Donna B Miller

Finding the Muse: Elaine Brady Smith

One of the nice things, maybe the only nice thing, about being ill is that you can play on your computer without guilt. So, stuck indoors with a really nasty sinus infection, I have been working on all kinds of art projects.

Over at Scrapbookgraphics, we're being inspired by the work of Elaine Brady Smith, a Pennsylvania-based artist who specializes in collage and mixed media work. You can learn more about her and see her work here. Thanks, IndyBev, for introducing me to this new artist.

Here's a piece I finished this morning, Mariposa.

CREDITS: Birgit Kerr's Wellnacht paper; Meredith Fenwick's Sweet Notions paper; Christina Renee's The Original Grunge Papers; Flerg's Vintage Garden torn border; Berna Datema's Gunge Overlays 1; Traci Sim's Everyday Essentials: Trims; Manu's Happiness lace; ON Cardboards No. 1 butterfly; and Sausan's Verde rusty pin. Photo from ArtEZine.

I've participated in two other challenges this week, both at Digital Art Quirks.

The first was a Stock Photo challenge using this balcony photo from FreeFoto.com



Here's my interpretation, On Wings and a Prayer.



The other was the Digital Art Quirks Quirkle Challenge. Each week, we take turns setting up challenges for other DAQ participants. This week was my turn. I challenged the Quirks to design a piece with 1) a movie star; 2) some alliteration (able ape abs, bossy buxom beauties, etc.); and 3) a monotone color scheme (any color). It's been so much fun seeing what everyone has come up with.

Here's my ATC, featuring the late Charlie Chaplin.

We'd love to have more participants in these challenges, so please stop by and play along with us. If you have any questions, just drop me a note in the comment section, and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Inspired by Botticelli

Don't you just hate it when life gets in the way of creativity? And would someone please explain to me why, when life gets stressful, the first thing I give up is my art? It's the one thing I can count on to relieve stress, yet it's the first thing I give up. Does that sound like a sane act?

All of which is my roundabout way of saying I'm sorry for being such a bad blogger.

This week over at Scrapbookgraphics, we're looking to Sandro Botticelli, the Renaissance painter for inspiration. For my piece, I wondered how Botticello would have approached his work if he were a collage artist. Here's what I came up with:

Credits: Sausan's Altered Artistry Urban Art paper; Taran Conyer's Lipstick Chic paper; and Berna Datema's Eye Love You Grunge Overlays.

Finding Inspiration In the Stars

Kim Gabriel, my quirky co-host of the Frameworthy challenge at Scrapbookgraphics, has chosen the Zodiac Series by Carolyn Quan for our inspiration this week. You can check out Quan's gallery here.

With a birthday in January, I will be trying to put together a Capricorn piece. Here's my Quan inspiration.

I've been on the Internet looking for resources to use in my work. If you feel like playing along, you might want to check out these Zodiac freebies.

Janita at Seishido.biz  offers Written in the Stars Photoshop brushes, which includes large brushes for each sign.

Kirsty at 500 ML also offers Zodiac brushes, featuring 24 different brushes.

There are several fonts that focus on astrology, including KR Astro Font and  AstroGadget. Both are available at Dafont.

You can even download free  Zodiac clip art at PC World.

I'm really looking forward to seeing some out-of-this-world art in the gallery this week.

Finding Inspiration: Maggie Taylor

I'm so lucky to be one of the hosts of Scrapbookgraphics' weekly Frameworthy challenge. I love sharing some of my favorite artists with the challenge participants. This week, I selected the oh-so-talented Maggie Taylor as our inspiration. Taylor produces prints by scanning objects into a computer using a flatbed scanner, then layering and manipulating these images using Photoshop to create a surrealistic montage. The resulting work is full of vivid colors and magical images.

I found my inspiration in her work Crazy Faith. The photo she used in this delightful piece reminded me of a similar photo of my great grandfather. Living in rural Kentucky, and trying to make a living during the Depression must have been incredibly difficult. I've entitled my piece, A Hard Day's Night.

Photos of sky, landscape, and lightning from stock.xchng. Photo of building from Stephanie O'Neill's Simpler Days stock photo kit; overlay from Sausan's Pixies Overlays. Font is Goudy.

One Photo: Dozens of Interpretations

The Stock Photo Challenge is back at Digital Art Quirks. The idea is simple. Members take turns choosing a stock photo for others to use in their art. Past challenge photos have included everything from melting ice cubes to mosaic tiles to rust. This week was one of the easier ones. The challenge was to use a photo of an old notebook, uploaded to stock.xchng by Stefanie. L.

I ended up doing an art journal page, using lyrics from the Paula Cole song, Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?

Photos of journal, boots and horseshoe are from stock.xchng. All other papers and elements are from Kathryn Balint's Little Jake kit.

If you'd like to participate in this week's challenge, you'll find the assignment here.

