I've Been Thinking.......

I'm falling deeper into the world of gimp. The possibilities seem so endless as I discover all these different things that I can do with imagery.  I want to incorporate this newfound passion (dare I say addiction? lol) into more three dimensional art, but how, and is this real or am I just distracting myself with something I'll never really apply to the real world?

The above picture is a close up of a photo I took of one of my wall sculptures entitled "Renewal".  I did something with gimp,  (I can't remember what it was now lol), and somehow came up with the image below.

It looks kind of like a butterfly doesn't it?!  Maybe I need to read the gimp tutorial and figure out how to do things with purpose instead of these happy accidents.  Actually, I tried to read a little of the tutorial, and as expected, my eyes started to glaze over, colors started flashing before my eyes, and I started thinking about how I needed to vacuum.   Needless to say, when the thought of housework jumped into my head, I took that as a sign to get out of there and fast!!!  Can't stand all that technical mumbo jumbo.  Unfortunately, I need to figure out things like how to get rid of that little white dotted border around the colored part, and if there's some trick to controlling those paint tools easier, stuff like that.  The tutorial seems the way to go........shudder.

Anyway, I was thinking that based on my current fascination with the photo manipulation properties of gimp, that I might have some fun  incorporating these images into my three dimensional wall sculptures somehow. I'm not sure if I would try to reproduce the colors and patterns with paint on wood, or if I would use an actual print of the altered image and glue it onto the wood, enhancing and adding to the image with paint.  Hmmmmmm..........I'll have to think it about some more.   I'm sure my printer is inadequate for something like this, I certainly don't have the correct paper, but maybe I'll try a prototype of some kind with what I've got and see what happens.  What kind of glue would a person use I wonder? What kind of paper? So many questions......I don't know why I can't just keep things simple, but that's the story of my creative life.......always gotta stir things up!

When I try this,  I'll have to pay attention to whether or not it makes me feel tingly and expansive or tight and stressed.  That's how I tell if I'm on the right track.  That might sound weird,  but that's just how I roll......!
Laurie



Fun with Gimp

These are photos taken off my balcony. I don't have a clue what I'm doing and probably couldn't reproduce any of these with gimp in a million years, but it sure is fun!!  I just discovered the airbrush tool.!! Oh....my.....Gosh!!!!   I may need "GimpAnonymous" before too long!

A Snowbound State of Mind

LOLOLOLOL.....heeeheeeeee, that's funny.  I'm thinking that's how I might look if I dared to look in the mirror during these days....and days.....and DAYS of being snowbound.  We got the whopping 10" of snow yesterday, and while being really beautiful and magical, you have to understand that here in my little burg of winding hilly streets nestled in the Ozark Mountains, that we shut 'er down after getting the piddley 1" of snow.  So........Here I am, zero degrees outside, too cold to work in the studio, no way the car can make it out of the driveway, let alone down "The Hill".  You know what this means, don't you.........A day of  "Fun with Gimp!" 

Below is a photo I took of the snow yesterday, that somehow I transformed into this crazy wild pattern. (But don't ask me how I did it, cause I don't have a frickin' clue.....)

Oh my gosh, that is so cool!!! I may have to wander around today and take more trippy pictures. Well, I'm off to see what other groovy things gimp can do.  

Primalpainter

Snow and Ice - An Etsy Treasury

I love staying home, but even I'm getting cabin fever from being snowbound.  Hopefully I don't go insane like  Jack Nicholson in "The Shining".  Hey now there's a book I haven't read for awhile...I remember I listed it as my favorite book when I was a senior in highschool......Good grief, is that book that old?  Am I that old?!  Fifty this year......ummmm, yeah, that's not old!!!!   Fifty is the new 30, didn't I hear that somewhere or did I just make that up to make myself feel better?.....lol

I'm participating in the  Great Handmadeology Chain Game Treasury Challenge.  The challenge is to keep creating treasuries that feature those artists who have featured you.  Some people, I notice, make GaJILLIONS of treasuries......I,  however, am almost a treasury making virgin.  

I made my first one a couple of weeks ago, and it....took.....HOURS!!  I don't even know how many times I'd be almost finished, then forget and hit the back button without saving and it all..just...disappeared.  Then I didn't realize the importance of contacting all the featured artists so they'd click and comment, so needless to say, my first treasury was a flop in terms of views, comments, and clicks. 

