Learn Something!

So Vivienne, photography teacher extraordinaire is offering Light Hunters for the very last time as a monthly e-course! This means that you have the opportunity to take the class on a pay-what-you-can basis. Normally the class is $39 and you can pay the full rate (worth every penny!) or choose a rate that works for you. Either way, it's a a great investment.

This is what I was able to accomplish during Light Hunters when I took the course. I enjoyed seeking out subtle light and capturing it. It added more depth and dimension to my work. 

Also on tap for Autumn, Vivienne is also running Montage, which is an amazing class that teaches you how to combine video footage with still photographs to make wonderful soulful videos. This is a really cool class-I took it over the summer and managed to complete two videos. One is on my "About" page and is autobiographical in nature and the other is on my "Videography" page. It's a celebration of some of the graffiti I love to photograph here in Vancouver. (Both pages are listed on my sidebar, for future reference.) 

Montage is a great class if you are looking for new ways to use your photographs or if you're a creative and want a beautiful and unique way to promote yourself or your business. Some people in my class used what they learned to make meditation videos and one made a video to celebrate her wedding anniversary. The possibilities are endless!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am now looking forward to taking Vivienne's latest offering, Rose Coloured Glasses which begins next week.

Just so you know, I am telling you all this because I want to. I only recommend classes I've taken with an instructor and love. There's no kickbacks or perks for me in sharing this information, other than having the satisfaction of helping to support an artist and instructor who has changed my artistic practice forever, for the good. 

When I started taking classes with Vivienne, I was not a photographer. I had a cheap, crappy point and shoot camera that was in the process of dying and I'd never taken an artistic photo in my life. I was clueless, but I had a desire to learn and when the opportunity presented itself, I leaped at the chance. You do not need to own a fancy camera or be particularly techie. If you have a desire to learn, you have everything you need. Whether you use a camera or just your iphone, it doesn't matter. Vivienne's classes are about playfulness and experimenting. She took someone who was completely green and transformed me into someone who is deeply in love with photography. 

She's just THAT GOOD. 

The Most Beautiful Day

 False Creek, Vancouver, BC, Canada

I am going to remember Monday as the most beautiful day of late spring. Everything seemed sharper, more in focus and brighter. I love watching the change in the light from season to season. Every season's light has a different hue. Thanks to Vivienne, I've become a light hunter.

Science World got a face lift after 25 years and it looks all the better for it. It was built for Expo '86 and served as Sochi 2014 House during the Olympics. 

Dragon Boats

This would make a pretty blog banner, if I were so inclined.

If I'm quiet, it's because I've got alot going on right now. I'm finishing up the last week of Montage and working on a number of projects. 

Farewell Spring 2012, you were a good one! 

The Art of Colour

Self-portrait

It's been a busy last few days. Swan Dive is humming along nicely. I worked on this self-portrait the other day and I think it's my new favourite. Vivienne taught us how to use a new tool that can erase any parts of a layer that you don't want covering up the original image. I used it on this image to take the layers off my eye, so the colour would be true. (Yes, my eyes really are that green.) I really think that one pop of colour makes the entire image.  

Here are some others I've done this way:

This is one of my favourite shots from Light Hunters: Getting through the Grey. It was the first time I took my camera out in the rain (I was super careful.) for a shoot. It was a horrible day weather-wise, but the first day of 2012 and I wanted to document it. I'm so glad I did.

I may go back and take another shot at this one because Dex's eyes are golden and I think it would be cool to also have them appear as they really are. The beauty of digital photography is that as you learn new post processing skills, you can go back and rework things. Maybe I'll do that today...

Speaking of photography classes, Vivienne is having a sale on the Light Hunter's e-book. If you purchase it today, it's 50% off-only $15! The sale price changes tomorrow and Friday, so if you want the best deal, snap it up today! All the details are on her blog.  

Light Hunters was a great course-I learned so much about finding and using the natural light as a focal point in my photos. I can't say enough good things about her classes-they have completely changed my life! (So much so that I just took a giant step outside my comfort zone and submitted 4 of my images to be considered for a special gallery show next month! EEK! Now I just have to wait to see if I'm accepted.)

Notes From Here

As you can see, I am all geared up. I have my uber cool boots at the ready. Good thing too-our weather patterns here in the last week have been totally bizarre-everything from windstorms, to hail, to slush, to sneaux, to sun, to rain, to lightening. The most common meteorological term you will hear used here in BC is "mixed bag". (Small wonder!) Don't like the weather? Wait 5 minutes! This is why you will always see those of us who live on the west coast dressed in layers. It's a survival skill people!

