remembering paris

it was this time last year i was "stuck" in paris

due to the volcano eruption !!!!
my friend carmi has been posting all last week

from this years trip

(i'm saving my vacation days for next year)
which has made me wish i was there again

so i looked through my photos

(over 5500 and made a collage of my favorite)

see more on my flickr page

digital journal magic

just finishing week two of my on-line class

with marie otero

WOW!!! what a lot of info

i've worked with layers

usually 4 or 5 of them

but for this class i'm using 15 to 20!!

tools i've never touch, clipping masks,

combining brushes, filters, effects, text,

creating my own patterns, learning new tips and tricks

and having fun while doing it!!

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above my finished project

"paris in the spring"

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elements i used in my project

several photos taken on my trip to paris last spring

i used a different filter on each , cutout, poster edge and threshold

an old street map and an old letter i found at the antique market

clip art of a compass and postage stamp

the blossoms are from marie

for my first project

i wasn't sure what to do

i've never been one to scrapbook or journal

so i decided to use my recent photos from my visit

to my friends farm in claremont

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i used the cutout filter for the barn and horse photos

and the threshold filter for the grasses photos

and then chose a colour from the evergreens behind the barn

i found an old coffee stained postcard, a ticket and postage

the background was a combination of paper and brushes

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i'm looking forward to week three

parking 101

one way to learn how to park!!

photo taken in paris this spring

playing around

with a little time today

i found a bunch of photos

taken a few weeks ago

all of telephone poles

they where just so grungy

above
a pole completely covered in tape

a few tweaks in ps and it looked

like a great background layer

then i found one of my statue photos from paris

some greek letters and a page form a math book

a few more texture layers

one from shadowhouse

lots of playing around

i must have tried every blending mode

and finally came up with this!

i wish i had time to play all day

being inspired

after looking through carmi's

art girls guide to paris

i've been inspired to finish working on

my paris photos so i can make one myself

just as a keepsake to remember my trip

i'm on day 10 from my 12 day trip

and have over 5500 photos to go through


i'm hoping i'll finish this weekend
and then it will be the challenge on picking
my favorite 100 or maybe 200


all the photos above where taken
of the opera garnier

my new favorite book

the next best thing to having your own personal

tour thought paris with carmi

is having a copy of her book

art girl's guide to paris
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i received my copy in the mail on my birthday

and have been enjoying it

each morning with my coffee

it is over a hundred pages of beautiful photos

a day to day guide through the neighbourhoods

trips and tricks on everything

places to stay, favorite shops,

flee markets and antiques, jewelry, fabric,

guided tours, attractions and the metro,

anything an artsy girl would need to know

with websites and phone numbers

it will definitely be in my bag for my next trip

but for now i can enjoy the memories

it is the perfect companion for anyone

traveling to paris

more from the cemetery

for as far as the eye can see

there are

mausoleums, crypts and graves

at first you might think they are all similar

but each one unique

every door, handle, window,

architectural feature

have their own little details

the paths winds up and down hills

in all directions

every turn something more amazing awaits

one of my favorites

at first glace you think

"this ones really different"

as you walk a little closer

you realize how much detail there is

the bottom half of the door
is a grid of owls and flowers
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even the patina was a work of art





the folds of the robe look like they move with the shadows

the mystery to see who it is under the hood

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even as we peaked inside

we where amazed to find a staircase

going down

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all the photos taken this spring at

the cemetiere du pere-lachaise

see more from my paris trip here on my flickr page

i love texture

i'm on day seven of my paris photos

which was one of my favorite days

we wondered for at least 6 hours through

the cimetiere du pere-lachaise

i could have spent at least another day


it was very overwhelming
so many details

i took over 800 photos
mostly of the rust!!!

encaustic class

today was my last class until the fall

i've been wanting to do something with

my paris photos

finally i got my printer working

(thanks lennie)

so i could enlarge the image

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the background was a mix of

taupe, white, cream and beige

i used the iron to smooth it out

so i could do a photo transfer

after the transfer was in place

i used a stencil to add the letters

and with a little red mixed with the taupe

i added more wax around the edges and

some burnt umber oil paint to

bring out the texture on the background

it needs a little more work

but i'm happy so far

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this summer i will set up a table in my garden

and see what fun i can have using

the blow torch on the wax

digital magic and paris

it's hard to believe its been 8 weeks

since returning home from paris

i've been busy going through

the 5507 photos taken there

i'm about half way

(i'm working on a slide show

so far ....167 photos)

