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Diane Neil is an artist who creates luscious hand-painted ad hand-dyed fabrics.  We – that is GloDerWorks – had the pleasure of creating her new website, Cloth Candy Hand Dyes. Diane sent me some treats in the mail, including a beautiful selection of her painted fabrics, as a generous  thank you for the work we did.

Diane also makes the cutest pin cushions, hand beaded and embroidered.  This was another gift!  I just love this.  It’s by my sewing machine, and I use it constantly.

If that’s not enough, I recently received yet another gift from Diane!  This beautiful bracelet.  She tells me at one time she created jewelry and sold it at various venues.  Today, however, she is concentrating on her fabrics and gift items (which, who knows, may one day again include jewelry).  Yes, I am totally bias, but check out what Diane offers.  Her fabrics are top quality, beautiful, and very reasonably priced.  And check out the pin cushions! I love ’em and can attest that they make a wonderful gift!

This is probably one of my favorite shots of Half Dome taken from Glacier Point Road.  I took it during a magical evening when the lighting was very beautiful using the 18-200mm, which is a great lens.

Another taken that same evening.

This is another taken from Glacier Point on a different evening.

And yet another evening.  Every evening, a new look.  Taking photos there is something I could do on a regular basis if I lived in the area.

Here’s one of me that Rich took.

And here’s one of Rich that I took, but not from Glacier Point.

And, since I’m back in that area, here’s another of Bridal Veil Falls.

This is Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite Valley.  I took a lot of photos of it  on various days in various lighting conditions.  These are some of my favorites.

This is Yosemite Falls which we were told is the highest waterfall in North America.  I took this photo during a “photo walk” hosted by the Ansel Adams Gallery at Yosemite. The Gallery also offers a variety of photography classes for a fee.  However, the walks are free and head by a pro photographer, although the walks are limited to 15 people and require advanced registration.  Being at Yosemite, it seemed we *had* to at least go on the photo walk.

This is the group of people on the photo walk.  I dragged along my husband to the walk, giving him one of my cameras to use.  I *knew* he’d enjoy it and he was off following various birds and taking pictures of the group, taking pictures.  I’m on the ground, next to the guy with the hat on.

It seems this deer was interested in playing peak-a-boo with our group.

One of the meadow flowers.

Looking up at the trees.  Doesn’t this look like it would make an interesting starting point for a repeat fabric design?

Another view of Yosemite Valley.

Yet another of the meadow looking at Yosemite Falls.  Last night when I couldn’t sleep, I started playing around with this image within Photoshop.  These are some of the results:

Kind of looks like a decent repeat for a fabric design.

This has the Paula influence.

I have a lot more images that I want to share.  In particular, sunset images at Half Dome.

I find myself drawn to the color schemes in the various photos I’ve taken at Yosemite, and I’m toying with the idea of using those colors to create fabrics to use with the images.  I’m not sure what direction I’ll take, but I couldn’t sleep last night and found  myself doing some digital doodling based on the first rainbow image that is in the post below.  I’ve come up with some 10 designs, including the following.  I’m not posting the onse I like the best for fear that I’ll jinx then and never do a thing with any.  We’ll see how it may develop.  I’m hungry to do some new work, maybe something will be percolate.

The first night of our trip to Yosemite, the weather was all over the place.  It was sunny, then cloudy, then raining, then sunny.  In the evening, we decided to take a chance and drive up Glacier Point Road – a 16 miles road that eventually gives a spectacular view of the valley rim, including Half Dome, a landmark made famous by the Ansel Adams print called  Monolith, The Face of Half Dome taken in 1927.  The road is closed from early November into late May, and we were fortunate that we were able to drive it.  However, we hit massive fog and rain and wondered if we should turn back.  Instead we kept going.  Around one of the many winding turns, the sky started to change again, with the sun peaking through while dark clouds and rain remained.  Then I saw it — a rainbow!  “Pull over, PULL OVER.”  Luckily there are many turn outs, areas where you can pull your car over to either let someone pass you (it’s a 35 mph, one lane road) or to gaze at the scenery. Here are some of the rainbow pictures I took prior to arriving at Glacier Point.

This is Half Dome.  Because we drove up this road nightly, I have many pictures of Half Dome and the valley in different lighting.  Stay tuned, more images will be coming.

While I knew I should have went to sleep early on Thursday, I didn’t.  Instead, I kept working.  Then I started to pack.  Then it was so late that I never did get to sleep.  Instead, at about 3:40 a.m., Rich and I headed for the airport.  Our flight left at 7 a.m. to San Francisco.  We then picked up a rental SUV and began our trek to Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp, California, a small town 2 miles south of Yosemite National Park.

