27 July 2014

JLA: A League of One

JLA: A League of One46. JLA: A League of One by Christopher Moeller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wonder Woman, the Justice League, and a dragon: who doesn't love an epic quest?

The painted art is really lovely, gives the images a grounded depth.


A year ago on TTaT: X-Ray Vision

25 July 2014

Life of Art SitRep #233 Doldrums

Not feeling up to snuff this week so a bit slow going.

Shot 21 photographs and 1 video.

Watched The Art of Nature Photography with Art Wolfe on creative LIVE.

Made Stone Magnet Sets for: Stylish Christmas Meander Pattern Magnet Set, Chevrons Pattern Stone Magnet Set: Spring Colors:

Rocklawn Arts blogged New Stone Magnets by Claire Skinner.

Read Popular Photography July 2014 issue.

How was your week?


A year ago on TTaT: Sculpture Excursion

24 July 2014

Migrations: Wildlife in Motion

Migrations: Wildlife in Motion (Earthsong Collection)43. Migrations: Wildlife in Motion by Art Wolfe and Barbara Sleeper

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I confess I was in it for the photographs, so I didn't read all of the text.

Check it out from your library just to see the gemsboks! They are a type of antelope that already look like a mythical creature. (It's said they were the inspiration for unicorns)

After each section of several photographs, there are short paragraphs about the animals and types of migration they do.

For the photo inclined there are photographer's notes at the end which describe the locations he shot at as well as the lenses, f-stops, shutter speeds, and films he used. They give you a flavor for being there.


A year ago on TTaT: Some Kind of Wonderful

22 July 2014

Note to Self, vol. XX

You are not going to find an escapee bra in the washing machine to hang up to dry if you are wearing it.

Also, I'm sorry I mis-numbered* my notes to self and missed out on XIX.


*Grrrr, I do not mean "misnomered"! Pernicious autocorrect.


4 years ago on TTaT: Sunlit trees

19 July 2014

41. paper pools

Paper Pools41. Paper Pools by David Hockney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my kind of art book.

Hockney describes his reluctant route to learning a new medium, pictures made from pressed color paper pulp. He writes about the people he collaborated with at Tyler Graphics Ltd. to make the images.

I loved reading him describe his creative process, how he went from one idea to the next in a thorough study of a single object.

That makes it sound a bit too analytical. The book isn't. It's very conversational, like a fun version of what someone did for summer vacation and the recurring thoughts he had that threatened to pull him away. It's a look at an artist in the moments of creation, when the outcome is uncertain but the process is providing inspiration.

In addition to his entire Paper Pools series, there are also many drawings by Hockney of the workspace and his two collaborators, polaroid studies of the pool, and other photographs.

It's a quick, very enjoyable read.


A year ago on TTaT: Life of Art SitRep #180 Footing?

18 July 2014

Life of Art SitRep #232 Stone

This week, I finished adding my designs and photographs to the new Stone Coasters and single Stone Magnets. I'm still working on the magnet sets.
Rainbow Polka Dots on White Stone Coaster
Rainbow Polka Dots on White Stone Coaster by RocklawnArts
Look at other Marble Stone Coasters at zazzle.com

I updated two of my calendars for 2015:

I was going to update all of my calendar items, but the set of 2015 calendar templates in the forum had a typo. D'oh! Proofread things offered for free before you use them, kids, it's worth the time. I wish I knew an easy way to make my own that I could save in .png to preserve transparency. Any ideas out there?

Renamed, tagged, made 8 folders for scanned negatives. DONE RENAMING SCANS!!!! (Until such a time as I scan more anyway. Please forgive the all caps and excessive punctuation, they are taken directly from my notes wherein I celebrate wins small and large with enthusiastic typing.)

Rocklawn Arts blogged New Stone Coasters at Rocklawn Arts!

Read paper pools by David Hockney. Stay tuned tomorrow for a review. :)


4 years ago on TTaT: Sketchbook, page 38

12 July 2014

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt40. Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you invest in the stock market or want to know more about how it works, you should read this book.

It's an inside look at how messed up the market is, mostly by design and who's designing it. You'll learn about dark pools, high frequency traders, and the value of milli- and microseconds.

You'll also learn about some men from Wall Street who actually have consciences and a desire to fix the market so it's fair. Look into trading via IEX for an experience that's not rigged against individual investors.


6 years ago on TTaT: Tan, maybe

11 July 2014

Life of Art SitRep #231 Marble

This week, I saw some beautiful light and shot 66 photographs.

