A Bird on the Head...

Circus CIRCUS Circus in SPACE - Digitalmania challenge

Over at Digitalmania this week, our challenge involved inspiration from the art of Cathy Horner.  I immediately fell in love with her circus series.

She makes use of brilliant color and geometric shapes.  I definitely found the color and a little of shaping, but, as per usual, I took things in a whole new bizarre direction.

Behold, the Ringmaster Baboon in Space!

To be followed by, the Circus Bear in Space!

And, of course, the Circus Chihuahua in Space!

Just be warned, the next several pieces I will be posting all seem to involve space, and there might still be a hint of clown mania....

The Beast Home - TAW Challenge

Beauty walks slowly toward the home of the Beast.

She feels a little uncertain about her growing affection for him....

The Magician - Louisiana Tarot

I finished the second in my new series.  I am approaching this project with much 

more of a sense of whimsy than any true mystical spirit.

Winter and then Spring

I have been absent from this art blog and from art work for the past several weeks due to the increased work demands of the holiday season, BUT those are behind me now.

Things have quieted down and I was happy to eke out a little time last night to work on some new pieces.  I hope to start up again with the wonderful art blog challenges in the very near future.

So Blue - Digitalmania challenge

Jarred Octopi - 3Muse Jar Challenge

I don't know what these two sinister octopi are up to, but it can't be good.

Don't ask me how we arrived here as I am not quite certain myself.

I started off with an image of a Victorian girl in a yellow floral field with a wide blue sky.  My intention was to give her a nice balloon, maybe a poodle head or an elephant head.  Harmless, easy fun.

After I cleaned up the black and white image and then painted in some pretty colors, I realized she wasn't right for my balloon girl so I saved the psd file and found another Victorian girl to walk my surreal balloons.

Three Muses posted a jar challenge last week so I opened up my older saved image to play with.  Sometimes I think we have a goal in mind and other times the very vaguest of ideas.

To begin with, I put her into a jar, thinking maybe Alice in Wonderland?  Maybe I should add a rabbit?  Then I thought that she could be one of many jars on a shelf....  I decided that instead she would going somewhere so I added a cart.  Where to go next?

I wasn't sure so I saved again and left the project for another day.

While scrolling through the huge piles of images I have on my pc, I noticed a particular vintage image of an octopus. ( If you follow me at all, you might notice that I seem to have a weakness for octopi.  There is just something so intriguingly alien about them).  I noticed that this particular octopus would be perfect for the top of the jar.

Now, I had a little girl in a jar, on a cart, with an octopus on top in the middle of a yellow floral field.  Clearly, the cart wasn't going anywhere and looked out of place in a floral meadow.

I changed out the ground to a more vintage cobblestone.  I added some columns to give it a sense of an urban landscape and decided that it needed a wall.  Finally, I realized that the octopus needed a sea to escape too and that the cart needed to be pulled by something so....

Here we are.

I really think that they are friendly octopi.  Really!  They are probably just bringing a misplaced child home to her family....

Catherine the Not so Bad - Digitalmania Banksy challenge

Our challenge this week at Digitalmania was Banksy.

I'm a little ambivalent on the subject of graffiti.  On the one hand I dislike 

the tagging sort that is little more than vandalism.

Yet, when you see a clever witty piece by someone like Banksy, 

I can't help but admire the artistry of it.

My take on the Banksy challenge took me back to my love of history.  

Even in medieval times, surely, there were young vandals making trouble 

and tagging the ever so majestic castle walls...

Paris Stroll - 3Muse Umbrella Challenge

Maybe my Victorian Kitty Girl isn't actually in Paris.

Maybe she is actually sashaying down the street in a photo I took in New Orleans.

Certainly, it all seems to have a Parisian feel.

The challenge this week at Three Muses was a Rain / Umbrella challenge.

My Victorian Kitty Girl might actually be carrying a parasol to keep the sun from bronzing her perfect lily white complexion, but in New Orleans, an afternoon storm is just a few hours or minutes away!

Blue Thylacine - TAW Australia Challenge

The challenge this week from Take a Word was Australia.

My first thought was of some of the amazing wildlife found only in Australia.

I've always thought how unfortunate that the intriguing Thylacine is gone from this world.

But perhaps they can still be found in Fairyland?

My sources are public domain images from Wikimedia Commons, all altered to suit my needs.  ;)

Something Blue - TAW challenge

Somewhere over the rainbow,

something blue and beautiful.....

I suppose it was inevitable that I went there some time or another....

The Sweetheart of Hellephant - Digitalmania challenge

Is it any surprise that Hellephant has such a lovely diva beauty

for a sweetheart?

Steampunkopus - 3Muses Challenge

The challenge this week from the Three Muses was Steampunk.

When I think steampunk, my first thought is always octopus.  I realize that may 

just be me, but that is were my mind goes.

I started with a gorgeous vintage picture of a girl and her dog.  

I added color and did some damage control to the image.

Initially, I intended to add some goggles or some cogs but I really liked her as is.

I added a landscape from wikipedia commons and then went through my octopus and squid images.

What is it about about our underwater friends that sometimes has a purely alien look to them?

I had some tentacle fun and added some more water creature details into the sky.

To a purist, I may have missed the steampunk mark, but I liked 

my final result so here is my version of Steampunk Octopus.

Arched - Digitalmania challenge

Dandy - Script 3Muse challenge

And a fine looking man he is!

The Elusive Whalephant - Take a Word Wild Animal Challenge

Shown here, in it's natural environment, is the elusive whalephat....

Fairyscape Fish

This piece isn't in response to a specific challenge but it's an idea that has been 

bobbing around in my head for a while.

Say hello to our friend the Surreal Seahorse!

The Orphans Boys of Lafayette - Square and Circle 3Muses Challenge

The Three Muses Challenge this week was geometric - circles and squares.

I started with a photo I took in Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District.

In New Orleans, the dead never really leave us.  We can go and visit.  

They like it when you bring them gifts.

Every time I have been to this particular tomb, someone has always left

 little presents for the orphan boys - usually some sort of plastic toys or stuffed animals.  

The day I took this image, someone had left this bright and cheerful balloon 

as well as the usual assortment of Mardi Gras beads and little toys.

I like to think that after everyone leaves for the day (the gates are locked promptly at 5 pm), 

the orphan boys come out and enjoy their new toys!

Victorian Fish Walking - Digitalmania challenge

Don't Linger in the Graveyard - TAW Dark Challenge

When the sun slides behind the end of the world,

make certain that you are on the outside of the graveyard wall.

Scary things come out of the tombs as night....

Don't be alone with slithering things in the dark!