Photo Friday - weekend on Tybee

It's been a busy week, trying to catch up in the office for work and getting started on a new piece using some of my handpainted fabric for fun. More about that later. Here are a few photos I took on Tybee Island during Labor Day weekend.

More later.

Photo Friday – kittens

A couple of weeks ago I went to visit my parents and got to play with and take pictures of their new kittens. They were too cute not to share, so enjoy.

More later.

Photo Friday – back roads

I know it's not Friday, but I don't want to wait another week before I get my blog back on track.

I enjoy traveling back roads. There's less traffic, less stress and more interesting things to see. A couple of weeks ago as I was traveling home from North Carolina (more about that later) I was driving down U.S. Highways 321 and 301. I couldn't help looking at all the old motels and relics of the days when these roads were the way to travel. Beginning in the 1930s, automobile travel became more and more popular, and roadside accommodations grew to serve the travelers. From campgrounds to cabins to motor courts, the lodging evolved and following World War II, the major north-south highways were lined with motels to serve vacationers.

After the Interstate system was begun, most of the travelers changed routes and the boom days were over. In the more prosperous towns the roadside motels were torn down for other growth, but in some areas they still exist. Along the stretch of 301 and 321 I traveled, there were some that are still in business, while others are dusty ghost towns.

I found the Vintage Roadside site to be full of interesting information on the history of motor lodges, as they were first known.

Here are a couple of pictures of sights that caught my eye.

A large motel, appears to be still in business

The Interstate, which apparently was a large truck stop and restaurant complex. Now a ghost town.

A great sign on a roadside restaurant

And another great sign on an old motel

Photo Friday – Wisteria

I was away from home last weekend, and got home to find my yard draped in lavender. The wisteria is blooming. At this time of year the wisteria is as beautiful as something out of a fairy tale. The shades from lightest to dark lavender, the way it drapes so gracefully and shimmers in the lightest touch of wind.

The rest of the year, unfortunately, it's more like something out of a horror movie, strangling trees, creeping under the siding of the house and sneaking out to snare a foot or the lawnmower blades.

But for now, beautiful. I've wanted to make a wisteria quilt for a while, so I took lots of photos to help me capture the look.

Enjoy. More later.

Photo Friday - the pool

I know I'm a little late, but it's been a busy week. I didn't realize it when I took this photo, but it incorporates several elements we use in art. There's perspective, shadow and light, symmetry, asymmetry, triadic colors/primary colors, and reflection.

And for those who are still suffering through winter, there's encouragement that spring really will come one of these days! We are in full spring mode on Tybee Island, with spring breakers swarming the beach, and temperatures in the mid-80s expected today.

Enjoy, more later.

Photo Friday - Signs of Spring!

It's gray and gloomy today, but signs of spring are all around. My plum trees are in full bloom and buzzing with bees, the camellias are finally blooming after being frozen all winter, and the daffodils are in their full glory.

Enjoy. More later.

This enormous camellia is actually two (I think) a dark pink and a white/striped

Photo Friday – Sunset

What a beautiful sunset last night. When I noticed that there were streamers of color in the sky in all directions I had to get pictures. This was a very delicate sunset, with fine strands of clouds stretching away from the sun, so the pinks and yellows of the sunset mingled beautifully with the blue of the sky.

More later.

Photo Friday - Trees

A few days ago I was drawing a tree and ended up with a sort of generic deciduous tree, kind of like an oak, but not specific to anything. Yesterday I was outside with the camera and it struck me just how many different shapes and silhouettes there are, just from trees in and around my yard. So I started searching out interesting trees and here they are.

interesting branches

grove of crape myrtles

very large, very old crape myrtle

many trunks of crape myrtle

tallest holly tree I've ever seen, that's the corner of
the house on the right bottom

trunk of the holly tree

magnolia trunk

oak tree, with pecan to left

pecan tree

not sure what this one is

Photo Friday - dried flowers

Original, dried flowers on Tybee Island dunes

One of my purposes behind Photo Friday is to get myself outside to take pictures of all those scenes that I keep noticing. But since we've one of the coldest, grayest and wettest Januarys and Februarys I've ever remembered, that hasn't been happening. Maybe soon, if the groundhog's prediction of an early spring was right. Don't we all hope!

So, here's a couple of photos I took on Tybee Island during New Year's weekend. These little flowers had grown in the dunes and were completely dried. I loved the delicate, lacy look of them. And of course, I love to experiment with all the filters and effects in Photoshop to see what happens to a photo. Often the result gives me an idea I want to incorporate into my quilts.

So, here's a closeup of the flowers, which are tiny, about the size of a dime, and some variations.

Filter - Artistic - Cutout

Filter - Stylize - Glowing edges

Image - Adjustments - Invert

The first, using the cutout filter, could, with some adjustments, be used to create a printed fabric.

The one using the glowing edges filter makes me think of neon. Maybe an idea for stained glass or a hint of an idea for a batik.

The inverted one creates a really interesting color scheme, very spooky and other-worldly. But it could also be a very modern quilt, black, purple and gray. Could have possibilities.

And the stamp one would make a fantastic batik fabric. I can see it in just about any color.

Any other inspirations?

Filter - Sketch - Stamp

More later.

Photo Friday - color

There's been a lot of discussion on a couple of my email lists about color, color wheels and value, and since I've been spending a lot of time with my Lumiere paints, I decided to play a bit. I created a color wheel with the paints, which I think is rather pretty, and tried out arranging them by value. The breakdown looks good in color but you can see in the black and white version that two of the mediums are the same value as the lights. Just shows it's not as easy to judge value as you would think.

light, medium and dark values, judged in color

More later.

in black and white the values are more obvious

Photo Friday - Tybee Island Lighthouse

Here are a couple of photos I took of the Tybee Island (GA) lighthouse a year or so ago.

More later.