Deeply Flowing

Joy, peace, fear, anger. These are emotions we experience in life. For some joy is a constant euphoria.

Emotions can strike and flow so fast it's like the wind picked us up and swept us off.

Emotions flow and take us up and take us down. Enjoy the ride! Except, if they're fear and anger... be patient with the flow. In time, if you let it, it will bring you to joy and peace. When it does, savor it!

Today's image is 33/52 week challenge.

Sunset Fog

We decided to take an evening drive through the mountains after date night dinner Saturday, the 13th of August. I love Summer evenings when the heat of the day begins to dissipate into the night and give into the cool of the evening.

I noticed a bunch of cars parked at this pullout at the crest of the mountains just as we were rounding this curve. I thought, "what's this all about?" Then, there it was... the scene you see in the image.

I was irresistible. That explained all the cars. I told my husband I wanted to stop and capture it before it disappeared into darkness. I told him to drive ahead to another pullout overlooking this scene. When he did I could barely wait to get my seatbelt off and jump out of the car. I had a couple of choices to capture this. I decided I wanted the fog and the silhouette of mountains. I to stayed there and watched it till it was gone. Once I climbed back into the car it was time for the headlights. It was darkish.

Psalm 96:6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Smoke and Mirrors

Lunch yesterday in Lake Arrowhead, CA.

See the smoke in the background? We watched it as we road on Paul's motorcycle around the curvy mountain roads to make sure it was not where we were going.

At one point I saw the fire burning in a rage. Then as we rounded another area I could see where it crested and started going down the other side.

As you can see in the image only smoke was visible. I pray that no lives, homes, or businesses were affected.

This is image 31/52 week challenge. #52weekchallenge #landscape

The Spinning Top

The hum and whir of life spins on around us.

It moves us. Or not. It makes no fuss.

This is image 30/52 week challenge.

I used the spin and zoom technique.

Can you tell what that original subject is? Please share your ideas. I'd like to hear what you think.

Golden Glowbloom

She stood in all her majesty!

She glowed as though she were the sunlight itself.

The brilliant sunlight shone off her glorious colors, deep and full.

Week 29/52 week challenge.

This image is made with the lens painting technique I learned from +Janice Sullivan. Janice is one of +The Arcanum Masters. 

Rippled Reflection

In peaceful introspection I sit in the garden by the lakeside.

I listen to the birds singing and the rustle of the leaves as a soft breeze blows.

The sun shines brightly and the flowers glow with their beauty.

I hear a soft plop in the water of the lake next to me when I look over to see such a beautiful ripple and reflection of a magnificently glowing of colors around me in the water.

Won't you come and join me?

Today's image is 28/52 week challenge. It's abstract art using the spin and zoom technique with a little extra added in post processing.

The Inferno Blast

It was a normal day, like most others.

On this day I made a visit to the city to take care of some things.

I needed to go into this hi-rise building today. Moments after entering there was a loud blaring alarm going off.

All of sudden I heard screams of horror and fear.

You never expect something like this to happen to you.

I heard people screaming "FIRE" "FIRE" and running for their lives.

I was standing at the elevators waiting for be lifted to the 20th floor.

The elevator door opened and this is what I saw blasting and jumping about like it was dancing to a really hopping song. But the song was screams of horror and fear, not dance music.

I barely made it out alive. All my hair was singed and my skin felt like it was on fire. It was red as red can be... I think I even saw some blistering.

The hi-rise building was gutted by the fire. There's an arson investigation ongoing. Some say it was terrorist activity. Who knows with all this conspiracies being spewed about!

Thank God I escaped alive and am safe from the inferno!

This story is fictional. I made it up to go with my art piece.

Image 27/52 week challenge.

The Apparition

This image is inspired by some of the blur art I've been seeing online.

My +The Arcanum cohort apprentice friend +Matvey Z posted an art piece that's b/w and it's ghostly qualities. He posted that he was inspired by +Roxanne Bouche' Overton's work. I'm inspired by Matvey's work.

I love how we're all inspired by each other.

I'm actually a couple weeks behind in my posts because I was ill and acquiring a new mobile phone, which is one of my art creation outlets.

The backstory on this image is that it's from a videogame my husband plays that I love to watch him play. The game is: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. The main character was down in this cave. When I saw the image I was like... "OMG I need to get this... it'll create a great art piece."

There's a new video game deemed to be released August 9th called No Man's Sky. I'm hoping to capture some awesome images for art in this game. I'm excited about this new game. I'll play it myself instead of watching my husband.

