Just for fun...

Remember Charlie's squirrel? This is how I see it...

Obviously,

this is how Charlie sees him!

Or...

Perhaps this!

 Yes, I've been doing more experimenting with Wombo Art. It actually gives me better results than more popular  DALL-E or Midnight Journey. I use the free version of Wombo and can 'play' with it on my phone while waiting on important things.

Like waiting for the water to boil while making spaghetti. Or perhaps playing with it when hubby asks me to sit and watch football [waiting for it to end!]

I don't really care for the Game Avatar look that many people put out-- sample: 

They look too 'canned' or computerized to me....

Instead I keep looking for something that really interests me.

I asked Wombo to show me a green dinosaur in a radio studio doing a late night talk show:

When you really don't know who

you are listening to

on late night radio...

I like to find fun things. What about a Dinosaur in a laboratory!

Not a good idea

to have a dinosaur

as a lab partner

Then once in a while I get curious. I love watercolor painting and I've tried every program that offered digital painting and have failed to ever get anything close to what pleases my eye.

But...

I could never have actually done this with a brush and watercolors. But I think they are really appealing to me in a way.

I worked on a few different images and came up with something that really struck me.

I like mixing images I 'create' through prompts and see if I can make something that doesn't look 'canned'.

I took this....

and this....

and layered them together to create this:

"Everything in nature invites

us constantly to be what we are."

~Gretel Ehrlich

I'm saving some of these artworks to put in a photobook so I can page through it on dark and dreary days.

When I am among Trees

I know I want to create a photo book of some of the artistic images of trees that I've done this past year. 

I've gathered most of the shots and artistic renderings I've made by different methods and have been getting ready to put them together.

I had no coherent plan in mind, but like most things. Generally the mood of creativity has to smack me upside the head [mentally, that is]. 

I was still conflicted. Is it appropriate to put nice plain photos and mix in different methods of editing? I am stymied.

I was also stuck because I had nothing I wanted to put on the cover of the book.

I'd tried a few different shots and artistic designs with no luck.

I wasn't even thinking about the project when I took a photo of one of my favorite trees and ran it through Wombo Art AI and then Deep Dream AI. I was simply curious to see what would happen if I used AI to mix up two forest shots.

I merged the photos in ON1 [Photoshop is too pricey for me] and messed around.

Little did I know that this was exactly what I'd been searching for.

It looks like some sort of painting that I could imagine walking through.

I even tested it out with a title.

I was inspired by the piece of artwork enough to think about working on the project again.

When I am Among Trees is a poem by my favorite poet, Mary Oliver.

She says what I feel in one small beautiful poem.

I think now that I have this in mind, I can work on the rest of the book.
My executive decision is this. I'll mix and match photos with some of my art. After all, it isn't a 'book' per se that is going out on the NY Best Seller list. 
It will be a self published book for me to pick up and browse through and enjoy what I'd done.

We will see how the project progresses.

Some photos will be artsy and some not so artsy.
I just wanted to collect them in one place to enjoy them.

After all, trees are constantly on my mind.

When I Am Among the Trees

When I am among the trees,

especially the willows and the honey locust,

equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,

they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,

in which I have goodness, and discernment,

and never hurry through the world

but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves

and call out, “Stay awhile.”

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,

“and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.” Mary Oliver

Exploring AI Art

AI in photography? Nonsense, right?
Well, I couldn't resist trying a program that allowed you to type in words and add a photo of your own, then pick a style using wombo ai art. I'd read about it from a review on new AI art which was pondering the relevance or non relevance of new ways of creating art. 

Is it real art? Is it not real art?

The consensus in a way is that it is not 'old' art in a sense but a new kind of art. 

I'm ambivalent regarding that. My conclusion is using AI as a means to an end can be art as long as the 'artist' is in control of manipulating the final piece.

I'm one that has explored computer generated art in the past and enjoyed using it. 

So....

Here is the original photo I used.

I typed in Scary, End of the World, and picked the Malevolent Style.

I didn't expect I'd really get anything I'd like. After all AI isn't really quite art or is it?

The result:

I sort of liked it in an abstract way. But felt I could improve on it tremendously if I used some magical editing skills.

Crop/Resize/a bit of punch added and this was the result:

Still neat but not quite there. It needed something to tell more of a story and create a feeling.

I put it in DxO's Analog app and gave it some minor adjustments and a partial 'dirt' texture.

Clearly, my Grand daughter who is a gamer, would appreciate the final result. Dystopian, end of the world, creatur-ish, scary, out of the world...strange.

I stopped there because it struck me with the emotion of slight discomfort. 
Perfect.

I thought I'd try another one. I uploaded this with the key words: Forest Love and picked the Arcane setting.

Edit:

I tried an edit with a double exposure using the very same photo at the start of this blog. 

It's okay but I can think of better shots to use. 

This was an experiment in using DxO's analog double exposure edit which allows you to do this effect easily. 

It works quite well.

I couldn't leave well enough alone so I wondered what would happen when I used this shot:

This one was a bit too gloomy, but the result from the text I typed in was interesting. Instead of a forest, it looks like a city on doomsday.

I upped the 'influence' of the original image and got this which ended up looking like a painting with subtle tones.

