very intricately decorated with their specific contributions to the chosen theme. Really great displays.
Very cool.
And speaking of horses.....There is nothing more important to a Warrior than their horse. And the importance of being of one mind starts at the very beginning..
That is really great.
Thanks G.
That's a wonderful scene, perfectly framed to reflect the wild resistance of the horse to being tamed.
Thanks Buzz. I am glad that you go the essence of the artwork. There are several procedures/steps to taming a wild horse to be a Warrior horse. First is that they realize who is the one they need not fear and they learn to trust. Once they come to that point, then they will then become one with their Warrior in mutual trust and respect.
Amazing, are all your drawings computerized?
Yes, all my artwork is done digitally. My freehand drawing is totally alien in appearance, as I have little freehand talent. My mind knows what I want to do, but, my hands will not cooperate. So I do my work by the computer.
They certainly do exemplify "a horse of a different colour".
I must be weird I like the eighth one down to me it looks like a painted real horse.
lol
No more wine for you, 321steve.
Quite a beautiful array!
The last photo has ballplayers on it.
What team do they play for?
Baltimore Orioles.
Good choice!
TGIF....and here is my newest artwork....and this one's for the birds. (grin)
That is amazing, Raven Wing.
Thank you G. I truly appreciate your compliment. The layering takes a bit of time to get the images just right, and not allow one to overpower another, or get lost. That can be tricky. Placement of the images is also important in order to make sure the overall artwork is evenly and well arranged, so as not to be too heavy on one side or the other, or too on top of each other in the middle, so to speak. It takes a bit of time to do the experimenting required to produce a well balanced artwork when working with multiple images.
The more you experiment with it the better you will be able to let your minds' eye be your guide.
Could it be the frame that makes the scene so three-dimensional?
Could be, Buzz. It depends on how a person looks at it. I like to keep things interesting. (big grin)
To me it's like looking down into a box. Pretty cool.
Thanks Dig. When looking at it, it is sometimes hard to tell if you are into it, or if it is sticking out, so to speak. Even the outlines don't make a clear distinction of which it is.
Lovely birds. You have great work.
Thank you very much, pink. I am very glad you like it.
That's a beauty, Raven.
Thank you Kavika. I am very glad you like it. Mother Earth is so generous with the wonderful variety of wildlife she shares with us.
Another silly mask from my collection. This one is battery powered and is meant for raves.
That mask is very imaginative. Something many people would find to rave about. (grin)
I like the complimentary frame Hal. Very good combination in colors. Well done!
What is it like to live in a house so filled with such a menagerie of unique and fascinating items?
It’s visually stimulating, to the point of overwhelming. Other than that it’s just a lot of dusting. We had renovations done recently. I’ll be cleaning the dust off of each piece in the museum over the next couple months. It’s like painting the Golden Gate Bridge. By the time you finish it’s time to start again.
My wife's niece brought us this mask from her visit to Costa Rica.
That's really interesting G. Did she mention if it is a ceremonial mask? It looks like it could be used in a Spiritual ceremony of some sort.
I don't remember if she mentioned that. I will ask her.
WOW!!! I'll bet Hal A. Lujah tries to buy it from you.
Cool! Is it a Voodoo mask? Did anything weird happen after you got it?
Weird stuff happens all the time. Maybe it's the mask.
As I previewed last week, here is a series of photos taken by me of The Colours of Night in China.
Part of downtown Chongqing, as seen from across the Jialing River
A tour boat in the Jialing River, Chongqing
A scene from the city of Liuzhou, Guanxi Autonomous Region
This photo and the next one are from the riverside drive along the Jialing River, Chongqing
The Television and Radio Tower in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. A great restaurant near the top.
A building at the base of the abovenoted tower
A fruit store in the outdoor mall next to our home building.
A building in downtown Chongqing
This and the next 2 photos were taken while we were on a night cruise through the canals of Suzhou, one of the names of which is the Venice of China
I believe that this docked boat was a restaurant
A building in downtown Chongqing
Downtown Chongqing
Riverside downtown Chongqing
Chongqing downtown from across the Jialing River
This photo of the Harbin Ice Festival is from the internet, but it is one of the most colourful things in China, one I never got to see in person but wish I had. Those structures are made of ice ONLY.
Great series of.photos.
Thanks,
Beautiful photos, Buzz. They look very enchanting. The last one is especially awesome.
Thank you - of course you know that the last one is the only one I did not take myself.
Being it is a photo from the beautiful Chinese Ice Festival I thought perhaps it might not be one of your own photos. But, that does not lessen its awesome winder at all. And thank you for sharing it with us, as I do enjoy seeing it in the photos, as I am not able to see it in person, and I never tire of seeing it.