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i started my on-line class with

marie otero

called digital magic

the first weeks projects have been amazing

marie is an excellent teacher

i've gotten my moneys worth with

just the tips and tricks

above, one one the projects for class

using a clipping mask and tape texture

created by marie

photo needs no explanation

for this photo taken in montmartre

we learned how to desaturate

and to use a layer mask to hide/ reveal color

for this project, photo taken at versailles

we used several texture layers

a gradient map and the dodge tool

the sky was a little empty so i added the map
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i'm so looking forward to week two

paris statue

on our first day in paris

( it seem like a long time ago )

we wondered around our neighbourhood

( for eight hours)

going through my photos i found several of

a statue we found that day

it is two bronze statues

that have been sliced into several pieces and

then rejoined together

i'm sure carmi told me the name but

for the life of me i can not remember

i tried googling it and nothing

right now i wish i could split myself into 2 or 4

so i could get to all the things i want to get done

a second brain would be nice too!!!

the back was just as interesting

this large bass was just one of the items

the base

the side

paris street grunge or art?

as i wondered the streets of paris

i managed to use my little camera

for my favorite -- grunge shots

there was tons of stuff to shoot

above are a few of my favorite

several stencils, funny plaster faces ,

rusted and painted doors and

paper covered drain pipes everywhere!

in french so they will make great overlays in ps

a peeling billboard in the subway

and my reflection in a window covered in graffiti

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i still haven't gone throught all of my photos
but i know i will have months of fun
playing with them in ps

i know this woman

well, not really

but it could be me or any number of my friends!!!

(probably ludgera)

while in paris i was wondering the 3rd by myself'

and turned a corner and saw this wall of photos

of course i went in for a closer look

moi en exposition

cool idea

hundreds of photos

me and my dog

my feet to the beach

me in the mirror

me through the web cam

me and my first fish

etc..........

... A great initiative of Gabriel Buret

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as i followed the wall along rue charlot

i came across this photo store

images and portraits

that's where i found the business card

i laughed and said

"i know this woman"

the owner just looked at me

getting back in the groove

i'm finally feeling back to normal

thursday was a long travel day

i worked friday and saturday

and was in a coma all day sunday

just cat napping on the couch and watching

all my taped shows i missed while away

i had a wonderful time in paris

took 5507 photos!!!

i'll be busy for a while sorting through them

i start my encaustic class next wednesday

i think i will be doing a "parisian" themed series

using my photos and metal i found at the markets

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above, a garden photo taken

on our way into versailles

thanks kim

for letting me know what kind of flower it is

fritillaria imperialis

au revoir, paris!

our last treat in paris

lunch--i had the smoked salmon salad--

and

a hot chocolate for two

at angelina's

it was truly decadent!!!

the only regret

that we didn't have room for one of their pastries

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many thanks

to all who followed along on my journey

and all your wonderful comments

hopefully you will be reading this as i am

flying over the altantic!!!

otherwise

plan "b"

deciding on where to work

the market or the jewelry store???

stay tuned.............

versailles, part2

the hall of mirrors

it's all in the details

and accessories

marie antoinette's bedroom

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now i understand the reason

for the revolution

day onze, partie de versailles un

eruption disruption

if it wasn't for the volcano eruption

and our airline disruption

we would have missed versailles

the first hour was spent

courtesy of carmi my tour guide/chauffeur

in a little gulf cart

it was a "drive by shooting"

of how many photos can i get in

one hour without our leaving the cart!!!

one of many glorious fountains

none of which were working

#%&*!!!!!!

the grounds were like a maze

carmi managed like a pro

the grand canal

a lovely day for a swim

my next garden project!!

one of the hundreds of statues

we spent 4 hours touring the gardens

tomorrow i will post the palace