OK, so it was more than 60 seconds, but still not bad -- about four hours.  But before I explain that, a little background.

This fall was an absolute bust as far as leaves go.  I'm pretty sure it was due to the warm autumn, because when we finally did get a hard frost (long after the heavy snows that blacked out a few millions with power outages) what leaves remained on the maple on our front lawn (the branches that hadn't broken off) then at long last turned red.  By then though so many trees had lost their leaves the normal glory we get in New England had gone pfft.  As a consequence it has been quite a dry spell without anything decent supplied by Mother Nature to inspire me -- summer's bounty of flowers long gone and no interesting collages or color spectrums to play around with from leaves.  I'm making do with editing some scans taken earlier in the summer or even backlog from last year but it's not the same as fresh material.  Sigh.  Well, there's always next year.

So as a way to inspire myself indirectly I got an idea last Saturday night to make a short demo on scanner photography and post it on YouTube.  I'd never done such, so wasn't sure what was involved.  It was rather fun and involved some poking around the Internet for some tricks and tools, took three different computers, but got it done in about four hours or so.  Here's what I had to do:

On my main computer I put together a quick PowerPoint slide deck with some steps and tips on creating a scanography image.  A few slides, then a dozen or so examples of the results possible with this technique.

I needed some soft music to go with the images slideshow, but where to get some without copyright infringement?  Aha, I have an old (10 years!) music transcription software package called MusicTime Deluxe that worked neat and allowed you to record MIDI files or take MIDI input from a keyboard.  I had it still on my daughter's six year old laptop she used in college, so I fired it up, hooked up the keyboard that I loved tinkering around with but never get time to do any more with the intention of noodling in some soft, synth-loaded bit.  Darn, I can't find any adapter to go from a MIDI port into a USB -- tells you how long it has been since I tried this, since I don't think I have ever owned such a connector, I must have used this software two computers ago before USB was even around.

Now what? Aha, I had some Beethoven music that I had manually entered in to the MusicTime software, a bit of Sonata No. 14 "Moonlight".  Sweet, I'll just use that.  Whoops, it only creates .MUS files, a probably archaic format.  This is where the Internet search came in: I found a web site that will take .MUS files and produce a .WAV or .MP3 output.  Neat!

OK, now what about the video?  My little digital camera does record video, but in testing it out (I never really use it for that) the resolution was pretty crappy.  It's a camera after all and so video isn't likely to be it's forte.  So I had to bag the live video and instead just record voice and the PowerPoint presentation, which is where computer #3 came in, my work computer.  I have a copy of Camtasia (really neat package, by the way) and used it to do a quick recording of the slides with me narrating, then I added in my really cheesy soundtrack during the slideshow of the scanner art, edited out any mis-spoken parts, had Camtasia save it as a MP4 file, and I was good to go.  Last bit was to create a YouTube account an upload the video.  (I know, I know: what am I, the last person to get a YouTube account?)

What did all this accomplish?  Mostly I'd say it was a fun little exercise for me, mostly to see if it could be done, but maybe someone will enjoy it.  The video is HD (did I mention that Camtasia is really nice?) so if you have an Apple TV or some other connection to show it on a large monitor you'll get a little appreciation for the pics when printed large.  Here's the link -- Enjoy!  (Don't worry: I'm not expecting this to go viral;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzSszdj7Zq4

By some fate we dodged some of the worst of hurricane Irene.  Lots of rain (4.5", over 12" for the month) but somehow we didn't lose power.  What Irene did do is damage what flowers we had left in the yard.  They look OK from a distance, but when you get close (and the scanner definitely gets close!) there are too many nicks and cuts to have the results look good.  So I'll need to wait for mums and the leaves of August I guess.

With all of the happenings of a busy summer I haven't done anywhere near as many scans as I'd like, but I did find some late evenings to get a few older ones polished up anyway.  Clear out some of that editing backlog?

