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Original photo by Amanda
Extreme manipulations by W. J. St. Christopher


~ Four Unexpected Digis

As a digital artist, I often see the "usual" in a most unusual way. When I least expect it, a mundane item catches my eye and screams, "Here I am! Manipulate me!!!"

That's exactly what happened a few days ago when I saw the "original" pic, above. My fellow Etsian, Amanda, posted a link to her handy tutorial on how to recycle empty TicTac containers. I don't eat TicTacs, but, inexplicably, my Spidey Sense was in full tingle and I was compelled to take a peek.

The moment I saw the clean lines and muted colors of Amanda's photo, several fully-formed images popped into my mind. (Yep, that really is how my mind works . . .) The finished images, above, are pretty darn close to my initial ... ahem ... visions.

I love it when a plan comes together!

My sincere thanks to Amanda (Etsy I.D. "Polyclarific"), for allowing me to play with her unexpectedly mind-bending photo (which, we agree, looks like a row of washing machines with their lids up).

You can visit her Etsy shop, where she offers her unique, handmade jewelry and other fab items, by clicking here. Her "Heart Movements Keyring" is on my wish list!

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Of potential interest:

My "Art166.com" galleries will be temporarily closed as of the evening of August 30, 2007. Art166.com will return in about a week. In the meantime, my Etsy shop will remain open for business! I'm currently restocking; watch for new items every day for the next week or so.

EDIT: 5:19 p.m., Late Breaking News!

Due to the generosity of one of my local collectors, the galleries at Art166.com will not be closing after all.

Thank you, kindly, DRH!

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Comment Catch-up:

Thanks JB, and welcome back to you! You know what they say,

If the fractal's a-rockin',

Don't come a-knockin'!

Hi, Tammi,
So true; without the wonders of sleep disorders, I might be perfectly normal. Or, maybe not!

Check out "Keen Eddie" if you get the chance -- you'll love it!

Thanks for your kind words re: my spontaneous exercise in excessive wordiness. Writing was one of the earliest of my many creative passions.

I'm afraid I can't even pronounce "duffesessessess" but here are a couple of fractal software links for you:

Fractal Explorer - Free Download
http://www.eclectasy.com/Fractal-Explorer/index.html
Ultra Fractal - Not So Free Download
http://www.ultrafractal.com/

Thank you, Sara, and welcome to Art166.com!

Dr. John, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me. Not! Don't make me come up there!

Your son is a wise man, Mr. Lincoln. Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome, Sherry! I'm glad you enjoy the work. Seven images from the "Please, Take a Seat" series are currently being exhibited at Timo's Coffee House, where the original photos were taken.

I use Photoshop about 95% of the time, though my hard drive is chock-a-block with imaging software of every persuasion. You never know when you'll need that one, obscure function that Photoshop doesn't offer.

You're right, you'll never learn all of Photoshop. I began with Photoshop Elements (which is a little easier to manage) and moved to Photoshop about seven years ago. I discover new features all the time! Picking up a copy of "Photoshop for Dummies" and working through it a chapter at a time was a HUGE help. Also, be sure to Google for the countless, free, Photoshop tutorials that are available online.

Remember -- never alter your original image, try everything, save frequently. And, don't forget to have fun!

Hi, Cynthia! You'll love "Testament", but don't forget the tissues! Let me know when/if you watch it. I honestly can't remember ever having a good night's sleep -- though, if I'm really exhausted, I can get four or so hours without waking. Most night's, it's more like three or four hours with lots of interruptions. It's more of a drag as I develop more health problems, but most of the art is born during those long, solitary nights. Payoff!

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~ Circular REM

Coming soon to my Art166.com galleries.


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This fractal-based piece is a variation of Rem Sleep, which was posted here last year. I love the original piece, and, exercising the true spirit of digital art, return to it often when inspiration strikes.

Have I mentioned that I love working with fractals?