Wormhole

Appearing before Space Jammer on another galaxy adventure is this stunning view.

Grabbing a snapshot of this amazing and stunning wormhole before the ship ventures into it.

Once inside the wormhole there's no going back. Once through the wormhole it will close up and disappear. It's a whole new life.

Think twice or three times before entering.

This is image 25/52 week challenge.

The Gallery

Today's image is 24/52 week challenge.

Today I'm going to share something to stir your soul.

We put art in galleries on display. We like to parade through the gallery and gaze into the art. As we parade we're seeking the one art piece that speaks to our soul.

When that art piece catches our gaze we become entranced and paralyzed by it. It reaches deep into our soul and speaks to us. What does it say? What emotions does it conjure up. What memories does it bring?

I dream of my own art hanging there in The Gallery waiting for it to reach out and grab you and speak to you. Hoping for it to take you to a completely serene place. Even if just for a moment. What memories does it bring forward? Does it speak to your soul? What is it saying?

You're Invited To My Garden Party

Springtime is a great time for a garden party.

I like that phrase: "Spring showers bring May flowers!"

The dew sparkles on the flower petals as the rising sun bursts through.

The bright and brilliant colors dance in the sunshine as a cool morning breeze lightly moves through and kisses the blooms shaking them with excitement as they dance around.

The blooms burst with a wonderfully relaxing and serene scent.

Come and join me, won't you!?

This is image 23/52 week challenge. It's a rendition of spin and zoom.

I discovered this technique when a fellow Arcanumite posted an image from a project she's involved in using this same technique. I queried her about how she learned and if there were any tutorial videos available. She quickly shared a video. I then watched it and decided to investigate more videos on the technique. I found another one by the same creator of the previous I watched. I liked the teaching in the 2nd video better than the 1st. I quickly began playing with the technique with my dinosaur canon dSLR. I quickly realized that the sensor needs cleaning. I have to figure out how to do that. I defaulted to using my mobile phone and a specific camera app I like to use to create with. I came up with a few new art pieces using my mobile phone camera app. This one here is one of them.

Purple Dreams

When I dream it's of purple.

When I dream it's of softness,

with a smooth touch.

She veils harsh places to protect my eyes.

Her beauty is far reaching from within.

She is royal and stands regally in honor.

She whispers sweet things. She sings of great wonders.

I dream purple dreams!

His Glory Appears

His glory appears like the sun!

The music video tells of how this image speaks to me.

My faith will show up in many of this images I create and share.

How and what does this image speak to you?

Flaming Passion

The flames of passion burn hot!

Allowing my passion to burn inspires my imagination to grow.

I love when my imagination runs wild. I love being inspired.

When I am inspired my passion grows stronger.

Being passionate creates such an place of euphoria.

The state of euphoria opens my mind to awesome colors and shapes.

The colors and shapes create awesome abstract art.

What does this image speak to you? Share in the comments. I'd like to know.

This is image 20/52 week challenge.

I dedicate this image to my wonderful husband, Paul. Today is his 37th birthday. Also, today is my father and sister's birthday. I wish them an awesome birthday.

In The Garden

One of my favorite gospel hymns is called "In The Garden". These are the lyrics:

1. I come to the garden alone,
   While the dew is still on the roses,
   And the voice I hear falling on my ear
   The Son of God discloses.
   • Chorus:
     And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
     And He tells me I am His own;
     And the joy we share as we tarry there,
     None other has ever known.
2. He speaks, and the sound of His voice
   Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
   And the melody that He gave to me
   Within my heart is ringing.
3. I’d stay in the garden with Him,
   Though the night around me be falling,
   But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
   His voice to me is calling.

This is image 19/52 week challenge.

He Is My Refuge

There she stands tall and proud; safe and protected by the mighty fortress surrounding her.

This parallels with my faith in that God is my refuge and keeps me safe with Him being a mighty fortress surrounding me.

This is 18/52 week challenge. It's abstract art and a lens painting. I decided to go on a larger scale this time instead of the macro. It has a light textured layer added.

Seashells - Tongue Twister

She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I'm sure she sells seashore shells.

17/52 week challenge. I like tongue twisters. So, today I'm pairing my image with this tongue twister.

Do you like tongue twisters?

From Within

It lurks there... from within.

I hurried past.

I could hear it breathing heavily as I passed and it watched me.

What lies beyond? It could be anything fear related.

