Cosmic Nonsense

A long time ago- I'm not going to say how long ago because I saw a Family Guy episode recently where a 50 year old woman referred to a piece of furniture as a Davenport. I wasn't quite sure what a Davenport was (See! See!)and had to look it up, which I'm happy about. What I'm not happy about is referring back to things that happened a long, long time ago. I almost started this post with "Decades ago..." but I'm aware that to younger readers (I think I have two) I may as well be referring to FDR.

Earlier this week I sold a comforter set I'm no longer using to a nice couple. I had listed my number on Craigslist, and called back a woman who'd left a message. Her husband answered and said she was busy with something. Later in the conversation, feeling comfortable with me I suppose, he laughed (and laughed- he seemed to find it quite funny) that his wife had just gotten dentures and was putting them in. Umm, ok. We set up a time for them to come by.

I was expecting a nice, elderly couple. I pictured her in Koret, maybe purple polyester pants and a matching top with flower appliques. I answered the door to a slim, long-haired, attractive woman (wearing Chico's) and her tall, aging, but still had it going on retired cop husband. They'd been married 48 years. They were a sexy couple. Later I realized she was the denture lady. Strange this age thing.

Anyway, I was about to tell you about something that happened, yes, DECADES AGO. Way, way, before Photoshop. When we used somethings called darkrooms, and I spent hours in them sandwiching negatives in the enlarger, burning, dodging, using Marshall's Photo Oils, everything I could to make my visions come to life. Back then, way back then (early '80s), I put together a series of photos called Cosmic Nonsense. Now I'm starting a Photoshop version of Cosmic Nonsense, photos that are simply something to look at and to which ascribing meaning would be silly. Visual impact and mindless surrealism. Images that confuse the brain a little (it's good for you!)

Here's my first Photoshop one. I think it has some visual punch to it.

Look Carefully

You can see her eyes in the first 'N'...

Once I have this technique down I can move on to cheesy postcards. Think about it: More than half of all postcards spell out the name of the place and have pictures within the letters.

Twister

Working on this image in Photoshop, I had a memory of my grandmother playing Twister with my sister and me. I remember her with her foot on a green dot, reaching way across the mat to put her hand on a red dot. As she did so she laughed and said "I'm a grandmother!" She was a slim, beautiful, awesome grandmother. How cool is that, having a splice of memory from 1968, of playing Twister with your grandma?

Magic Kitty Ride

Does this look like a happy kitty on a magic bubble ride, or a precariously-perched feline about to plunge to the pavement? This is an image I'm including in my childrens' activity book project, so I'm seriously hoping for the former.

Watercolor

I opened my blinds the other morning and saw this fat rainbow over Vashon Island.

On Track

Filtered Rainbow

One of my Photoshop assignments this week was to apply three filters to a photo. I used the film grain, brush strokes / spatter, and smart sharpen filters on a photo I took a few years ago. I wanted to give it kind of an old oil painting feel. I think this turned out pretty cool.

Photoshopping Round the Stars

Anyone else remember Space Truckin' by Deep Purple? Space truckin' round the starrrrs...

I'm taking a Photoshop class and I love it. I've learned some indispensable skills like how to soften wrinkles on faces (Yep, tried it on one of my own photos in which I looked disturbingly 'mature'). I'm also doing lots of experimentation with surrealism because that's where I live.

I want to figure out how to add some stars to the 'night sky' I created compliments of the magic wand and paint bucket tools. I tried drawing in a UFO with the pen tool. It wasn't bad for a first try. A big yellow-ish full moon would be cool too. If anyone reading this speaks Photoshop I would love to hear from you.

I want to get good enough at Photoshop to create images so powerful they alter consciousness.

That, and how to use the warp tool to make myself look thinner.

Drake's conversation with his parents

Revel in the awesomeness of my articulate, 16 month old grandnephew.

I definitely heard him say "I said yes!"