Thursday, January 28, 2010

Have you seen it???

I'm talking about the movie '9'. .. a Tim Burton film.

If you like old/rusty things and love to see them put to use then you should like this movie. A friend of mine.. Janette Schuster told me about it and Janet, my husband and I watched it Saturday night.

You have to like animations and little worlds. The graphics will take your breath away and the imagination is delightful. It's kind of an industrial/steampunkish style.

Janet wants #7 and I want #5

You'll see!

Here's a link to the trailer for '9'

Enjoy!

Best...

Canace

Monday, January 25, 2010

Keith Lo Bue and Thomas Mann FYI

We here on the East Coast are thrilled to have Art Is You and the workshops that they offer. They are sponsoring a March Madness workshop with none other than Keith Lo Bue and Thomas Mann. If you are near the Danbury, Connecticut area I highly recommend their workshops. I've taken classes with Keith and you couldn't ask for a better instructor.

All the information for March Madness is on the Art Is You website.

Have fun!

Best...

Canace

Friday, January 22, 2010

SCIENCE (not) FICTION

When I was a little girl I grew up in a rural area where there were many streams and most fascinating to me was this big 'ole swamp just down the road from our house. It had towering trees that whispered to me and dark secretive waters to explore. When you hopped from rock to rock there were always little creatures that you woke along the way. I found these creatures fascinating and fun and could spend hours in the swamp by myself, just listening to the quiet... yet not so quiet life in this magic kingdom that was mine.

Part of the fascination was also those creatures that lived under the water. I would scoop up a handful of water just to see what I could discover hiding amongst the plants growing between the rocks and moss. Do you remember Jack in the Pulpits? There were so many of them standing regally in 'my' swamp along with Japanese Lanterns and other 'exotic' plants.

If you took a milk carton and strapped some plastic wrap across the bottom then pushed it down into the water it gave you a whole new look underneath... you were privy to a hidden world of wonder. Did I mention I've always had a huge imagination? (And a lot of mosquito bites) :o)

It's on this note and these remembrances that I wanted to share a remarkable illustration done by Ernst Haeckel. He has done many botanical and sea life illustrations, all of which appear to be science fiction. The colors and composition are magical. It definitely takes me back to my days playing in the swamp... a perfect place for the imagination to run wild.

I hope you enjoy this print and if you need a larger/higher resolution just let me know and I'll arrange a download for you.

Best...

Canace

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

STEAMPUNK Travels

I have always loved gears.... gears gears gears.... and their interaction, the brilliance of the brass... the power that they hold. It's as though those gears are the keepers of time, custodians of future secrets.

My latest project is Steampunk all the way. I have created a mini Time Machine with tiny little gears that my daughter (in her infinite wisdom) thought I would like for Christmas. I have laid them out, examining every tiny little piece... some of them with intricate etching... others very utilitarian... but none-the-less beautiful.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Steampunk here is the definition from Wikipedia:
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.

There is even a fashion industry catering to those who love to live and act out the Steampunk genre. I find it very romantic to 'time travel' via these instruments.

Thus... my Time Machine

Hope you enjoy the journey!
Best...

Canace

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Earth Angels are baaaack!

Jen O'Connor is hosting the 3rd Annual “heART of winter” in Warwick, N.Y. on the 30th and 31st of January!

Meet Earth Angels’ artists and shop for their creations amid antiques and vintage goodies..

Saturday – 10am – 5pm
Sunday – 10am – 4pm

Hosted by Earth Angels at the Warwick Antique Barn
293 State Route 94
Warwick, NY

We were there for the autumn show and it was gorgeous.... see my older post. So nice to see all the beautiful artwork in person as well as browse through the Antique Barn afterward. Some wonderful buys!

Hope to see you.... Janet and I will definitely be there! :o)

Best...

Canace

Monday, January 11, 2010

A Question for You....

I have been giving some serious thought to giving an online class in Photoshop. One minute I'm excited about it and then when I think about all the work involved... not so much...lol

Either way, in order for me to make a decision it would help if I knew the majority thoughts on what would be most desirable.

Would you be more interested in learning the basics that would enable you to create/complete a digital collage or are you more interested in photo manipulation where you can alter your photographs to their best advantage... maybe add some special effects? This is all assuming you own the program and are basically familiar with it.

Also, do you prefer an online environment where you will be given permission to access the site and work on your own at your own pace or would you prefer to take it in stages with 'homework' assignments to be turned in then progressing to the next step... probably a 6 week class. Either way you would always be able to contact me with questions.

I would really appreciate your input as I'm torn as to which would be more desirable.

Thanks so much!