Finished adding my photographs and designs to the new:

iPhone 5/5S Smartphone Pouches: fits iPhone 5/5s/5c, Motorola RAZR M, Samsung b2710, Blackberry Torch, Sony Xperia p,

Samsung Galaxy S5 Pouches: fits Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Note II, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, LG G2, Sony Xperia Z1, Sony Experia Z,

and Samsung Galaxy S4 Pouches: fits Samsung Galaxy S3/S4, HTC one, Nokia lumia 920, Blackberry z10, Google Nexus 4, LG Optimus L9/G, Motorla RAZR, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, LG Spectrum, HTC windows phone 8x, Samsung ATIV, Pantech Discover, HTC One mini.
Green Water
Green Water by RocklawnArts
Find more Faux marble Smartphone Pouches at Zazzle

Rocklawn Arts blogged New iPhone 5/5S Smartphone Pouches at Rocklawn Arts!, New Samsung Galaxy S5 Smartphone Pouches at Rocklawn Arts!, and New Samsung Galaxy S4 Pouches at Rocklawn Arts!

Made some new templates for Stone Coasters and Stone Magnets and started adding my images to them. I chose marble for most of my products though you can choose whichever stone you prefer.

More sets of 4 magnets to come!

Renamed photographs, tagged, separated them into 11 folders by date and roll.

Made monthly backups.

Have you backed up recently?


3 years ago on TTaT: As good as it gets!

05 July 2014

Rosco, I think his name's Rosco

When my eyes first reached the plateau of the hill I was walking up, I thought I discerned a large lump of black fur on the street side of the fence about twenty feet away.

It'll be fine, I assured myself and kept walking.

I was right, the big, black dog was lying in the shade of a bush outside his house's fence. I couldn't see his owner but kept walking towards him.

Rosco barked at me and stood up. Clayton, his owner, appeared from a few feet further back and told him it was fine in a gentle voice, picking up his leash.

The bark was more of a "Hey, who's that?" than a threatening one, so I told Rosco, "It's just me," and gave a "hey" to Clayton.

Rosco walked over, sniffed my hands hanging loosely in front of me and then put his head under them. I gave him some head rubs and wondered when the last time I'd petted a dog was.

He stepped away and picked up his stick to show it to me. It was a piece of branch, about 3" in diameter and 2.5 feet long.

Is that a piece of the old one he had? I wondered. The last branch he'd had was the same thickness but about 5 feet long. Rosco had held that stick near its end, and I'd had to protect myself from being taken out at the knees as he moved his head. His new shorter stick didn't worry me.

It didn't look like he was offering the branch to me, and I didn't want to get into a tug of war, so his owner told him, "OK, that's enough," and let me continue on my walk.

Their house is at the top of my street where there's a circular turnaround. It wasn't long before I was walking past them again on the other side of the road. Rosco was sitting up attentively, but he didn't bark as I walked past. He just watched me.

Clayton and I exchanged byes and waves, and I headed back down the street.


A year ago on TTaT: Life of Art SitRep #178 Baby Blue

04 July 2014

Life of Art SitRep #230 Happy 4th of July!

I hope all y'all are having a happy 4th whether you're celebrating Independence Day in the US or not. It's pouring here but the weekend's supposed to be nice.

This week, I finished adding my new design Abstract Teal Polygons to my shop:
Abstract Teal Polygons Lamp
Abstract Teal Polygons Lamp by RocklawnArts
Browse more Teal Lamp-In-A-Box Lamp at Zazzle

I also created new templates for iPhone 5/5S Smartphone Pouches, Samsung Galaxy S5 Pouches, and Samsung Galaxy S4 Pouches and started adding my designs to them. I like these because multiple models will fit in each version.
Light Blue and White Meander
Light Blue and White Meander by RocklawnArts
Check out Light blue Smartphone Pouches online at zazzle
Abstract Blue Polygons
Abstract Blue Polygons by RocklawnArts
Browse more Blue Smartphone Pouches at Zazzle

Watched Create Powerful Photo Essays & Personal Projects with David H. Wells on creative LIVE.

Watched 5 Tips for New Wacom Tablet Users with Dave Cross on YouTube.

Rearranged store categories a bit.

Updated links, LOA files and for end of month.

Read Popular Photography June 2014 issue.

How was your week?


4 years ago on TTaT: Sketchbook, page 36