The view while driving out of San Francisco on the Bay Bridge.  For years I’ve taken pictures of the bridge from the San Francisco side; this is my first time driving on it (DH was driving).

During the drive.   Eventually we arrived at the Tenaya Lodge.  Beautiful place.  Love it.  We have a lovely “junior suite.”  I highly recommend this place. Yes, you will need to do a lot of driving in the park.  While the lodge is only two miles from the south entrance, it’s another 36 to Yosemite Valley.  That doesn’t sound like much, but figure very twisty roads and a 35 mph speed limit.  If you don’t mind the drive, this place is great.  I do wish they had free wi-fi though.

As soon as we drove past what sounded like running water, we pulled over.  The first of many waterfalls!  We stayed here for a while, just listening to the rushing water.  Very peaceful.

I’m getting ahead of myself posting this picture.  I’ve more photos and stories coming, including  from Glacier Point and the Ansel Adams Gallery.  Stay tuned!

Last month ago I attended  a small  critique group with four other women artists from NJ.  Attending it  is only something I started doing recently  — that is, accepting the invitation to get out from behind my computers and meet  with other quilt makers to show and discuss our quilts.  I find each person in the group inspiring and true to the making of their own unique work.

During the discussion, several of us began talking about various frustrations we have with our work.  For example, one spoke of often not feeling connected.  I spoke of my  inability to control certain technical aspects, like keeping my work perfectly flat.  Another agreed, adding that no matter what she did the darn thing was never square.  Back and forth we went, except for one member who was quiet.  That member, Colleen, is a critical care nurse practitioner with a lot of hospice experience.  At one point Colleen spoke up saying “I don’t care if my quilt is flat or if the edges are straight. None of that bothers me.  For me, quilt making is a joy.  It’s a complete and total  joy, and I treasure every minute I can devote to it.”   As she went on, I joked saying she should bottle that attitude so that I can take a big drink from it.   She smiled, but she was also absolutely serious, and her expression towards me had a hint of “you silly girl” with a huge heap of “one day you’ll get it,” and she said her words with the confidence and conviction of one who already got it.

I found her words bouncing around in my thoughts. What happened to my joy?  Why was I so quick to immediately know what frustrated me with quilt making (and really, give me a topic and I can tell you associated frustrations) rather than what was enjoyable about it?   Why can I so easily point out a perceived error rather than talk about what I do like?  I’ve been pondering it since.

Then, about 12 days ago I learned that the deadline for the Houston show is the 19th.  That realization put me into an explosion of focused drive to complete my entry.  From 8:30 a.m. I alternated two hours on design work for clients with one hour of quilting.  After dinner and a TV show (watched with dinner), I continued working on my quilt until the wee hours of the morning, 2-4 a.m., depending on how involved I was.

I kept seeing errors in my quilting.   I then began ripping out areas that I quilted because this wasn’t right or that wasn’t right or – oh my gosh – I did that section backwards!  I seemed to have spent more time taking out stitches than putting them in.   Day after day this went on.  Not much sleep, quilting, taking out quilting, working, and so on.  At one point I found Colleen’s words, more so that expression she had, creeping into my thoughts.

Could I simply calm down and remember how I love quilt making?  Remember the joy?  Enjoy the process?  Can I stop with the removing the quilting and just let it be?  Yes.  Yes, I could. I realized I could.  I decided that I would not rip out.  Instead I would just quilt.  I’d quilt and quilt and not worry if something was a bit off.  I’d continue on, letting nothing stop me.  I was so close to finishing.   As I hit the needle down position button to continue on, I simultaneously grabbed the bobbin thread.  That needle obeyed, went down, and went right through my finger nail and straight out the other side of my finger.

In a nano-second I suddenly realized that the needle had broken from the machine and was through my finger, and it stopped me in my track.   I stared at what looked like a magician’s trick, an illusion.  I thought I about photographing it (put an image in my journal, add some interest to this post, use it as proof that I wasn’t exaggerating – although  I’m sure I’d be accused of Photoshop trickery).

In  those seconds of contemplating the moment saved as a digital memory, I realized that I should pull the needle out.  I felt a bit of throbbing.  Throbbing?  Polite throbbing?  Why wasn’t there wasn’t out and out pain?  Not only the ouch pain, but oh-my-gosh grab the ice pain.  Or a quick blast of the torture kind of pain.  A hint of “if you don’t start talking, we’ll put needles through your fingers” kind of pain.  Instead, I felt kind of dumbfounded as I looked at that needle.  I then reached for tweezers to pull the thing out.  I grabbed the tweezers, which I happen to keep near my machine to grab the bobbin thread so I don’t sew through a finger, and pulled the thing out.  It snapped.  One piece came out.  I then grabbed the remaining piece which was still sticking out from the other side.  I had the two pieces.  And with what was left in the machine, I had it all.  But there was still the Monopoly thread going through my finger.  Now that felt strange when I pulled it out.