My second one called "Winter Wonderland" was a smashing success in comparison, 180 some views, a bunch of clicks and comments, plus it was a little faster to put together although still time consuming.  This one is called "Snow and Ice" in dubious honor of the copious amounts of snow and ice we've had in the past week, not to mention the fact that here in Northwest Arkansas we got about 6" more and it's not supposed to stop for the whole day!   If I start looking crazier than normal and start wielding an axe of some kind, blame it on Stephen King.

'Snow and Ice' by primalpainter

Ice and snow can be as beautiful as this Handmadeology treasury.

P S I Love You Vintage Sterl... ZurDesigns $28.00	Snowflake Star Beveled Glass... FleetingStilln... $29.99
Genuine Sky Blue Topaz facet... ArctidasSuppli... $11.00	Artisan Earrings - Sterling ... NeroliHandmade $39.00
Hair Fork 5 Prong Curly Mapl... grahtoestudio $85.00	Hand Dyed Silk Scarf-Plum Pi... amysfunkyfiber... $32.00
SNOW ANGEL 2 . framed mini p... hrushton $12.00	Sevilla Stunning Filigree Ea... Lbtoyos $27.90
6x8 Silver Boules Deluxe Fra... mackenzieframe... $23.00	Crochet Silver and White Cry... uniquenique $55.00
ACEO- Three Trees, an origin... SunnyLeeStudio $9.00	Digital Collage Sheet/2 inch... eyeshoot $3.50
Luxurious 7x10 Chocolate-Col... BeautifullyPra... $15.00	Wool felted scarf wrap hip w... JaneBoFelt $64.00
Valentine SALE Necklace Wire... myriamandell $29.75	Photo Print - BREATH OF FRES... YuliyaArt $26.00

Lovely, isn't it!   Click on any of the pictures and you'll go straight to that item on Etsy. 

Come check me out on Etsy!

Primalpainter

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

A Beautiful Treasury Showcasing the Handmadeology Team

The Handmadeology team on Etsy has got to be one of the fastest growing teams on that site. Well, maybe not since Etsy made it a requirement to join teams in order to post  anywhere. The point of that? Ya got me. It seems to me like there are other issues more pressing than forcing people to join teams.

Most of my Etsy education came from the business forum, and  anyone can still read it, but you have to join the "team" to post in it with your questions. That's a turn off to alot of people from what I've read. I joined the business forum team because it's an easy way to get exposure and get people to recognize your name. Pretty painless, really, once I got over the stubborn "I don't need no freakin' team" rant. 

The Handmadeology Team is playing a chain game which has resulted in tons of treasuries being made. I need to get my third treasury made today featuring those fantastic people who have featured me in theirs. I don't know about other people, but  I find treasury making really time consuming, although it's fun to be able to see people's shops more in-depth..  I was going to try the poster sketch today, but discovered they have discontinued it! So much for that treasury making short cut...ack.

This treasury is by fellow teammate, Lbtoyos.

 

'Need some color while spring comes!!!' by Lbtoyos

Enjoy!

trio of miniature nesting he... JDWolfePottery $30.00	the Kwan med cowl neckwarmer... TRACCE $48.00
Recycled Upcycled Glass Cand... uniquenique $20.00	Modern Abstract Art Painting... primalpainter $175.00
Silk and bamboo cabled hat lornawatt $25.00	Pink loopy corsage seventyseventy... $15.00
green folk brooch (pin) madeitall $16.00	Red Czech Glass Antiqued Bra... Jewelrybynala $20.50
Valentines Day ....Fine Art ... TatterBeans $10.00	Fabric Ring Rosebud Flower A... gardenmis $10.00
lime green glass flower bead... MHaynes2009 $3.00	Red and white snowy forest d... SaharasHeart $30.00
9 fabulous 2 hole vintage st... Mindielee $30.00	Decadent Coconut Soap Bar EldoradoSoap $5.50
Silver-plated green spring e... ElleAvenue $12.00	Bold Red Crochet Bracelet 3pearls $28.00

My wall sculpture that was featured in this treasury is called "Breaking Free".  It measures about 23" wide, 28" high, and 3" deep.  It has eleven separate pieces of wood which are elevated giving it a sculptural quality.  It has texture, dimension, pattern, design, and if you like reds, it's got it all!

To see more groovy three dimensional wall sculptures, check out my Etsy shop.

Primalpainter

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Energy Vortex #1

I sure seem to be fascinated with spirals lately, and I've always been drawn to a bright light source with rays. This photo was taken during the snowstorm we had last week, and through the miracle of gimp, I transformed it into an energy vortex with every chakra color spinning around the central light source.  Through my eyes, the  light source is God, the source of all that is, and the spiraling chakra colors are the  energy and aura of the trees.