Quirkle Challenge: Season's Greetings

Ruthpics outlined the parameters for last week's Quirkle Challenge at Digital Art Quirks. Create a 6x6 work using snow, wings, and an emphasized word of meaning to the creator.

I've been thinking a lot about the word joy since my recent trip to Disney World. In the "happiest place on earth," I saw so many people who looked stressed, tired, and just downright angry. What a shame. Sometimes I fear that our society has lost its ability to find happiness in simple things. So that's what I'm wishing my blog readers and fellow Quirks: I wish you joy.

 

Photo from stock.xchng; background paper (blended) and wings from Lie Fhung's Soaring kit; snowflakes and stars from Fhung's Lumoz Whimsy 2.

Finding the Muse: Dali Style

Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali was as prolific as he was eccentric. This week, he's the subject of our Frameworthy Inspiration challenge at Scrapbookgraphics. Virtual Dali, an online gallery devoted to his work, is one of the best art sites that I've ever come across. You could easily spend hours going from painting to painting.

I took my inspiration from his famous painting, The Eye. My version is a little less severe, a little less quirky, but I didn't use hallucinogens to alter my reality, either.

Background papers from Meredith Fenwick's Autumn Breeze Dotted Solids; photos of eye, sunset, and mountain from stock.xchng; barcode from Maya's Weird is Wonderful brushes; and paint from Lie Fhung's ArtiStroke's Soaring Strokes. Overlay from Berna Datema's Eye Love You Grunge Overlays.

On Butterflys and Freebies

What a crazy weekend! Two of the sites where I hang out, KB & Friends and Scrapbookgraphics, were both hosting special events for Digital Scrapbooking Day. There were chats, special challenges, and gifts galore. It was a lot of fun, but by the time it was over, I was exhausted.

Kim Gabriel and I hosted a special Frameworthy challenge and chat at SBG on Saturday night. Our inspiration piece was one of Andy Warhol's butterfly pieces. I've got to admit, I was familiar with Warhol's pop art, but  who knew he did pretty?

Here's what I came up with, a piece of mail art with all kinds of flying and butterfly references. Be sure to check out the awesome airmail stamp in the corner.

Background and postcard from the SBG Gratitude kit; butterfly photo from stock.xchng; winged woman from Art E-Zine; butterfly stamp from my own Winged Things brushes; air mail stamp from Maya's Weird is wonderful; postage stamp from Outside the Margins; and postmark from Nancie Rowe Janitz's Bits of History brushes. Font is Jane Austen.

The large butterfly brush in the background is from my own Winged Things brush set. I gave it out at the Frameworthy chat, but if you've read this far, I think you deserve your own set. (I'm sorry, this link has been disabled.)

Finding the Muse: In My Own Backyard

I admit it. I was very self-indulgent when I chose this week's inspiration pieces for Scrapbookgraphics' Frameworthy Challenge.

I'm a little homesick this week. I grew up on the Kentucky River, and when the fall leaves start changing, I want to head to the river. For me, the next best thing to being on the river is looking at the work of Impressionist painter Paul Sawyier, 1865-1917. Sawyier was a prolific painter best known for his landscape paintings featuring central Kentucky.

The painting below was the view outside my bedroom window when I was a young girl. It has changed very little since Sawyier lived in his houseboat along the shore. To see more of his work, you can check out Paul Sawyier Art Gallery online.

So how does this painting inspire you? Does it make you want to scrap a place that you're fond of? Maybe you'd like to duplicate the technique Sawyier used. Or perhaps you like his subdued color palette. If you'd like to join us in the challenge, please post your layouts in the SBG Frameworthy Gallery and link to the forum. I look forward to seeing everyone's different interpretations.

Finding the Muse: Some New Challenges

This week's Quirkle challenge at Digital Art Quirks is to create a 6x6 layout with the following restrictions: It should be a page about your past; include a quote; use the color purple; and use at least two circles.

I know that I've got to do something focusing on my sixth-grade crush on Donny Osmond. Somewhere I have a picture of the purple jumpsuit I bought because purple was his favorite color. Now if I can just figure out how to quirk that up.

And over at Scrapbookgraphics, Kim Gabriel has selected Duane Keiser for our Frameworthy art inspiration. Keiser auctions off a painting a day, and most of the paintings focus on food. Check out today's PB&J No. 7.  Doesn't it look yummy?

And, last, but not least, the September digital/hybrid challenge is still going on at KB&Friends. The challenge is to design an ATC featuring a Thankfulness fairy. Participants will receive this great little ATC kit by Karen Aicken just for playing.

Here's my Count Your Blessings fairy that I did for the challenge.

Fairy, hat and wings from Kathryn Balint's Make a Fairy kit; background papers (blended) are from KB's Fun and Games, and Attic Treasures. Buttons are KB's Shabby Buttons. Font is Bernard MT.