Heart's Desire (A Repost Because I Needed the Reminder)

This is something I posted in the beginning of my journey of being an artist. I thought I would repost it, mostly to remind myself of these blessings. Enjoy.

Art, wonderful art, you call to me in the morning and sing your song to me in the evening. I have heard your calling all my life yet pushed you aside for the sake of money and security. My heart craved for you in the desert of my life. My insecurities strangled your quest for my heart.

Yet you called after me day after day, year after year and decade after decade. This gift God planted in my heart burned with a lifetime desire. I was taught that art would never provide for me or my family. I was told to leave the art to someone else, so I did.

Oh my beautiful art you squeezed through the cracks of my life for 40 years, showing your fantastical light in the dark corners of my heart. You made promises to me and whispered your desire to occupy my life.

Still, like a soldier, I carried on in a world of green wool and concrete. Hate and discontent engulfed my hours of work but in my home art began to seep through the walls and swoop down from the ceiling. Until that day, that wonderful when heaven was disguised as hell and God closed the door that separated me from my entire life. While I was alone in that empty room He took my heart in his hands and then He took my hands into His heart.

God changed my hands from a fighting, struggling, and strong woman into the hands of a servant, humbled and broken. It was in that weakness that I was given the gift I yearned for all my life. God created me to be an artist and now He could bless me with purpose. I began to walk in the shoes created for me when I was a child who saw the dew on a flower and the sparkle of water on a blade of grass. I again see who I am.

I entered my life again and this time I brought with me a sort of "Pandora's Box" filled with the beauty in this world called art. It's a world filled with love and hope and destiny. It is saturated with acceptance and freedom. I walked into my home and placed the box in my kitchen. When I opened the box my beautiful children embraced everything in it as though it was a box of dress-up clothes. They pulled the art out and wrapped themselves in it and they threw it around like confetti and glitter and each one of them painted their bedroom walls with it. My heart soared because I knew they were in love and I knew they would never have to suffocate art from their lives. My passion has taken roots in my home and my life and it grows like ivy through my motherhood, "daughterhood", sisterhood, and friendships.

Art my wonderful art, you call to me in the morning and sing your song to me in the evening.

Eyes, The WIndows to the Soul

Last month I spent 3 days at Photoshop World in Las Vegas. I learned so much over the three days I thought I would never stop working, as soon as I got home! Well, in true procrastinator fashion I allowed my life to get in the way of trying out all my new tricks.


Today I decided to try out something I learned from Fay Sirkis. She is an amazing artist and has a beautiful heart. She taught a class called The Eyes are the Windows to the Soul. In this class we learned to edit the eyes in an image to bring life and soul to them. I loved seeing what she had to teach and her technique brought about fantastic results.


One of the subjects that came up in her class was the need for a tablet during this type of editing. Well, I just don't have one. Ok, I take that back, I do have one but it's a baby and well out of date. When Fay was asked if we really needed to have a tablet, she answered by saying, "Yes, you need a tablet because you are painting and you wouldn't paint with a bar of soap, would you?" Well, today I tried out her technique and yes, using my mouse to do it was very much like painting with a bar of soap.


So here are my first attempts at Fay's editing technique for eyes, remembering I will never excel at anything if I never start trying. 


Original image:

Amanda has beautiful eyes and it's never very hard for me to 

get a great image of them. They have nice specular highlights

in them and good detail.

First Attempt and "painting" a beautiful eye:

I definitely feel this look is much more dramatic/clean 

and has a much more commercial look. 

Second attempt: Went a bit lighter this time, with my bar of soap.

 Amanda is going to like this one since I decided to try out my 

Scott Kelby Eyelash Brush! I have to say I'm in love with

this easy to use, lovely brush that actually adds a set of 

 eyelashes in such a natural and elegant way! Beautiful!
Right eye: Drama
Left eye: Less Drama

The number of new tools I came home with from PSW Las Vegas is ridiculous and I hope to get to share more of them with you. Tell me what you think of these eyes. Are they too done, not done enough? Do you love the lashes? Are you happier with a more lifestyle/natural eye? 

Photo of the Day 10.11.11

At my house we don't always follow the Photography rules. We don't always take great pictures, but we ARE always taking pictures. This one is taken through the ring of a ring flash, you can see it around the edges. That's just WRONG but, I likie. I also like that It is  common for me to take a picture of my child wearing a sundress and earmuffs. Perfect sense if just boring! I also love that brown spot in her eye, it's a piece of her Dad.