Only in Vancouver

Sunday afternoon, we took Indy for a swim in the ocean. Someone had hauled a wicker love seat onto the beach. I imagine they had to do it under the cover of darkness because it's not only a long way down to the beach from anywhere you might park a transport vehicle and also because if anyone saw that coming, they'd tell the movers to turn around and march it out of there. We are, after all, a pretty eco-friendly province and that is littering, big time!

I had my camera with me, so I snapped a photo. I'm sure the other dog owners thought I was a bit weird, but it just seemed so perfectly juxtaposed, that I couldn't resist. It makes for an interesting photograph, non? I imagine the city will be 'round to collect it before too long. That particular dog beach seems to attract the oddest random things to its shores. One day, there was a smashed up sailboat lying one it's side, deposited by the wind in a big storm we had.

Here's Indy, having his last winter swim. It's amazing to me that he pays no attention to how cold the water is. As soon as he catches the scent of the ocean, he tears down the bank and plunges in. Only the Labs are crazy enough to brave the waters this time of year.

There's Something Happenin' Here...

Things have been so crazy lately, I figured I'd do a catch up post. First of all, I've been busy tidying up my blog some. As you can see, the sidebar is much less cluttered now. I've tucked all the info that was there into the "Pages" section and added a few more tidbits as well. I've finally gotten around to posting a bio on the "About" page. It's only taken me 8 years!

 There is also a page housing the links to the fabulous e-courses I've taken and highly recommend-photography classes with Vivienne McMaster and mixed media workshops with Mary Ann Moss. I love them both and you can't go wrong if you sign up for any of what they have to offer. You can click on any of the class icons on that page and be connected directly to the information for that class. Anyway, poke around if you like-it's all there.

You may also be interested to know that there are a great selection of postcards, created from my original photographs available in my etsy shop. I just uploaded a couple more new ones on Sunday afternoon, but this is the first chance I've had to mention it here. Maybe you'd like to treat yourself or a friend to a little mail love? (They are also great for framing or sewing into a journal if you can't bear to part with them.)

Other than that, I've had my nose to the grindstone, working on an interview, writing articles and chasing deadlines for art projects. Saturday, I managed a whole day away from the studio, art supply shopping and lunching with my art partner-in-crime, Penn. She made me a really cool birthday gift, which I haven't had a chance to photograph yet, but I love it! (THANKS PENN!) I'll post pics soon.

Yesterday marked two years since I carried the Paralympic flame through the streets of Vancouver. It's hard to believe that much time has passed and harder still to believe it really did happen. It still seems like some fantastical dream. I am continuously in awe of the amazing things I've gotten to do so far in my life and I'm deeply grateful for each and every opportunity I've had. My friend Carrie lovingly teases me about the never-ending "life list" that I keep crossing things off of. It's become an ongoing joke between us. Every time I share what big thing I am doing next, she mimes a giant tick mark in the air. Little does she know this just eggs me on. *grins*

Oh and one more important thing before I sign off:

Next week, on Wednesday, March 21st, Seth Apter, will be hosting a Twitter Launch Party from 9-10 EST (6-7 PST) for his beautiful new book.

 As a contributing artist, I will be participating, along with many others whose work is included in The Pulse of Mixed Media. On Monday, I will post Seth's handy-dandy instructions on how to join us-it's super simple and I hope you will! It's going to be a good time!

Okay! That's all I have time for for now. *waves*

Mini Photo Journals

So yesterday I had the wild hare to make small (3x4) coil bound journals from some of my photographs.

 Some of the images I've taken lend themselves perfectly to this.

Inside is blank white paper, so they could be used for just about anything.

I don't know about you, but I am always making lists and these would be perfect to toss into my purse.

Sometimes I have really good ideas. *wink*

Taking Advantage

Little White Church, 1897

We took advantage of a break in the weather this morning to get out and get some fresh air. We drove out to Ft. Langley. It's quiet there in the off season, which makes wandering the village really nice. Mostly we passed other dog owners. Everyone else was sleeping in.

We walked along the Bedford Channel. We had the whole place to ourselves. Indy got to run around off leash and even waded into the water up to his chest while I shot photos of this charming little white church across the water which sits on a reserve. It was built in 1897. One of these days when I get a zoom lense for my camera, I'll go back and photograph it again. Despite the lack of zoom lense, I like how this photo came out. The colours are so typical of the west coast at this time of year.