I  poured peroxide on my finger, put on some antiseptic gel, and wrapped my finger with some gauze.   And because I was determined to finish that quilt, I returned to it which, thank goodness, had no blood on it.  I thought of Colleen. Her expression. I suspect Colleen doesn’t have a needle through her finger story.  I’ll have to ask the next time I see her.  And, by the way, this isn’t the first time for me.  I did it once when I was 11.  It was more theatrical then.

I slipped on a glove and continued working, and I finally finished the thing.  I set up the camera, took pictures, completed the entry forms, completed my FedEx forms, and drove off to a nearby FedEx box to deposit my envelope.   The sun was shining, the air was still.  I came home, sat in the backyard for a bit, and relaxed.  I listened to the birds.  I rocked in my chair.  My dog was next to me.  Then I was hit with it.  The pride and the joy.  The pride because I did it.  I finished and got my entry off.  The joy because tomorrow I’m sleeping late!

May 21 update. I did get that late sleep in.  However, another teeny piece of needle came out late tonight .  It seems it was right under my nail.  It eventually worked it way through my nail which now has a bit of a crack through the length of it.  Oddly, and luckily, I still don’t feel it.

On Friday, I caught the early showing of Star Trek in a nearby cinema.   It was so much fun and by the ending credits my eyes were actually teary from the total enjoyment of the movie.  With Zachary Quinto playing Spock, I did wonder if he would shape shift into a Romulan bad guy or use his finger to cut Kirk’s forehead open.  However, besides the very close resemblance to the original Spock, he had the nuances of the original down to the point that I forgot all about Sylar from Heros.   He was very, very good!  There are a few things that deviate from the original series, and if you watch Lost or Fringe, your recognize the time loop stuff.  Even so, I LOVED the movie.  I’m sure I’ll be seeing it again.

My partner Derry told me about this site, and we laughed and laughed looking through it.  Of course I hope I don’t find my work at this site!  It’s Photoshop Disasters, a blog that features “truly awful pieces of Photoshop work … clumsy manipulation, senseless comping, lazy cloning, and thoughtless retouching …”  Amazingly, many of these images are done by the pros for major clients.  Check it out and have a good laugh.  And, let it be a major note to self:  check and double-check digital edits.

I’ve no idea if the stats in this video are accurate, but it’s provocative nonetheless. Thanks Del!

Each day while walking to the Haynes Convention Center to attend classes at Photoshop World, we’d pass a sign for the Skywalk Observatory which is on the 50th floor of the Prudential Office Tower.  During a longer break, we decided to venture up for an hour to take some photographs.  Here’s a small sampling.

There is a 360 degree view of the City.   While the weather was a bit overcast, we took pictures anyway.

I started taking overlapping images so that I could stitch them together using Photoshop to create some photo merges.  The first of the three merges two images together.  The second merges four.  I wasn’t crazy about Boston’s tallest building, the John Hancock building, was a bit central.   I then cropped it to create the image above.

Fenway Park.

Trinity Church

Trinity Church contrasting with the John Hancock building.

Derry read through the various maps and educational signs available and was then able to quickly identify what we were looking at.  It also helped that we both were listening to the headsets provided by the Observatory.

Derry patiently waiting for me to finish.  Then, it was back to classes.

Here we go …

This year’s keynote centered around a football theme. As always, it was full of laughs.

Notice the number of blog posts and cans of Red Bull consumed in one year.

The amazing Russell Brown on the left and John Loiacono, the Senior Vice President of Adobe.

Scott Kelby on the left with John Loiacono

After everyone piled out of the keynote, waiting in the wings is the always helpful Peter Bauer, the Photoshop answer man!

This morning’s classes were excellent — one was on fixes to a variety of of image problems and the second on the CS4 adjustment and mask panels. I consider myself an advanced Photoshop user, yet there are always tons of new things I learn.  Oh, I missed a photo opp …
“Photoshop, because learning is hard as crap” — one of the tag lines during the keynote that was on the screen.

Next up was a run through the tech expo. It was crowded and had more classes going on.   One piece of cool news is that Wacom released a new Intuos4 Pen Tablet (sporting a new look, a new pen with more pressure sensitivity,  an illuminated display of the user-defined shortcut keys, and more).  It’s available for purchase starting today (but, alas, it’s not coming home with me this time around!).

Back to it …