Greetings from...

Hello!

Alas, another month has passed to share things with all of you - wow.

I've had so much going on the last five months it's been ridiculous.
Life's "stewpot" has been cooking up mostly good things but adding some
bittersweetness in for good measure. Recently we packed up, moved and
said goodbye to more friends and another community again....



However...I'm loving the cooler & drier New Mexico climate and our new home
(the pic above shows the backyard & sunroom to the right).
South Texas was not for this northern girl (I can take hot temps but add high humidity
in there and I wilt). The crisp smoky air & fall colors here are something I've missed immensely
- it's what I've known most of my life.

The change of seasons helps me reset my compass, slow down to reassess goals, dream a little bit & then focus on where I want to go next. It's what I need, it's how I thrive. Can you relate?

"What comes first, the compass or the clock? Before one can truly manage time (the clock),
it is important to know where you are going, what your priorities and goals are, in which
direction you are headed (the compass). Where you are headed is more important than
how fast you are going." -- Anon

Looking forward to sharing pics of my new studio with you as well as some fresh work and art community pursuits I'm involved in locally. Btw, here's a really good moving tip: write the contents (or most of) on the outside of boxes, saves time like you can't believe especially unpacking studio/kitchen boxes :>

Stay inspired friends and be well.

Best Shot Monday - first entry

"I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,



which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?"

-- Mary Oliver

* * * * * * * *

I feel like I have so much to say these days and then at times nothing at all.

Life's been a blur this summer compelling me to make 'stills',

I'm trying to capture all the juicy slices of it before they slip away...

I hope that you & yours are well, that you are able to find the time to tenderly nurture your creative spirit, may you find inspiration around every corner...

And...that you are savoring each and every last moment of whatever season

or time in your life, you find yourself in...

Inspire Me Thursday - Limited Palette

Under the wire for this one! Busy week and renovations are in full swing for my new space so things are quite a mess here, so hard finding everything I need for a project and then trying to keep it all organized when putting it back! To stay motivated, I've been sticking with simple pencil sketching and the computer [read: no mess] :)

About this piece & the limited palette I chose: photos are all my own. I was going for a mock view looking out our front window [blinds] at our plum tree, which is beautifully full with fruit in luscious shades of golden yellow, apricot and peachy-pink. For the marigold flower photo, I imagined it as a postcard that was fluttering in the fall winds, slipping in through the open blinds. The leaves were created from a real maple leaf that I had pressed earlier this summer and scanned in/manipulated.

digital collage, photoshop



fall is a fragile beauty

dressed in her colorful cloak fall sways
to a melancholy tune
as she pirouettes on nature's dancefloor
a bittersweet feeling
washes over her
for she knows winter's cold icy blue embrace
will soon beckon her
the crimson and orange embers burning inside
will slowly smoulder
to ashen grey
as she succumbs to a crystalized kiss
that brings with it
a one year slumber.

-- laura taylor mark © 2007

Photoshop: Painting / Artwords #62 "Curl"

July 28, 2007 EDIT: My experimenting with Photoshop painting continues - more practice with skin tones and shading. Even though I haven't used my airbrush in awhile I'm finding it similar to that as far as building up layers goes, also I'm finally getting some real use out of my wacom tablet pen :) I want to work on the eyes more and start in on the hair next so will see if I can find any tutorials out there on that. Stay tuned....

mixed media 9x12, pen, photoshop

A quick line sketch in pen, then scanned into photoshop to add some color, everything but the dress and curls. I'm such an amateur and so very new to PS as far as creating art with it so recently starting scanning in sketches and experimenting. I also have Illustrator too but there's so much to learn, I'm thinking about taking some classes to really get into it but not sure I want my art to go that route just yet :)

However, I do know that I really like how easy it is to just UNDO something and change brushes and paints so easily. Plus I love how digital art has no mess to clean up and that I can just save what's up on the screen when 'life' calls!! :)