I am soooo excited!!! I have finished the pastel portraits of K and J. I recently started taking art classes (specializing in pastels) at Gallaghers Canyon with a wonderful teacher named Tina. I was a bit ambitious in that I wanted to do a painting of K from a photograph. It turned out so well that I took on another project, a painting of J from a photograph. They took 5 sessions to do (that's 15 hours total for the two of them). I am so thrilled with the results I have signed up for another series of 6 lessons! I have also been invited to exhibit them at the Gallaghers Canyon art show in June so now I have a reason to get them matted and framed. Wanna see? Here they are.

Don't tell Craig, but I've been on e-Bay again! This time I have acquired "Cherish" by CTMH. This is a hardback, colour book containing scrapbook layouts. I got this book together with a set of My Acrylix Precious Alphabet (a misnomer as it includes numbers too) for $67 CDN. This is a heck of a deal as the book alone is $50 (with tax and shipping) and the stamp is $38 (that's $21 savings!). I also got myself a colour combination guide helps you with ideas for putting scrapbooking pages together.

Anyway, don't remind me that you can go broke saving money....

This is my new acquisition. Expensive but an excellent reference book for those interested in art. I have wanted to study art history for a while (as well as some other humanities) as I missed out on this opportunity at university as in the UK we don't get a general studies year. Unfortunately two university courses on art history run to $1000 which is just too much to spend at this point in my life so the book is a cheap option. Just the fact that it has 1400 illustrations/photos almost 100% in colour is incredible (so is the fact that the book has 1200 pages and ways about as much as baby J).

I am hoping to get some ideas for some art projects out of this book as well learning the lingo so I sound, well, like I know "sumthink 'bout ahhrt".

This is my new acquisition. Expensive but an excellent reference book for those interested in art. I have wanted to study art history for a while (as well as some other humanities) as I missed out on this opportunity at university as in the UK we don't get a general studies year. Unfortunately two university courses on art history run to $1000 which is just too much to spend at this point in my life so the book is a cheap option. Just the fact that it has 1400 illustrations/photos almost 100% in colour is incredible (so is the fact that the book has 1200 pages and ways about as much as baby J).

I am hoping to get some ideas for some art projects out of this book as well learning the lingo so I sound, well, like I know "sumthink 'bout ahhrt".

It's been a while since PMA 2006, but I waited with baited breath to hear of the new digital camera offerings being served up this year. Two cameras intrigue me and I'll tell you why.

As anyone who knows me knows that I love taking pics of my two small kids, I have the problem that there is never enough light inside the house to get decent shots (read unblurred) without a flash. I got an external hot-shoe flash for my Fuji S7000Z at Christmas which allows me to bounce the flash off the ceiling (this is great if you haven't tried it), but it still doesn't allow for moody light shots or a lot of control over depth of field.

So I was considering a DSLR (the Rebel XT). But these things aren't cheap and the one thing I love about my Fuji is the LCD screen which I use most of the time.

At PMA 2006, Fuji announced the F30. This camera is the first consumer level camera (read non-DSLR) to have ISO3200. This means that low light photography without a flash is possible indoors and at night. In fact, it has 3 more stops of light than my existing Fuji (ISO400 and F2.8 at 6 megapixels). And, when you need a flash, it has a smart flash technology which varies the flash level depending on the ambient light in the scene. A tiny camera with 6 megapixels and some decent manual control. I like it!Click here for more info.

The second offering that whetts my appetite is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1. This is a fully feature DSLR that has a live preview LCD screen. While it may not be the first/only DSLR to have live preview (Olympus were first and are at the present time the only alternative) it is the only one to have full time live preview. Like the Oly it also has a "dust-shaker" to remove dust from the mirror by vibrating. Lastly it has some great features that the Oly doesn't have: a shutter speed dial mounted on top of the camera, an adjustable angle built-in flash and an on-lens aperture ring, as well as using Leica lenses. This camera is a thing of beauty and if I only hope I have the cash when it comes out. Click here for more info.

To keep up with the latest camera news check out www.dpreview.com.

Hi, welcome to my studio.

My interests and hobbies are varied but mostly include ways for me to creatively express myself. So don't be suprised at the variety of creative outlets that will be discussed here.

As a backgrounder, my interest in digital photography got me interested in scrapbooking, which got me interested in cardmaking (same supplies). My interest in music (I am a clarinet and saxophone player) is lying dormant for the time being as the kids wake up if I make too much noise during their sleeping times (and I don't get time when they're awake!). My interest in art has been on and off over the years (mostly off for the last 10 years) but I have recently been taking some art classes and am specializing in pastels at the present time.

I am not sure what this blog will turn into in the long run but hopefully I'll be able to let you know what I accomplish, what I'm interested in and anything that is new or cool in these areas.

Hi, welcome to my studio.

My interests and hobbies are varied but mostly include ways for me to creatively express myself. So don't be suprised at the variety of creative outlets that will be discussed here.

As a backgrounder, my interest in digital photography got me interested in scrapbooking, which got me interested in cardmaking (same supplies). My interest in music (I am a clarinet and saxophone player) is lying dormant for the time being as the kids wake up if I make too much noise during their sleeping times (and I don't get time when they're awake!). My interest in art has been on and off over the years (mostly off for the last 10 years) but I have recently been taking some art classes and am specializing in pastels at the present time.

I am not sure what this blog will turn into in the long run but hopefully I'll be able to let you know what I accomplish, what I'm interested in and anything that is new or cool in these areas.