Nature is so unbelievably pure and perfect.  Humans get all messed up by our experiences and our emotions, but nature exists in complete perfection and balance.  Until of course, we humans come along and mess things up with our blatant disregard and disrespect for the purest things of the earth, the things we take for granted. I feel the suffering of Mother Earth. 

I feel inspired by these nature photos I've been taking. I feel that a great healing needs to take place in this world, and I'm trying to figure out how I can contribute.   I see my discovery of this photo technology as being no coincidence, but in fact, synchronicity.  Things always seem to fall into place and into perspective if we're open and set our intentions. 

I don't claim to be healed, quite the opposite actually.  I've worked really hard on healing my issues over the last few years and finally, my education in energy work and alternative healing methods seem to be clearing out some blockages and healing old wounds.  I feel more aware of  being in the natural flow of things than I have for years.  It's baby steps for me, that's for sure...I'm no Speedy Gonzales, but I'm very grateful to feel so clearly the improvements in my overall energetic health. 

I realize that probably nobody reads these words I write, but that's ok.   I find it enjoyable and a way to clarify and document my own journey, so I'll continue for my own sake.

Yikes!! Brain Fry

I should have known there would be a crash after the high of the last few days.  I'll tell you what, this internet marketing thing is freakin' draining, DRAINING I tell ya. I'm not and have never been a computer oriented, desk sitting kind of person.  My brain is officially fried from my self-imposed crash course in learning and applying SEO, blogging, forums, facebook..... Geeze, I just learned what a widget was last week (widget, heehee, that's a funny word)  In other words, I started from square one! The studio is where I belong...or on the couch watching tv or reading a good Stephen King book. lol 

I think it's a sign that I just need to prioritize my time and organize my thoughts which lately have been shooting off in every direction like some kind of creative explosion. Someone mentioned in one of the forums that I read, (and now there are so many that I can't remember which one it was....dangit!) that it's important to have a schedule for internet activities, including blogging. That makes sense because frankly, all the networking and marketing ain't gonna do jack sh*t if there's nothing to sell!!!!!!!

I've come to the conclusion that the majority of my time MUST be spent on creating art...and not just eye candy, but meaningful, healing art.  It's almost like I lost my direction for a minute there. Am I an artist with a pure intention or an internet marketer? I know, I know, there needs to be both, balance is the key but then that could be said for everything I suppose. Today, I'm taking a break from the computer for the rest of the day....I'm not even going to look at it, not even once....well maybe once.

Today is a day for chilling out. I'm thinking couch time, Stephen King's "The Gunslinger", and movies on the free Stars channels we got for the next year. Can you hear my brain sizzling now that I'm taking it off line?   I'll think about it all tomorrow, after all tomorrow is another day.....

Feeling the Feeling: A Handmadeology Treasury

The Etsy Handmadeology Team has some very talented members.  Here's a recent treasury curated by Susan that showcases a few of these talented members.  This is her first treasury and she did a fantastic job!  You can see her Etsy shop BeautifullyPractical HERE:

I'm honored that she included my abstract psychedelic wall sculpture in this collection entitled "Spiraling Up".  It represents a time in my life when my creative juices were really kicking in after a period of hibernation.

Click on any of the pictures to go directly to that listing on Etsy.

'I've got a Feeling!' by BeautifullyPractical

Colors, textures, scents, sounds, flavors...together they add to the richness of our life. Better to feel than to not live with passion.

WISTFUL. Fine Art Print hrushton $17.00	Victorian "Pot Melt&quo... Eccentricity $26.00
Scarf, Yellow, Satin, Flower... TheColorSanctu... $58.50	Sale. FREE BELT. Bhindi in S... caughtredhande... $29.00
Small grey gray with cotton ... nisseworks $20.00	ILLUMINATE Recycled Magnetic... TheNebulousKin... $22.00
Quilted Baby Blanket Blue wi... cherishedcabin... $40.00	Activated Charcoal and Tea T... SweetSallysSoa... $6.00
Roswell, Stained Glass Alien... GoTo $50.00	Awesome Crochet Mowhawk Ear ... PurdyThings $34.00
SALE--Heart of Running 5 x 7... CreativeLily $5.00	Snow WHite Fluff Baby Socks ... IraRott $18.00
Morning Tree in the Sunshine... glitteringphot... $23.00	Birthday Boy - Candy Treat B... CarasScrapNSta... $5.00
Modern Abstract Painting Wal... primalpainter $175.00	Multnomah Falls Fine Art Pri... creativeapples $23.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

If you like three dimensional abstract art and wall sculptures, check out my Etsy Shop!