Great series of photos, Buzz.
Thanks, Kavika.
The tour boat near the top reminds me of an old American paddlewheel riverboat, the bridge in the second to last image has an absolutely beautiful design, and the ice castle is simply spectacular.
Really great stuff, Buzz.
Thank you Dig. Yes, it DOES look like one of those old Mississippi paddlewheelers.
Adding one - the centre of downtown Chongqing taken from a boat on the Jialing River:
That's neat. Was it a special occasion or anything?
The air is often hazy over there, isn't it? Makes a great canvas for some cool spotlight effects at night.
I love this photo, Buzz.
I took that picture so long ago, when I was courting my wife, that I don't recall anything special about the time. In fact, here we are at about the time I took that photo and some others that are posted. We were on a cruise on the Jialing River.
As for the haze - one of the nicknames for Chongqing is The Misty City, along with The Mountain City, and one of the three furnaces of China (and I guarantee you that a furnace it can be).
It's one of my favourites.
Yesterday morning ''all my ducks in a row'' Stone Creek, Ocala FL.
Last night's sunset at Stone Creek.
The one with the line of ducks is just adorable.
And the one of the sunset is truly awesome.
They were playing follow the leader. A sunset that sets a pace that could rarely be followed.
That sunset shot looks otherworldly. Awesome, Kav.
We get some amazing sunrises and sunsets here, Dig.
Very nice, Kavika
Taking a stand on a Saturday.
© A. Mac/A.G.
I love the little Hummers. They are sooo adorable. Feisty little wingers they be, and nothing to mess with. But, they can't help bug put a smile on your dace when you see it.
That is a truly beautiful Photo, Mac. As fat as the little ones be, you managed to get a great shot of it in action. I used to have a good many of them that came to my house for meals. I made my own nectar for them from scratch and as natural ingredients as I could find. They are very territorial, so I had to place different feeders at different locations around the house.
They would come and visit my Father who loved to sit out on the front porch in the afternoon, and even would come close to look him in the eye. He loved them, and it looked like the feeling was mutual. They were in at all afraid of him, and one of the little Hummers decided that as my Father would sit in his 'territory' he belonged to him and he would try to shoo away any others that would come around. But, as they out numbered him, and my Father did not object to the display of attention by them, the bossy one had to give in and allow others to come and be around my Father as well.
It was one of my Father's favorite times of the day, and even up until the day he walked on, he would go out and sit with his little feathered family.
A great photo - amazing that you can stop those wings - must have used about 1/2000 of a second to do it.
I was impressed by that, too.
Great shot, Mac.
Great shot for a tiny fast moving bird.
Terrific photo
I thought I would experiment a bit and try to be creative. The pagoda is in Kyoto, Japan.
Special thanks to Raven Wing for her technical and artistic advice.
Really beautiful montage. I have never seen that before. Very creative of you!
Thanks, Perrie
Wow G2, impressive framework
Thanks. I'm very glad you like it.
You are quite welcome G, it is always my pleasure to help how I can I am impressed how you are making such great strides in your artwork. Not only in yur artistic skill, but, also in your creative designs. Very well done.
I really appreciate your input.
Amazing. That is really fantastic, GG.
Thanks, Buzz
Oooh, nice collage. That could be a postcard.
Having a great time. Wish everyone was here. See you when I get home.
P.S. Send money!
© CZG 2021
Very beautiful artwork!
Thanks G2
A professionally executed artwork suitable for children’s literature illustration and even decorative art!
Thank you A. Mac
Is this your work, Pink? I like it.
And welcome to NT!
Yes it is thank you
Very beautiful and impressive, Pink. The image gives the viewer the feel of relaxation and serenity. The framing is a great coordination with the artwork itself. Very well done!
Thank you, I'm glad you like it.
Lovely. Thank you for joining us and providing us with your outstanding talent.
Thank you Buzz
It's a feather in the cap of the GROUP that we are seeing an expanding membership and participation … and … in a positive, civil environment!
A sincere THANK YOU to all who come here and share their work and thoughts.
Just a thought …
© A. Mac/A.G.
A very beautiful photo, Mac, and a totally true statement. I really like the varied colors of the bird, I have never seen one like it before. That is one of the things that I really enjoy about this group, the sharing of so many different types of awesome artwork that I might not have ever seen before, nor might not otherwise ever get to see.
Beautiful bird, beautiful words.
Very beautiful ,cheerful colors. Love it.
Beautiful art, and Jimi would be proud.
Just a slight change of pace... here is an artwork that I created a few years ago for a Friend who celebrated Kwanzaa. I made it into a large print on photo paper for a special display for her Family holiday gathering. It was my first time trying such a an art project, and technique....but, I wanted it to be special for her, something she could not find anywhere else. If there are any here who also celebrate Kwanzaa, I hope you will like it and not be offended by my posting it out of the holiday season.