Have I mentioned that I love circles and rounded shapes?

Have I mentioned that I regularly experience many of the symptoms of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder? No? Well, that's a story for another day.


Emotions in Motion

I'm a very emotional creature. More often than is good for me, I'll go out of my way to wring every last drop of highs and lows out of any given situation. Questioning everything. Wanting to know everything and feel everything. Which is why, instead of sleeping last night, I decided to watch the most emotional movie ever filmed.

That would be "Testament", the realistic, heart- (and gut-) wrenching tale of one family's struggle to survive the first few months after a nuclear disaster. Without the use of special effects or political hyperbole, this quiet film dogs the footsteps of a suburban mother (Jane Alexander, in an Oscar-nominated role) as she witnesses the inevitable decimation of her family and the surrounding community.

To say too much would spoil the film for those who haven't seen it, but it's beautiful, impossibly sad stuff, and I cried myself right into a headache. Testament is one of my all-time favorite films. Rent or buy it to view -- don't watch it on network TV, massacred by commercials and PSAs.

So, at 3 a.m., with my face all red and splotchy, my nose running, and my head pounding, I realized that my spirits needed lifting -- immediately.

Pop quiz:

What does a girl watch when she needs to snicker and chuckle and laugh out loud?

When she's desperate for improbably attractive male eye candy that will immediately turn her thoughts away from creeping nuclear fallout?

When she's got an urge to rid the world of the criminal element, but is too lazy to grab her gun and hit the urban streets?

Well, if the girl is this girl, she makes a cup of Red Zinger tea and curls up with her treasured episodes of "Keen Eddie".

Of course she does!

Keen Eddie stars the delectable Mark Valley (currently seen on Boston Legal). It's the very tall tale of an NYPD detective who, after a drug bust gone ridiculously wrong, follows his leads across the pond. There, he settles in (yeah, like a fish out of water settles in) with a stuffy squad at Scotland Yard.

Keen Eddie is one of the smartest cop shows ever filmed. It's full of rollicking fun mixed with moments of intensity, second only to the incomparable Due South. (Admittedly, that "second" is sometimes only because Due South has Paul Gross. And, Paul Gross is . . . well, PAUL GROSS.)

Keen Eddie looks like a feature film and feels like a fast paced rock video; it's brimming with quick camera cuts, amazing visuals, and a wicked, contemporary soundtrack. The dialogue is rapid, slyly witty, and sharp enough to give you paper cuts. The gallery of characters, and their performers, are what TV would always be about -- if this world were a perfect world. There's even a touch of romance, a cuddly cat, and an evil little dog with way too much attitude to ever be called a pet.

Y'see? Something for everybody! What on earth were The Powers That Be over at FOX thinking when they let this one go? What's the plural of "dufus"? Dufuses? Dufusii?

Well, at least I'll have enjoyed every one of the 13 Keen Eddie episodes, more than once, before I'm engulfed in nuclear winter.

So, that's what I did last night.

When did I sleep? Ooops, I knew I was forgetting something . . .

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~ Cascade

15"x19" $70 USD
23"x29" $95 USD

Available now at my Art166.com galleries. This high quality, digital image is produced with archival inks on rich, acid-free, professional-grade paper.

Click here to purchase, or for more info.


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I know I left a blog around here . . .

Oh, here it is!

When's the last time I saw this? How can one blog possibly gather so much dust? I could plant crops in this dirt!

Guess the best thing to do is blow off the dust and try to get this poor old thing tidied up. No time like the present!

. . . ah - ahh - ahhh - CHOO! . . . wheeze, wheeze, cough, wheeze . . .

Well, that's better. Might be a spark of life left in this blog after all!

Now, what excuse should I use? Would they believe that I ran off to Vegas and got married? Or, that I've been busy investing my Lottery winnings?

Nah -- guess I'll stick with the truth. After all, I really needed that unscheduled break. Time to get back in the saddle!