I'll Come Running

At one point, Indy came rocketing down the path to find me (I was trailing far behind with my camera) and I captured his mad dash. I love how he's running so fast his ears are flapping. This is what love looks like.

As we wandered past my favourite antique mall, I spotted these Coke bottles. I like the way the light was glancing off them and the rust on the metal grid they we sitting in, inside a wooden crate.

I also like how they look in black and white. I am so grateful for digital technology that allows me to manipulate the photographs I take in so many amazing ways. It never gets old.

We raided a new candy shoppe in the village and came away with a bag full of our favourite candies from our respective childhoods. My goodies included Popeye cigarettes, sponge toffee, chocolate mints and Thrills gum. I was sad to hear that Thrills gum (the purple gum that tastes like soap) is no longer being made. The guy who owns the candy shoppe said what he had in stock was the last of what was available. This candy shoppe sure had a fantastic selection and the prices were ridiculously cheap. We'll be stopping in there again!

We stopped for coffee and chai and then headed over to a dog store we'd never been in before. (I call all pet supply stores "the dog store", in case you're wondering. They do not sell actual dogs. I call it the dog store because Indy is allowed to come in.) I wasn't in the door 2 minutes, when I found a Kong Genius toy I've been hunting high and low for for over a year. Kong is the only brand of toy I will buy Indy because they are incredibly durable and the company stands behind their products.

Anyway, I splurged and bought the Genius for Indy and put it away for his birthday. He will be 4 on March 15th. I know he's going to love it!

These are a couple shots from Granville Island from a couple weeks ago. I just got around to working on them the other day.

Soggy Dog

Indy, still wet after a swim. If ever there was a water dog, it's him. It's a good thing we have access to lots of lakes, rivers and oceans! He loves his time in the wilds just as much as we do. It's been tough getting out the last few weeks with the weather being so cold and miserable. Thank goodness spring is just around the corner!

121 Days

Copyright Lelainia Lloyd/Tattered Edge 2011-2012

So this is what an entire course of Getting Through the Grey looks like for me. This is four months worth of work which yielded a total of sixty-six completed images in 121 days. It's really cool to be able to look at it like this and see just how much I managed to accomplish.

A good number of these images are available in postcard form in my Etsy Shop, so if you saw something you liked, it may just be available for purchase!

So what's next? Well my plan is to take a second round of Swan Dive. Since my beloved Picnik is shutting down in mid-April, it's time to make friends with Photoshop and I think with Vivienne's gentle guidance, it may just be possible. (And I'm always willing to keep an open mind when it comes to what's possible.)

Onward!

Counting Crows

I promise this isn't going to be a melancholy post, though the image I'm sharing might lead you to believe so. I was out at Granville Island on Sunday and captured this photo of a crow, silhouetted against the sky, which as it turns out, make for an interesting image. The quote is from an old nursery rhyme, which I've used once before when creating crow themed art. It goes like this:

"One crow for sorrow,

Two crows for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret, never to be told,

Eight for a wish,

Nine for a kiss,

Ten for a time of joyous bliss."

I also came across the Mystery Machine while going down a random side street and yes, it's for reals! A few years ago, they filmed the Scooby Doo movies here and there were actually two Mystery Machines. Someone local obviously bought one of them. I was amusing happening upon it like I did. I certainly didn't expect to see that parked on the street.

I grew up watching Scooby Doo in the 70's. I loved trying to figure out the mystery before the big reveal at the end of the show. When my son was little, it became popular again. (Which also happened with Star Wars when they re-released it.) It was pretty cool that even with the generation gap, our childhoods had some of the same pop culture elements. He dressed up as Shaggy one year for Hallowe'en and for his 18th birthday/ graduation cake, we actually got him a Scooby themed cake as a joke. It had plastic figurines of Shaggy and Scooby and a Mystery Machine van on top. I wish he'd been with me when I saw it in real life. I'll have to see if it's still there next time we're in that neck of the woods.

There's one more week of Getting Through the Grey left. It certainly has helped me continue to shoot, despite the sometimes inclement weather. I'll have to post a mosaic of all the photos I took for the duration of the class when February's over. Boy the time has whipped by!

I'll have some more exciting art related news to share soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

New In My Etsy Shop!

Urban Landscape

Just a super quick update to let you know that I've got some brand new handmade postcards available in my Etsy shop this morning! If you liked Legacy, which appeared in my last post, it's now available to purchase, along with a whole host of new images, including Tapping In , Urban Landscape (pictured above) and more!

Hope you're having a good weekend in your neck of the woods.

Thanks for stopping by!