I really should have my head examined.  I'm still working on "Changing of the Guard" currently displayed on the home page because it has so many detailed nooks and crannies (though don't ask me how to tell a nook from a cranny!).  It may look done in this smaller image, but there's quite a bit of detailed work remaining around the grasses.  I've probably invested 20-25 hours into this piece already and easily have another six to go.  It's relaxing for me, though -- I turn on some music and can unwind from the day's troubles.  But all the same I think I need to do some scans of some nice, round, smooth simple flowers for a change!  One group of flowers I'm dying to do is some orchids, but for some reason I can't find any in the woods nor in my back yard.  I've toyed with the idea of connecting with some orchid enthusiast and trading them a nice print in exchange for a loaner of some blooming plants.  I'd have to rig up some sort of jig to safely hold the plants in their pots so as to not damage them or the blossoms but I think it would be worth it.

For those of you in the area, check out the joint Blackstone Valley Art Association and Franklin Art Association joint show at the Premier Image Gallery in Ashland, Massachusetts.  Yearnings received an Honorable Mention which certainly was nice in a joint show.

However you say it, it's a great plant.  Reliable, hardy, springing up every year with rich large flowers on their resilient vines.  And the purplish blue gem has some fond memories for me as one of the first serious works I ever attempted with scanography (check it out here), and now that work was rewarded with first place in the photography division of the Franklin Art Association's spring "Art Under the Tent" show May 21-22 in Franklin, Massachusetts.  Always a nice surprise to walk into a show and have people congratulating you!

This spring has been cool and slow to emerge from the browns and grays of post-winter.  Finally a few days in the 70's recently and you know what's going to happen -- everything bursting into bloom at once.  I had to be away on a trip for several days as well, so the dramatic change a few days absence made to the leaves and flowers was all the more pronounced.  But it does leave the dilemma of too much coming available too fast. Sometimes I need a few times seeing a blooming branch or cluster of flowers to have an image come to mind that I'd like to capture.  And as my library of images grows, it does restrict me somewhat, or at least forces me to think of new approaches to take -- no sense doing another shot of some arrangement I've already done.  I remember visiting a gallery in Boston some years ago that exhibited 25-30 paintings by the same artist, all variations of sunlit Italian golden towns.  They were nice, but seriously, didn't they tire of doing so many slightly different, derivative works?  Also, if the prospective buyer didn't like Italian scenes or the colors wouldn't fit in their home, they were out the door.

Anyway, enough of that. I'm trying to capture as much as I can in the limited time available for these spring gems.  Some of what I'm doing is just capturing single flowers or leaves or small florets or clusters.  I'm contemplating doing some digital collages.  Up until now everything I've done is a direct captured image, no rearranging or digitally adding of flowers or leaves. (I've sometimes removed a stem or two that had to be in the shot because they were holding a flower in place.)  Stay tuned!

This past Wednesday I attended the Franklin Art Association's monthly meeting with a demonstration by oil painter John Kilroy creating a portrait of one of the FAA participants.  Why would painting interest me?  Color and composition play similarly important roles in photography and scanner photography perhaps even more so with the focus so near to the viewer.  John's work was similar to a few other portrait artists that I've seen both in person and on PBS or similar TV venues.  They build up their works in layers, with foundational tones forming the basis that is enhanced with further detail, colors and highlights.  The likeness always seems to just "appear" for me near the end when the key shape of the nose or highlighting in the hair makes you say, "Oh, that's her."  It always impresses me with artists such as John that they can look at a subject and view it in abstract terms of tones and lighting and not hone in on that dimple or eye glint until the end.  I've been trying to see potential in flowers or plants that I'm looking at in the garden (or the grocery store!) and imagine the end result instead of having to come across it by trial and error.  It's coming easier but I think I'll keep attending a few more demos to keep learning!