What are you afraid of? It's out there. Waiting for you. Or has it moved in and lurks from within?

Yes, this is a scary post. Sometimes, I like to express scary because we all fear. Expressing my fear here is therapeutic for me to get it out of my own mind.

This is image 16/52 week challenge.

#abstractart #lenspainting #52weekchallenge

She Sings Hallelujah

She proudly stands in full glory for all to see.
She waves and reaches for Heaven.
She sings hallelujah.

Psalm 150:1
Praise the LORD!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in his mighty heaven!

Revelation 19:6
Then I heard again what sounded like
the shout of a vast crowd
or the roar of mighty ocean waves
or the crash of loud thunder:
“Praise the LORD!
For the Lord our God,
the Almighty, reigns.

This image is 15/52 week challenge.
#52weekchallenge #lenspainting #abstractart

Spring Flight

It's Spring. The birds are whistling their tunes. The sky is full of puffy white clouds, and the flowers are blooming.

Spring brings new life, as well as, newborns. The flying kind that is. Mothers flit off to find food for their young. The young wait for their return. The first sights and smells of mom the young squawk for their feeding. Mom hovers over them as she flits from one to the other offering each nourishment.

She lovingly cares for them until it's time for them to take flight.

This is image 13/52 week challenge.

#52weekchallenge #abstractart #lenspainting

Reaching For The Light

The light was beginning to shine.

Its softness created such wonderful shadows and highlights.

My eyes searched a spot to land on.

The light was so peaceful all I could do was take in the beauty.

What do your eyes see? Where do they land?

The shadows dare you to search them for more. The highlights show all their beauty without mystery.

Oh, what about the pit of darkness? Where does it lead? What treasure might be found there?

It's up to you to decide.

Comment and share your thoughts.

#52weekchallenge 12/52. #lenspainting #abstractart

Ivory-Post Apocalypse

Image/week 11 of the 52 week challenge.

Battles raged, bombs exploded, buildings imploded and exploded. The heat of the fires burnt everything and left everything dead in its wake.

Only one thing though. After emerging from my fallout shelter I noticed one thing. Ivory was still standing tall in all her glory. A little grayish from the soot, ashes, and smoke. She beat all odds. All I could do is admire her beauty and strength.

Imminent Death-match

It was a journey like every other. Zooming through the galaxy with Space Jammer dodging meteor showers here and there.

I dodged one meteor and as my view became clear past a nebula there it was.

What a sight to behold. There was a bio-organism of very large space creatures intertwined in a battle for which the likes I'd never seen. They spun around and their tentacles went every which way. As I hovered there at a distance to avoid being caught up with them they fought harder and let out the harshest sounds I've ever heard. My heat meter was throwing off some readings that startled me. It was then I saw them change colors... than in a crescendo bursting into these brilliant shades of flames. There was an explosion! It burned for at least what seemed like 1/2 an hour. Then it was all over! They vaporized and it was gone! Good thing Space Jammer's camera captured this image.

Here's image 10/52 week challenge. #52weekchallenge #lenspainting #abstractart

The Landing

Wow! What an uproarious landing. While the storm rages on it changed its path and tossed me straight out like a slingshot placing me in the Rhopalocera colony on Pluto. These two beauties greeting me as I exited Space Jammer.

They've been my constant companion. The first is Rubio. The second is Citrine. They glow with such joy and gladness to accompany me on a tour of their colony. Such glimmering personalities and radiant colors.

Oh... how the time flies by. See you on the next adventure!

The is image is 9/52 week challenge. #52weekchallenge #lenspainting #abstractart

The Eye of The Storm

Eye of The Storm

A storm was brewing. The winds howled. The rain swirled around me in a way it's never done before. I thought to myself, "should I be afraid?" 

I hurried with the speed Space Jammer would go... faster than a jet plane or as slow as a rail train? Space Jammer got pounced around in the tumult.

You're probably wondering the destination, aren't you? At the moment, it's a mystery as Space Jammer fights through being whipped and bumped about.

The mystery will only intensify as the storm rages on. Where will I land? You leave me a comment of where you think I should land. Whoever's answer I like the best I'll use in my next blog post and tag you for credit of helping me land Space Jammer. So, bash away at that keyboard with your choice of location landing.

Thank you for playing along and being a part of my journey.

This is image 8/52 week challenge. #52weekchallenge #lenspainting #abstractart

A Trip to Venus

This one I struggled with to get the look I wanted. This is 4/52 week challenge.