Some Things I Want to Share

Legacy

Only 2 more weeks of Getting Through the Grey! The weeks weeks have whipped by so quickly. I feel like my time in this class has been really productive. I leaned that I love taking still lifes and in playing around photographing some of my mixed media artwork I've discovered another signature element of my work. Little by little I am finding my voice.

Speaking of finding my voice, I wanted to share a couple of tracks that are getting alot of play in my studio right now. One is this cover of Leonard Cohen's Dance Me to the End of Love. Madeleine Peyroux did a beautiful job of it and now the Civil Wars have also cut a pretty track.

Have a listen:

Another tune I am loving right now is The Wood Song by the Indigo Girls. Last week I was randomly playing music on my iTunes and this one came up. It's been in my library for a very long time, but for some reason, it was like I'd heard it for the first time. It stopped me in my tracks-it was a very "What was that?!" moment. I played it again and then again..and again...The Indigo Girls have long been a favourite of mine-their harmonies are so achingly beautiful and their lyrics are always so thoughtfully crafted.

The other thing I wanted to share with you is that Seth Apter has posted a whole host of events that will be taking place over the next few months in relation to the release of his new book, The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets & Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. As one of the artists who appears in Seth's book, I'll be participating in some of those events and I'll fill you in when I have more details.

The book will be released at the beginning of March, (which is less than 2 weeks away!) so if you haven't pre-ordered a copy yet, now's the time to do it!

Transition of Light

On Saturday, the temperature got up to 12C here. We took Indy for a walk at a local lake just to get out and enjoy the sunshine. British Columbians are by and large outdoor people.

The light was so beautiful, it was almost heartbreaking. I love watching the transition of the colour of light from season to season. While winter light is blue, spring light is so clear. It's a very clean light to shoot in. The photo above is straight out of my camera.

Things have begun budding here. No idea what kind of tree this is, but when I looked up at the branches, they framed so beautifully against the sky. I predict that if this warm trend continues, before too long we'll be seeing cherry blossoms around town. Vancouver is famous for it's ornamental cherry trees. When they bloom, that definitively heralds the arrival of spring here.

On Sunday, Indy was lying on our bed, basking in a patch of early morning sunlight. He's so adorable when he lies with his head between his paws. I wanted to capture this moment because when the light hits his coat just right, you can see that his undercoat is chocolate, even though he's a black Lab. (Indy's mum was a black and his dad was a big chocolate.)

Again, this photo is untouched, straight out of my camera. I love the warm yellow quality of the light in this one. It gave a natural sepia tone to the photograph. Magical!

Since Indy was putting up with me snapping away, I took a moment to capture his mighty paws. I love shooting small details of an animal-it often gives you a greater sense of them. For me, their beauty lies in the details. 

Precious Little

So this week, I've been playing catch up with my Getting Through the Grey assignments. I have a confession to make: I am not on task. For the last week, we were supposed to be exploring bokeh and here I am working on still life. (Which I think was week one or two...way back in December.) Sometimes you just have to do the things that you are moved to do. There's no predicting when inspiration will strike, nor how it will manifest and I am totally okay with that.

The whole point of taking a class is for the teacher to empower you to find your own creative voice. The idea is for you to gain some new skills and then find a way to integrate them into your own art practice. This is how you know you've taken a really great class, with a really great teacher. (And a really great teacher will support you in following your creative instincts, even if you veer off task once in awhile!)

Yesterday I was shooting little things in my studio. The top image is a frozen Charlotte doll. I thought it would be more interesting to shoot the back, rather than the front.

 

I have this lovely antique sterling silver salt shaker, given to me by one of my partners in the Petite Inspiration Swap at Hallowe'en. It's tiny-only an inch tall and I love the patina on it. Old things have so much soul to them.

Another wee doll, this time a Kewpie, shot from the back. I couldn't resist! There's just something so sweet and innocent about it.

This image is all kinds of nostalgia for me. It's a lumber yard pencil I found in my Gramps' workshop, after he died. His family owned a lumber yard and so he grew up in the business and became a gifted carpenter and cabinet maker. After he was gone, I would go into his workshop to be amongst his thing. It was comforting to smell the wood shavings and see his hand tools hanging neatly on the pegboard above his workbench.

He had three banks of drawers-I believe two were old library file cabinets and one was wide, shallow drawers that could hold architectural plans. All of them were dark wood and well made. I'd spend hours opening every single drawer and looking at the things inside each one. He knew exactly where everything was. (I guess I come by that whole tool and workspace organizational gene honestly.)