....and you did what you set out to do really well. I assume it was appreciated, as it should well have been.
Thank you very much, Buzz. I truly appreciate it.
I think you did a very nice job.
In January of this year, the World Equestrian Center opened in Ocala, FL. (5 miles from my house). It is the largest equestrian center in the world. It is simply amazing, hard to describe it so here is the link with photos and information on it.
You would expect that one of the centerpieces of the facility would be a statue of one of the great race or show horses but no it's a beautiful bronze statue of a stout short-legged Mongolian horse named Sargent Reckless. This is her story and it's amazing.
I took this photo of her this past Monday.
Very nice place.
Reckless was AWESOME!!!
Yes, she was. The original statue that was to be there was of a racehorse. I've heard that the owner of the facility personally made the change to Sargent Reckless. The cost of this facility is between $800 m and $1 billion dollars.
What a great story, Kavika. One that should be remembered.
When you use the center entrance to the facility Sargent Reckless is right there so thousands of people will see her and read of her exploits on the plaque below the statue.
What a beautiful statue, and a great story. Thanks for sharing it with us Kavika. Looks like there is a lot of fun things happening in your backyard these days. (smile)
The facility is simply amazing, RW.
Perhaps after the facility opens and you have time, you might take a few photos of the inside to share with us. If they allow photos to be taken inside, that is. I would love to see some of the interior motif. It really must be awesome.
There is over 600,000 square feet of covered exhibitions area, a 5 star hotel with two more hotels to be added. 300 space RV area. 22 outdoor exhibition areas, 10,000 A/C horse stalls a vet hospital and shopping on site.
Click on the link I provided and you'll get a fairly good view of the whole complex. I will take some photos the next time we go there and post them here.
Thanks Kavika. It sounds massive, and filled with a wondrous display of of information and history.
Retro effects on a pileated woodpecker and the first crocuses of the year for me.
Good frames sure help to raise photos to professional level - but of course the photo has to start out being good or at least having potential. You've accomplished it.
Excellent
Awesome photos and beautiful framing, Dig. Your artistic talents are really growing all around. Thank you for sharing them with us.
It is really great to share in the wonder of true artistic talent by those who come here each week and provide us with the fruits of their artistic labor. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this great group and can enjoy such wonderful artwork.
Quite good!
Really nice, Dig. I'm glad to see you have something blooming over there.
Heading towards Sunday and we are looking good.
How 'bout a walk into the woods on a foggy, winter morning?
Even a painted one looks inviting.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Very inviting. Did you start with a photo and then applied some paint?
It’s a digital painting ... “painted” with pixels and variations in opacity to create the illusion of depth via “atmospheric perspective”.
Beautiful, Mac, and a very interesting effect. It gives it a somewhat vintage look. And the colors are very well blended. Great work!
As we are now heading into Sunday, the last day of our three day weekend, here's one as a step in that direction.
It is the legendary Fire Bird, rising from the Earth's furnace......
I once drove a Firebird in Los Angeles that I borrowed from an actor friend of mine, but it didn't catch on fire. I once owned a Buick that did. All personal experiences aside, that's a pretty impressive picture.
Thank you, Buzz. My second car was a 1969 Pontiac Fire Bird. I really loved that car. It was stolen from the grocery store parking lot while was inside shopping. Booo!!
That is a fantastic image, Raven Wing.
Thank you very much G.
My last one for this weekend...
It looks as if the moon hits his eye (like a big pizza pie - that's amore).
Thanks Buzz. (smile)
Very beautiful. It has an air of mystery.
Thanks G. A look into the Spiritual and/or supernatural world.
REMINDER; I will lock down the article on Monday Morning instead of midnight tonight giving everyone a few extra hours to post.
Then there is still time for a few more of my photos of The Colours of China at Night .
The night view from one of my balconies. In the centre is the elevated suhway station, and behind it the huge new department store/mall. The indoor mall attached to my building is at the bottom left. On the left, behind the street, in the dark, is the campus of the Sichuan Institute of Fine Arts.
A reverse view. Photo taken while standing in front of the elevated subway station and pointing at my building - the one on the right in the background, and showing the outdoor mall.
A view of buildings close to the Jialing River, near downtown Chongqing.
Urban living. Interesting photos.
One of two resident eagles sitting on my neighbor's roof this morning.
Photo was taken by my neighbor.
It appears that you live in an eagleatarian community.
LOL, it seems that way.
That is just so amazing.
They are truly awesomely majestic. And they leave no doubt about who rules your community. A great shot.