Despite the dearth of posts or new art, I am alive and well and working away on art.  For any of you reading this that are in New England I don't need to explain that there's no scanning going on, what with the several feet of snow we've had stuck on the ground for weeks.  A little warming trend last week at least settled the piles at the intersections a bit so you don't feel like you're playing Russian Roulette in order to pull out into traffic.  But it does mean that unless I drop a twenty or so at the florists there's no new material.  So instead of I've been using some of these winter evenings to clean out the closet so to speak -- finishing up the fine touch editing on some scans taken over the past few years but never finished up.  Some of these are images that aren't necessarily first cut so not sure I'll post them yet, but maybe they'll grow on me.  Another possibility that I haven't explored yet is some digital collages -- merging material from various sources into a new picture.  Up to now everything is "what you see is what you get," that is, direct scans of the flowers without any cutting/pasting on the computer with PhotoShop.  But I might explore that technique a bit in the future, so I'll hang on to these images.  After all, they're just taking up a few hundred megabytes on the ol' hard drive.  So stay tuned and wait for inspiration to strike, otherwise we'll all have to wait patiently for spring!

Last Saturday the Franklin Art Association held it's fall art show and it was a good news/bad news situation.  The bad news was that I didn't win any prizes, but that was vastly tempered by selling a few pieces, including Fall Leaf Collage and Lavender Triangle.  That kind of prize is much more enjoyable, not so much for the money (though no complaints) but I think the ultimate "Gee, I like that" prize vote comes with the unfolding of a wallet.  With economic times still questionable for a lot of people it was all the more rewarding.  Overall, sales at the show were light but the very nice turnout of visitors and the delightful works displayed by so many talented people combined to make a pleasant evening indeed.

Last weekend I visited a local town's harvest festival -- bands, booths with crafters, food vendor carts, the usual.  It was a great fall day, sunny and around 70 with a breeze, just what the organizers ordered I'm sure.  There was a photographer there selling prints, and I was drawn to them because they had some intriguing points of view and colors.  What turned me off, however, was the matting job.  It was pretty clear that the photographer must have cut the mats as it was far from a professional job.  The inside corners were the telltale sign: they weren't clean, neat, right angle cuts, with many having tiny tears.  These details totally distracted from the pictures.  It doesn't seem like it should, just a little tear on the corner, but once you saw it your eye was drawn to it every time you looked at the print.  It's why I don't do my own mats or hang my own wallpaper.  A job done by a pro is just better than I'm going to be able to do.  Many years ago I bought a simple mat cutter and merrily messed up several mat boards before I got any that were remotely serviceable, and even those didn't have the pristine edges that everyone wants.  The mat should frame and complement the picture, and never detract.  I've never cut my own mats since, and haven't regretted that decision.  Back to that artist on the street: the money they saved by matting their own didn't save them: their picture is still in the bin, I didn't buy it, all because of lack of attention to details.

Hot and dry is a simple but effective epitaph  for this summer, although as it isn't quite Labor Day it may be a bit premature to declare it over.  Though with back-to-school sales over a month old summer sure is on it's last legs.  What a change from a year ago, with a cool summer and 21 days of rain for us in June. This year we've had barely three inches of rain in three months.  Sure cuts down on the lawn mowing time but it does a number on the flowers as well.  So scanning has been virtually nil these past couple of months.  Sure, I could do a daisy or two or toss some rudbeckia on the glass but that's nothing new and not very inspiring to me -- been there, done that.  So I may have to break down and buy some different posies to scan.  (I was visiting a greenhouse at a nearby college a while back, admiring their orchids, but couldn't think of a reasonable opening to request any.  "Pardon me, can I cut some of your prized orchids?") The fall asters and other late bloomers are likely going to be weak at best even if this week's planned rain comes to pass -- too late to save them, most likely.  So a trip to the florists may be what I need to bust me out of these drought doldrums!

I did a quick scan this spring of some tulips, and I thought I'd share it with you -- as a high quality image that you can freely download and print to get an idea of the image quality possible.  This is a 300 dpi file, 8x11 image.  Anything higher than 250 dpi is usually considered a high quality image, though beyond 300 is beyond the ability of printers to resolve and adds no effective quality to the image.  So feel free to download this picture, Three Amigos, and print it out for yourself to see what the image quality is like.  Enjoy!

"Yearnings" was accepted into the Post Road Art Center's "Flower Show 2010" exhibit, on display from May 6th through May 28th.  Check it out!