It is sort of addicting to type things in and see what happens. The end result isn't always wonderful, but it is fun to see what happens.

Yeah.

You can tell that yesterday was hot, muggy, and awful! I spent the late afternoon inside mucking around with ideas and art exploration. 

Too dang uncomfortable outside.

Sunday Arty Stuff

I am doing a photo album of just 'tree' stuff. I'm trying once again to follow some of the local trees on our road and the forest through out the year.

It isn't just about the trees themselves but more of a study on how the trees shapes just amaze me. They are an artform all their own.

Below: Apple Blossoms

I think I like this one below a bit better...
for its artsy minimal effect

Below: Cherry Blossoms in the morning light

Abstract

Below: Cherry Blossoms in Neighbor's yard

Birch tree

Oak Tree with catkins

Most of these photos were taken in mid May. That is how far behind I am in addressing my photography. The yard and gardens sort of took over and I'm just about finished now except for planting sweet corn [I'm going to do a no till experiment that may fail miserably].  

I also have a rough spot in the yard that I'm going to dig up a bit and toss in a couple of packets of wildflower seeds.

Today looks like a good day to just chill out.

Having an abstract day

This is called a Mandelbulb Fractal. Fun, creative, frustrating and bizarre way to come up with something purely abstract.

Some of these folks that have mastered this program have had their work featured in Guardians of the Galaxy and funky album covers.

I've sold two abstract pieces in all of my time doing these. Not that I advertised, but that folks just thought it strange and weird enough that they wanted one piece on their wall.

I could get lost for hours in Mandelbulb 3D or JWildfire just creating fractals and enjoying what appears.
I tried Bryce 7 but never got along with it much. I sure don't have the skills to work through Blender and some of the other creative programs out there.

Ruins

Below is purely a random flame I played with the colors and then just it render. It's not meant to be anything other than just doodling with the program. 

The Clone Nursery

Then there is a composite of fractal Flames which I edited in PaintshopPro. 

No names just pretty colors and patterns.

Some days are meant for just messing around and exploring anything not related to the weather or the news.

Thanks ... giving

Nah, NO turkey for us! 

I do lasagna. I have never actually cooked a turkey. I don't even like most poultry so it is a no brainer for me.

We used to gather as a large family long ago with cousins, Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents. Us kids ate in another room. I recall we got in trouble for creating a squash, corn, and cranberry mountain on a plate in the middle of our table. I think we all added the food we disliked to the mountain with the idea we'd give the big mess to the dogs. 
We got caught and chastised. 

We put on bright colored clothing and went sledding while the adults cleaned up. 

This holiday keeps changing over the years. There was the Thanksgiving I did hotdogs with the boys. That is what they wanted. There were gatherings of our generation. 

Things changed. People went their own ways.

We will spend time at home without company. I will start working on my Christmas Projects. I made a new one this past week. 

I took my handmade 'Fairy House' Stuff and thought it would be fun to set things up on a little table. I moved the old trunk  and set a white board on it...I'll address that later.
The little table with a drawer became my project. What to do?

Well, I gathered my moss house, my mossy tree, and just messed around a bit. I gutted the mossy tree of its lights and added a puck light I could turn on with a remote.
I replaced the batteries in the fairy lights and gathered up my tiny squirrels and Groot.
I found a use for the mini decorations that had been put away for so many years.

I found a chunk of plastic ivy left over from some long ago project and viola! The table became a setting I can admire while in the kitchen doing other projects. I can also move the squirrels around or make the dinosaurs or dragons visit...OH the endless possibilities!

And in the morning before dawn, I can enjoy the lights even more as they add fun and warmth to the kitchen area.

While putting other things away, I came across some brooches I'd ordered last year. I wanted to swap out a brooch on my 'go to town' baseball cap and had ordered a little packet of them. 

I have a tiny tree ... I had the bug brooches.
And I thought...why not?

Which led me to gathering some of my mother in laws brooches I inherited to decorate the tiny tree in the kitchen [no picture...sorry]. 

There is that old trunk with the white board on it just hanging around near the back door. I kept thinking about white and about what I could come up with.

Something snowy, something fun, something different.
This piece of cardboard packing came with a humidifier, I thought I might use it to make a little snow mountain.

I used some felt and some sticky two sided tape to hold it on the cardboard. The linen tea towel is one that came from my Grandmother and Aunt's things that I inherited. I thought it might make good snow.

The jury is still out on this small creation. I can see where I will be messing with this for a bit to get it right. 

I may even scrap the whole idea, time will tell. 

The new Christmas Chair is now in the living room. It is waiting. But I am holding off on that project. There is no rush.

I got out in the afternoon for doing some Girry Adventure photography. If anyone has ever worked with a dog underfoot, perhaps they can appreciate how helpful or unhelpful a pet can be...

Here is Charlie, inspecting the Teddy named Moose just before he pushed it over. I wish I had been quick enough to capture Charlie nosing the Girry Giraffe into the creek water.

Today will be more about chilling out, relaxing, and enjoying each other's company.

What am I thankful for?

My imagination which allows me to enjoy going in so many directions at once.
My husband who constantly brings me joy and frustrations. Our home and farm.

Charlie.

Friends and family.