I found a couple of these flat lumber yard pencils he brought from Winnipeg when he moved out west. They live in my studio now. It's funny how the most insignificant things become precious.

Playing Catch Up

Observe

I've been through a busy time of creative output in the last week finishing up my Sketchbook and now I find I'm at the point in the cycle where I need to take a break and refill the creative well.

I've also been busy with the Women's 2012 Olympic soccer qualifier, so I'm a bit behind in my Getting Through the Grey assignments. I'm hoping to do a bit of catch up over the weekend. The weather's supposed to be beautiful. I hope so! *fingers crossed*

In the meantime, here's what's rocking my world:

(Images by my talented classmates.)

1. there is something about nature that takes care of your heart, 2. porch steps, 3. footprints, 4. fossil rock, 5. Queen Anne's Lace, 6. The architecture of plants 01, 7. Black and white with a touch of colour, 8. Row of Trees, 9. Fearless Pup, 10. Viewing the Christmas lights, 11. Morning Light, 12. P1220393.JPG

Catching Up

If I've been on the quiet side this week, it's because I've been busy with the Women's Soccer 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament. I've been downtown in a swanky hotel my husband helped build, dispatching a fleet of cars for VIPs again. It's been fun, but long days knock the stuffing out of me.

So far we've attended Canada's first game, against Haiti and our ladies are looking really good. They played with integrity and their cohesiveness was really something to watch. If you're in town, you should get tickets-they're very inexpensive-$10-$25, no bad seats and all in the lower bowl.

I haven't had time to shoot anything new this week, aside from this photo of Indy, which I love. Speaking of photography, my beloved Picnik is closing mid-April. I am utterly bereft.{insert very sad face} I am very unhappy about it and have no idea what I am going to do once it's gone-it's my go-to editing program.

Mary Ellen, Sherry, Dave & Lisa, thank you for your feedback on Tapping In. It was really interesting hearing your interpretations. I wanted to let you know that you are all winners! Please email me with your snail mail addresses and as soon as I get prints made, I will send each of you postcards. (My email addy is on the sidebar.)

Tapping In

Tapping In

I think far and away, this is one of my most favourite images. I took a photograph of a section one of my mixed media pieces and then layered it with a self portrait of my hand. It took some fiddling to blend it to my satisfaction, but essentially, that's what I did.

I was going to write about what this image represents to me but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe it's more interesting to hear what YOU think it's about, if you'd like to share. I'm curious how other people filter my work. If you are going to comment on this image, I'd like to challenge you to post your own thoughts and observations before reading anyone else's. (But feel free to read the other comments when you're done!)

And as an added bonus, if you take the time to comment, I'll enter your name in a draw to receive this image as a handmade postcard from me when I do my next round of photo prints. I'll take comments till 8 p.m. (PST) on Thursday, January 19th and I'll post the winner's name here on Friday morning, so be sure and check back!

Ready? Set...GO!

2nd Generation Art

 She Dreams of Everest

I've been playing around with macro for this week's Getting Through the Grey class. On a whim, I decided to shoot some macros of pieces of my mixed media artwork I have sitting around in the studio. These were large painted and/or collaged pieces so I shot small isolated ares of them. I layered them with other photographs I've taken and voila!

I think the most powerful tool we have as artists is our ability to ask ourselves "What if....?" It's that question which led me to experimenting in this way. I created She Dreams of Everest just to see what would happen and I'm pleased with the results. It's like a whole new style I've created for myself-2nd generation art. I like reinventing things.

experimenting=learning

 Portal

This one is a section of a painting combined with an image of a window with a hall and doorway behind it I took at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens. I love how it looks like old, chippy paint. It's kind of magical.

 The Picture Makes A Promise

This one was a combination of a still like I took of an old Brownie camera I have in my studio and a section of my artwork.

Sneaux Dog

Late Friday night, we got sneaux*, which is unusual for this elevation. Up until now, I've been running around town with just a hoodie on-it's been an extremely mild winter. Then this cold front moved in overnight and down came the white stuff. By 10 a.m. yesterday though, we were ankle deep in slush-the sun came out and the sky was clear blue. Indy, who loves the sneaux went out and had a couple good romps. His paw prints were so adorable all over the back yard I couldn't resist capturing them.

Before I sign off for now, I also wanted to say THANK YOU for all the kind words you've posted here, on Facebook and in emails about my selection as a Difference Maker for the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay. You sure know how to make a girl feel loved!

*I'm not allowed to say the "S" word in this house, so I always write it this way.