I recently participated in an art show that had over 165 works on display, including some very high quality pieces that I would have been very pleased to have in my home or office.  What was interesting in the photography section was that all of the winning pieces were black and white.  They were very nice pieces, and of course I was in far from an un-biased position, but it made me think about the judging process.  How would I do as a judge?  It's likely a rare judge that really has in-depth experience in all of the various media that get submitted to a show.  Certainly some have worked extensively in more than one (oils and acrylics, or pastels and watercolor) but do they really have experience in enough of them to be able to properly assess the merits of different pieces that used different tools or techniques?  And how do you filter out your own personal art biases?  If someone prefers cool greens and calming blues, will an impressionistic orange sunset scene get a fair review?  I doubt I could be as medium-neutral as is needed to be fair across the board.  True or not, I've always thought that watercolors were harder to master than oils (no way to paint over a mistake), so that subtle bias would presumably seep into any opinions I was forming.  Don't worry, I'm not qualified and haven't been asked to judge any shows!  But the 1-2-3 awards for only B&W works in that show was a little disappointing and did seem to "paint" the judge as having a predisposition to that format.  It may be the musings of a loser, but it does seem like the art show process is a bit funny when you think of it.  The only vote that probably really matters in the end is does the viewer like it, and want to hang it in their home.

Egad, how did it get to be January 29th?  Almost February, and I'm still having to be careful to write 2010 all the time.  A tenth of this century is already behind us, and the pace of time and change both show no signs of abating.  Well, fortunately the beauty of nature is always there to fall back on.

Today I set up a dual exhibit with photographer Robert Thomas at the Norfolk Public Library (directions) in the Community Room.  Sounds simple, right?  Just hang some pictures?  Well, only about half a dozen were framed works, the others just matted prints.  Many people prefer to buy just prints or matted prints as then they can add a frame that matches their decor -- black metal, gilt wood, whatever.  But this posed a problem: how to hang them when they don't have any frame and wire?

To solve this I ended up making some corner brackets out of some edging used for laying tile, believe it or not.  Cut into four inch pieces and super-glued together gave me a nice angle bracket, then I hot glued some woven white strips diagonally across.  After setting a corner on each work I was then able to cross-hatch tie them together in the back (the edging material conveniently had holes all along.  Running a small picture wire across at the appropriate spot completed the deal.  All told it took about 4-5 hours to make the 24 or so I needed, but it seems like they will work fairly well.  I'll let you know at the end of the month.  (The exhibit continues from January 30th through February 26th.)

So the view out the car window driving down just about any road is becoming nicer by the day, with  New England's finest season (in my opinion, anyway) upon us: the fall foliage show.  I'm motivated to seek out some alternative ways to capture the colors but it can be frustrating.  Look again at a maple and notice the full palette of color as the oranges on one branch yield to yellow as you migrate out to the tips, or there may be a progression to some stubbornly remaining greens at the crown.  How to capture that spectrum of color on an 8x11 scanner?  I'll keep puzzling on that one and let you know -- hopefully with some nice scans to share with you.

I did have a nice surprise tonight, taking one of the Judges Awards at the Cultural Arts Alliance "Focus" juried photography show with Yearnings.  A very nice reception at the Hopkinton, Massachusetts gallery, meeting many fellow artists and seeing what catches their eye and different photography techniques they used. 

Each year in the Chinese calendar has it's own animal symbol: the Year of the Dog, or Dragon, for example.  This year should be the Year of the Slug.  It has rained so frequently and been so cool that those little slimy snail cousins have been proliferating quite nicely at the expense of some of our flowers.  Generally I prefer cool weather as opposed to those sweaty, steamy mid-summer days that can occur, but this year has been unusually cool and damp.  I don't recall seeing lawns so green in late July before.  The lawn sprinkler companies must be having a decidedly poor year.

But the cool weather has preserved some flowers, helping their blooms hold up longer, not being baked by scorching days and little moisture.  It has been just warm enough to bring out the first sunflowers, and I've been enamored with the first one, currently featured on the Bits of Nature home page.  If their size alone doesn't impress and please, take a moment to look at the symmetry within the flower -- converging spirals coalescing at the center -- and enjoy nature's designs even more.