Damselfly

This is my entry for the Mixed Media Monday challenge (personal symbols and myth). For me the exploration of the Divine Feminine and Nature are an ongoing theme in my art and my spiritual beliefs. It is what inspires me to create. I began a study of the Goddess about 12 years ago ( being disappointed with traditional religions) and found through myth a natural explanation of life and its mysteries. I try to follow the seasonal wheel and incorporate nature and its cycles in all that I do. This digital piece is an expression again of the feminine spirit in nature, feeling at home in her beauty and abundance.

Chrysalis

This is my entry for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge this week ( Insects). Multilayers of photo images (e-vint, Kit and kaboodle) over background from scrapbookgraphics. Inverted layers and color burn filters. Moths are a photoshop brush randomly scattered. She is caught up in a fluttering explosion of a cocoon awakening at dusk. A bit of a fractured, frozen dreamscape.

Firebird

This is my entry for the Digital Whisper challenge this week where the theme is "Movement". We were given an image that displayed what I saw as fire or a branch ablaze and interpreted it this way . I added wings and red gradient hues for a "Phoenix rising" kind of dance.

Luna Tarot

I never turn down the opportunity to explore the tarot and decided to make a digital tarot card for the theme at The Three Muses this week (cards). I made a whole set of tarot ( major arcana) last year when learning photoshop and with this new one I tried to incorporate a few of the new skills I have worked on. The Moon, decidedly feminine and luminous is represented here along with the wolf ( singing his song to the moon) in the greater cosmos in the background. I have always been drawn to this card for its symbolism and deep, mysterious connections to the rhythms of life.

The image is from Lunagirl, background from scrapbookgraphics, moon and wolf from wikimedia all cropped, colored and layered with multi filters added in Photoshop.

Jardin

This is my digital entry for the Mixed Media Monday challenge "Marie Antoinette". I decided to put Marie ( image from wikimedia) in a garden setting with the roses that she loved. The roses are a personal photo of my own flowers cropped and layered. The background is from scrapbookgraphics, ironwork from Lorie Davison and the ivy is a cool photoshop (special effects)brush that I added . Mixed multiply and gradient hues helped create a rich, shadowed color and effect.

Eve In the Garden

After making the "Naomi" piece I wanted to continue with the "Ancient" theme and was drawn to this image (wikimedia commons) and decided to explore the story of Eve with this digital collage. It is actually an image of Lilith with the serpent and I added vintage botanical clippings and multi digital overlays for the effect of a garden. Poor Eve - she has always been to blame for so many evils.... I like to think of her as the original goddess, one who had sensitivity and appreciation of all plants and animals , one who wasn't afraid of the wonders of the garden.

Naomi

This is my entry for the Digital Whisper challenge "Ancient" in which we were given a beautiful old scroll type texture (thanks Kimmie) that I used as a background for this piece. I added an image from e-vint along with script, digital beads and multply and soft light filters all blended and layered in Photoshop.

Moonshadow

I'm being followed by a moon shadow

moon shadow -moon shadow

leaping and hopping on a moon shadow

moon shadow - moon shadow

-Cat Stevens

This is my entry for the 4x4friday challenge this week. Digital collage with my own dragonfly background, free image from (e-vint). Moon photo googled and all images converted to black and white and digital overlay added for soft color.

Faeriewood

I have been in the mood for faeries and butterflies and all such fantasy lately so I thought I would enter this piece I made recently for the Theme Thursday challenge "Butterflys". I made the digital background out of personal photos and a scratchy artist paper with many layers of digital painting. The image of the woman is from (e-vint) and the faerie houses are actually photos of a building from (kit and kaboodle) that I shrunk down to faerie size in photoshop. I added torn bits of dictionary paper of enchanted descriptions.

Odette

This is my digital entry for The Three Muses interesting challenge this week (Legs). Wasn't sure what to do until I found a lovely old dance photo (e-vint.com) of a Ballerina. She looked alot like the lead character (Odette) in Swan Lake and the hazy vintage quality to the photo made for a mysterious piece. The background is from scrapbookgraphics, swan (wikimedia), art papers and soft light filters added in Photoshop.

Parasol Postcard

This is my entry for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge where the theme is "Umbrellas". I decided to use a lovely image with a Japanese parasol over three layers of backgrounds. The pin light filters give this piece its rustic red highlights . I also addded a torn paper filter for an aged appearance.

Flirtatious

This is my entry for the 4x4friday challenge where the theme is "Hat-itude". Hats can definately give one an attitude and a sense of role-playing. This image conveys a shy but somewhat flirty kind of essence with her sensual and wild floral hat. I layered her over a lovely lace background, added script and multiple layers of wispy color.

Pioneer

This is my entry for the Theme Thursday challenge "Vintage". All images blended and digitally colored. Flowers are from my personal photos. Soft light and multiply filters used.

Origins

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge this week (Stars). My digital collage depicts a star map with the constellation Monoceros amidst the swirl of the cosmos. Multi layers of backgrounds blended and digitally painted with levels of opacity reduced. Pin light filters to finish the effect in Photoshop. I love the old vintage star maps and I do love to try and find the different constellations on dark , clear nights but it can be very difficult to find some of the lesser known ones like the one shown here. I'll keep trying though!

Motherpeace

This is my entry for the Mixed Media Monday challenge "Mothers". I loved this image as it depicts (in a perfect world) the maternal love and protection of a mother's care . She is an angel, a guardian to watch over and gently guide her child through life. Those of us who have grown children have learned to let go and hope that our love is still somewhat of a protection in a sometimes dangerous and difficult world. I don't think you ever stop being a mom- no matter how old your kids are and my hat is off to mothers world wide - we are all alike.