Best...

Canace

Saturday, January 9, 2010

East Coast FYI

For those of you on the U.S. East Coast...

FYI ... Lynne Perrella is teaching a 3 day workshop in Lakeville Connecticut on May 14th of this year at the Interlaken Inn. You can see all the details of the workshop on her site. It's only about 1 1/2 hours from me... hmmm.. pondering......

Hope you're having a great weekend...

Best...

Canace

Friday, January 8, 2010

Barns are Beautiful


I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning and my first thought was to share some pictures of the gardens and of course my feathered friends. I did go out and take some photos.. now my fingers are numb and my nose is red but it was worth it. Most of the birds are quite friendly and the chickadees eat out of my hand, but the elusive woodpeckers are very cautious so difficult to photograph. I did get some distant shots of him looking at me looking at him looking at me... looking.......

So now that I am inside with my nice hot cup of Earl Grey tea I've decided to share pictures that I took on a warm summer day instead. You've seen my pictures of the glorious castles and abbeys of Ireland and now I want share some lovely pictures of my friend's old barns. If you've never spent time at an old farm and wandered through the barns it's a special feeling.... you can smell the warm hay and you can hear the silence of the past. It's as though you're in a cathedral and there is the need to whisper so as not to disturb the memories that it holds. I've always had a special place in my heart for barns and have many photographs, so today I'd like to share a few with you.

I wonder who comes and goes through this little door...


This is probably my favorite picture from that day. Look at the lovely detail for a simple thing such as door hardware on a barn...and ohhh... that gorgeous RUST!


So many little nooks and crannies.... little doors, windows and lofts...
Vines growing in.. out and through the old windows is a testament to time...
And OOOOoooo I WANT this door!
Rusty old hardware drips it's patina down the wood of the door....
Weathered and beautiful wood.... I hope you enjoyed your little tour through a warm summer barn to chase away the cold. Please feel free to use any of these photos as inspiration in your work. They are all unedited so you can use them whatever way you like. If you do use them I would love to see what you've done.


Best...

Canace

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

What will you do with this?

I hope you will enjoy using this old Libretto in your art work. Don't forget to click on the image to make it larger.


Have a great day and keep warm!
Best...

Canace

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

One of my favorites

Another day to share... and this is one of my favorite art buddies.

Multi-talented artist Jeanette Janson.

Stop by and see her blog and all the wonderful things that she does. I know you'll want to make her blog one of your favorites. Oh... and don't forget to check out her Etsy stores. One for her art and the other for the best stash you'll ever want to create your artwork.


Best...

Canace

Saturday, January 2, 2010

So Sad :o(

The other day my husband sent me a link to a local newspaper that featured an article about a local historical site that has always been a special part of my life.... Bannerman's Castle. If you've read my posts in the past I had a project where I was featuring some of my photography of the Hudson Valley and one of the pictures was of Bannerman's Castle. It received more interest than any of the other photos.

The sad news is that the east wall of the castle has fallen. It's so hard to watch it fall into ruin and be helpless to do anything about it. The article states that it would require $20 million to restore and/or preserve the castle so most people say that it's not going to happen.

If you can imagine, about 50 miles north of New York City there are very tall cliffs along the Hudson River. On the west side is 'Storm King' and on the east side is Breakneck Mountain. At the foot and just a bit north is Bannerman's Island, previously known as Pollepel Island. The highlight of this small island is the castle as well as a mini castle which was Francis Bannerman's home. He seems to have been a romantic as all throughout the small hills and valleys of the island there are winding pathways with poetic names, little grottos for contemplation, and an amazing view of the Hudson River pointing down towards West Point.

For as long as I can remember it had been forbidden for anyone to go on the island. Treasure hunters and dare devils still secretly made their way through the ruins, risking both bodily harm, a stiff fine and/or imprisonment.

About ten years ago my husband and I participated in a Hudson River clean-up sponsored by a canoe club. As we paddled through the arches approaching the island and castle I was bursting with excitement as I'd wanted to go onto the island my entire life and this was my day of realizing that dream. I took hundreds of pictures that day and we had a lovely picnic on the island... oh.. and of course we did our share of clean-up too. A lovely day and a dream come true for me.

Here is a picture that I took of the east side of the castle and then the picture from the local newspaper showing the fall of the east wall.

I'm very glad that I had the opportunity to enjoy a close-up visit to Bannerman's Castle, especially since it has deteriorated so much since.

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today....

Best...

Canace

Friday, January 1, 2010

Wishes



My warmest wishes for love, peace, wisdom and creativity in our minds and in our hearts for the New Year


All Best...

Canace