Today is My Birthday

I have these beautiful canceled stamps from a letter I received from Singapore. Like this earlier set of stamps (see below in the lower left corner - the colors informed the doodling art), I'm going to do some art themed on the colors - aqua blue and reddish browns. The stamp is of a Large Indian Civet, which looks like some sort of ocelot or raccoon to me.

New Photo Album Debuts on Picasa

I'm recently fascinated with the stamens and pistils on flowers. I especially like the ones that are choked with pollen.

You can view all of them, color and some black and white, on the Picasa link to the right.

Day Lily

Stamens - Up Close and Personal

Healing Bouquet

These are some images from a beautiful bouquet sent to me while recuperating from knee surgery. There were at least a thousand wonderful images in this one large package of late summer blossoms. Here are my fave five. Thank you to Teresa & Walter.

Fall Will Arrive Soon

Paper-y Dahlia

My knee is healing remarkably well. For the first time in 4 weeks, I felt like I could do some art that wasn't strictly doodling or computer generated stuff. I took photos of some withering dahlias (is that appropos to how I feel as my last 4-ending birthday comes next week, after 6-8 weeks of awful sick and pain?). Anywhoo, I liked the paper-y quality of the leaves, and the way the colors evoke the soon-arriving Fall.

I'm on the mend now, but a bit melancholy as the end of the year nears. I don't feel like there were as many accomplishments this year. I'm in the home stretch when I normally pull things out, but I'm not feeling so much like making that happen this year.

Knees in Trees

Botanical Knee

Angel Piggy

Something to do while resting my torn meniscus. I moved my gigantic iMAC into the family room so I can occupy myself (read: sit on couch and do something besides watch CNN all day) while waiting for surgery on Thursday.

This is a composite of a photo I took of this fantastic cast iron pig and use of texture stamps and the brushes, with various treatments (lighten, burn, opacity, etc.).

I Like This One

and this one too.

Still in Pain

But I keep doodling. I saw a piece on CNN today where they were following John McCain around during his book tour last year. While on an interview with a Chicago radio station, he was doodling! The cameraman actually zoomed in on his paper just to subtly show the doodling.

Doodles of Pain

I've been sick lately - the kind of sick where I'm hurting. I didn't realize I was even that sick until I had to go to the ER over the weekend. But, I'm better now!

These doodles (and more posted on Picasa) are the doodles of pain I didn't know I had. Amazing how numb we become.

Square Flower

Rock & Shell

More Thistles

Artichoke Thistles

Those flowers from the Farmer's Market are an endless source of picture wonderful-ness. You really can't take a bad photo!

This is an artichoke just pushing out it's thistle. They look dangerous, but they are actually quite soft and a powdery-beautiful purple color.

Art Shot for the Day

Here is an awning on a historical building in downtown La Jolla. I did crop it a bit and make it sepia.

Over CA En Route to La Jolla

I flew over CA to La Jolla today from SFO. It was a beautiful day, but as you can see from the photos, there is still a lot of smoke in the air. That made for interesting atmospheric effects in the photography, so I was cool with it. Click to see more detail.

Art galleries in La Jolla leave a lot to be desired. :(

Resurrecting Prints from the Spring

I never got the last eight prints I did in the 40-print series up on Picasa Web Albums until today. There are eight - all on watercolor paper with Daler-Rowney litho inks and pearlescent ink work over the top.

Here are my two favorites. Okay, three. You can see all eight here.

When it Rains, It Pours

A beautiful old ride seen from behind tonight and a well-worn poster in an SF parking garage last Sunday in North Beach.


Two photos of the Morton/Leslie Salt abandoned building at the east end of the San Mateo Bridge in the flatlands of Hayward.

Plaid Doodle

Psychedelic Doodle

Saturday's Visual Quilts

Today's art is visual quilt collages from the day in San Francisco with Ceebs. Actually, the day started at the Farmer's Market. Beautifully arranged veggies were in abundance, as were the flowers.




Likewise, the tablecloths and such used in the booths were material worth visually quilting. My favorite is the vibrant orange umbrella at the new pottery artist's booth. I also like the little John Deere tractors from Farmer John's booth.



These photos are from Haight Ashbury - tiles on the front of a restaurant that a homeless guy was telling us used to be a martini bar back in the 70s. The owner of that bar apparently took offense to anyone who dared order a Coors light. At any rate, the tilework is beautiful.

Botanical Sunset

Smoky Bubble Sunset

Smoky Sunset is Sensational

Tonight on the way home from work I just had to pull over at the on-ramp to the San Mateo Bridge to snap some photos of the smoky sunset. We've been experiencing these for several weeks, while the California wildfires run rampant. But, I haven't seen them for some reason.

This first shot is looking west across the shallow bay waters.


This second shot is at just past the top of 92, near Skyline/Hwy 35, looking over the Pacific Ocean.

Lawns to be Mowed

Even in a drought, there are lawns to be mowed. Sometimes they are strewn with native Californian jade.

Collage of Some Tiles from The Ferry Building

If you haven't ever been to the Ferry Building, because you are a local and you forget the beauty that is around us, do go. It is a wonderful setting - a great view across the SF Bay of the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island/Yerba Buena. Lots of people (lots!) milling around at their SF Farmer's Market on a Saturday, and inside many great Euro-ecletic shops with salamis, flowers, chocolates, cupcakes, exotic mushrooms and the like. We had a long, luxurious lunch at The Slanted Door which we will review separately on Yelp!.

Here is a montage of the tile work on the walls, and a shot of the mushrooms.

Painted Grates in SF

As always, click on the image to see the detail of the sidewalk grates that had paint on them today in SF, near MOMA.

Mojitos Anyone?!

Sam's Lamp

Taken at dusk last Weds night at Sam's Chowder House. Did I mention that I LOVE my new camera? Canon 40D (digital), 10 MPix. It's all that and makes me seem like a much better photographer than I really am.