NYC Skyline from Liberty Island

I can only describe this as a "wow" skyline and marvel at the fact that we were just 3 blocks from the Empire State Building. Our group went Sunday evening, navigated our way thru lots of other people going thru circuitous lines and security checkpoints, taking the elevator up to the 80th floor; then walking up the last 6 floors. It was a crystal clear evening and we could see everything. The public transportation system - both above and below ground-is so nice as well as inexpensive. It is easy to see why New Yorkers opt to not own a car. One day we walked from Central Park, down 5th Avenue to Madison Square Gardens...across from our hotel. The store windows are a shopper's dream....and inside the stores....a bill payer's nightmare! Many thanks to Bruce and Tom of SCW for sharing their years of experience in NYC. We also did evening walks through Greenwich Village and Harlem.

Statue of Liberty

Everytime I've seen the Statue of Liberty it has been from an airplane window. Many of those times,she was still in the process of being refurbished and covered with scaffolding. This, my very first visit and stay in NYC, is the first time I have actually been on her island. We flew into Newark on 9/11 and had a fantastic rescheduled Elderhostel program to keep us active and educated. On this day, 9/14, we took the subway from Penn Station to Battery; the ferry to Liberty Island; the ferry to Ellis Island; then the return ferry to Battery, a beautiful walk along the shoreline to the Towers site; then back to Penn Station and the New Yorker Hotel. A really fab day!

Another "wet" illusion.....

I kept thinking it was coming our way....but it traveled Southeast instead. A bonus is the outline of some petals of the Fiddly Fig cactus at the side of our house. As you can see from the neighbors garage, this cactus is BIG and very tall!

A Little Spot of Rain in AZ

This is one of those photos that make you think you are actually going to experience a raindrop. Wrong! It never made it to our house. But isn't it dramatic?

How about this??

When I saw this view from my back patio, could not resist taking a photo. I thought it was just stunning.

Christmas Quail

Hopefully, this is the "fini" of this 11-month project. My photo is not the best in the world, but following the critique comments, advice, counsel, suggestions, and everything else, I have darkened the shadows both in and between the cactus petals and the underbody of the quail. I have darkened and textured and highlighted to emphasize the light source on all of the petals and pods. At this point, there are between 40 and 50 washes on the petals because everytime I looked at the cactus (which is in my back yard), the petals changed colors. When I decided to count the different greens this cactus has (I chose 3 PM as this was the time of day when I took the original photo) and decided to forget it when I hit 30. What struck me the most was the petal in lower right....it was decidedly a gray-green and the thorns just faded into the petal. As I mentioned previously, this was proposed to be my 2008 Holiday card; now it will be my 2009 card. If this doesn't pass muster at the next VG and AAG meeting, it may well be my 2010 card. This is 22"wx28"h and will be framed in a rustic oak frame which really gives it a finished presentation.

Grand Canyon view

We took our houseguest to see the Grand Canyon. The weather was absolute perfection...cool and crisp and clear with sunshine...which allowed us ample time to enjoy the famous views and gorgeous colors. I know two fellow artists that would take this photo and transform it into a vision on canvas thru oil or pastel on paper...Woodie Mackie and Susan Roper. This is truly outside the realms of my skillset, so I must only admire the talent of others in this arena.

Colorado River in Grand Canyon

This photo was taken from the Watchtower at Desert View Point in the East end of the Grand Canyon - April 2009.

Another Blossum

I've been challenged by one of my mentors to paint one of these blossums....petal by petal....so I have decided to make this one of my projects during an April getaway.

Flowering Cactus

Since I appear to be "in to" cactus for a bit, did an adjustment to this 2004 painting which was used as a seasonal greeting card for an international corporation. I tried to put a little more depth into the shadows and also bring out the petals of the blossum. I believe it makes for a more dramatic look.

Cactus in Bloom - March 2009

Well, these beauties are starting to bloom again....even though the rabbits think of the cactus as a piece of celery and continue to chew away. I understand they chew continuously in order to keep their teeth filed down, but how do they digest the thorns that they also eat. This one is in our back yard. The blooms open in daytime; close at night and always face the direction of the sun.

Stunning Saguaro

This is a beautiful example of a mature saguaro. Keep in mind that a saguaro takes at least 50 and sometime up to 100 years before any arms start to grow. These beauties sometimes live up to 200 years old. So, in terms of "saguaro years"....I am still very young. I intend to revisit this piece of natural sculpture in about 3 weeks to take photos of blossums that will appear at the crown. Thanks to Ginny for sharing the day with me; thanks to Tony for buying the regional/state park pass; and thanks to Larry for taking us to lunch while we were still hot and sweaty. It was a great day!

Lingering Lizard....

This little guy must be a professional model for hikers trekking in his/her domain. He stayed on this rock while I took several photos...each time getting a little closer. He moved his head around so I could get most of the face. I'm surprised he didn't ask for a contribution to keep the park open.

What can I say...I love saguaros

I tried to get close to these two beauties without straying off the track, again using my camera lens. In reviewing this photo, I can just see the balancing rock in the far left of the photo.

Saguaro sillouettes

These were perched on the mountaintop and I used strongest lens to bring them close.

Colors of Mother Nature

This whole mountainside was a vision of yellow.

White Solitaire

Almost missed this treasure! It was the only white flower seen all day.

Flowers in the White Tanks

These are absolutely gorgeous colors against the rocks.

Spring in the White Tanks

I took a hike today in the White Tank Mountains and although many flowers were just getting started, the yellow Brittle Bush was astonishing.

Best Friends

We did have a Mexico Gekko on our front patio wall in an effort to keep the seasonal doves from using the wall as mating wall.....unfortunately, this dove fell in love with the gekko. Hmmmmm...must have been the colors.

Pueblo Pottery #2

This is the same painting but I have edited out my genius striping.

Pueblo Pottery

Another typical example of my photo skills. This is 22x30 on 200#paper and when I try to photo while it is still attached to my gatorboard, you can see that it ripples. 300# paper (my fav) wouldn't dare ripple. A friend shared this photo with me. Her friend actually designed and painted the pottery and because she had seen some of my earlier paintings with two views, wanted me to paint this pot the same way. I thought adding the two stripes of color would compliment and "finish" -- but that may end up being cut out. On top view, I used a blending technique (compliments of Arlen Madole) to phase the dark interior up and out on the lip of the pot. Open to comments.

The Turqouise Necklace

When taking Susan Roper's watercolor class, one of our last assignments was to paint a subject of our choice. I photographed this arrangement in my media wall. A sandalwood candle, a metallic copper, bronze and gold bowl, and my turqouise nugget necklace. Even though I used AJ metallic paints - copper, gold, and silver (for the silver chain and nugget base), it does not show up in this photo. I played around with my original photo using my Picasa program thinking I would get some of the metallic finishes to show but believe I only succeeded in messing up the photo. I am so pleased that I still feel challenged to learn new techniques both in painting and on the computer. There are times, however, when I would like to spear the monitor with my new brushes. Am open and soliciting comments.