Here's this week's entry.

On this trip the heat intensity was to much for this girl's eyes. Special eye gear needed to used. This is the scene as Space Jammer landed. The sun was setting. It gave off this very rich and vibrant glow to everything that met the eye. This trip I was alone. I brought my camera so I could capture the moments. The glow was such a warm and fuzzy deep soul feeling. It's a place I could spent time in. It's a great hideaway. It is a sanctuary. When I need time alone so I can regenerate, relax, and rest my soul, this is the place to go. The sounds created from the warmth were out of this world. They're fun, and relaxing. This place takes my mind off all the stress back home. Come join me and enjoy! Oh, don't forget your protective eye gear!

Gem - Another Mars Beach Creature



[Meet Gem]

Gem decided to join in the celebration today. I visited another Mars Beach to explore the wonders and majesty of this glowing mystical place.

Wandering along the water's edge to my delight Gem was right there beside me with her humming to accompany us along our journey. She whizzed ahead and dropped behind. As she did so she created this wonderful warm glow around us. It was such a joy to spend my time exploring this mystical glowing beach. I look forward to visiting again.

This is my 3/52 in the challenge within my Arcanum Cohort.

Mars Beach Creatures

This week's image is something completely new and different in content. However, I'm applying the same technique to create this art piece.

@anewlifeoasisphoto

A photo posted by A New Life Oasis Photography (@anewlifeoasisphoto) on Jan 11, 2016 at 11:44am PST

The story short that goes with the image:

Imagine with me for a moment... I'm on a beach on Mars. [Yes, there's beaches on Mars! ;-D Beaches are one of my favorite things, as well as astronomy.] So, back to the story. I go on a journey to this magical beach where everything glows in magnificent colors. I come across all these wonderful creatures. I run and dance in excitement at their beauty. In my excitement they all rush in together to take part in this joy. I grab my camera to capture this moment for memory in history. Take in this joy and pleasure, even if for a slight moment. It's so magical!

This is part of a 52 week challenge in my Arcanum cohort in the Google Community I participate in.

Really the only thing stopping me is myself. The possibilities are endless. Lay aside all self-limiting beliefs and let the creativity flow.

What I'm learning is that it doesn't matter where you are or what your subject matter is. See things from a different perspective and apply that. I'm finding that I really enjoy creating abstract art. No limits! 

Happy New Year 2016

It's been some time since my last post.

I've been busy with other projects.

One of those projects is learning to make my photo art better.

I learned a new technique called lens painting.

Here's some of the pieces I created:

Some original lens painting pieces.

A photo posted by A New Life Oasis Photography (@anewlifeoasisphoto) on Nov 26, 2015 at 12:50pm PST

New lens painting piece.

A photo posted by A New Life Oasis Photography (@anewlifeoasisphoto) on on Jan 7, 2016 at 8:48am PST

You can click through to Instagram to see what's there. I've posted all the scripture images for Trinity Digital Ministry.

The story behind the lens painting goes like this:

I joined The Arcanum just a little over a year ago. It's been quite an adventure and journey. I was hand picked by +Craig Colvin. He promptly invited me to join the Google Community he created for his cohort of apprentices. I have been following many photographers for a while. I was checking out their technique and art. I came across a photographer who posted about her art. One day she  posted about a new technique she discovered and posted a video she made on how to do it. She then challenged the viewers to create their own lens painting art. Her name is +Janice Sullivan. The art pieces posted above are inspired by her teaching the technique. She calls the technique she taught "macro lens painting". I've went outside of the macro and also used non macro shots to create part of my art.

I've struggled to meet my goals of art creation. I won't go into details of why because I'm not a complainer. Suffice it to say struggles ensue.

Earlier this week I was met with the challenge of creating my goals for the year. I was drawing a blank. I sought advice and suggestions from the cohort of apprentices. They gave some great suggestions. Then this morning in my reading I came across some great advice for goals. Instead of straight up goals to mini-rules to meet goals. So, I created a list of 5 rules that include bits of goals. I find it easier to follow. These 5 rules are very basic that lead up to action in meeting the goals.

My rules are these:

1. Make art - Pick up my camera and snap some shots with an idea in mind of what I want to do with the shots.
2. Write - In the evening when it's quiet open my text editor and start writing. Write of my daily experiences that will turn into a story.
3. Read - In the morning, read daily scripture and devotion. Sometime during the day, pick up a book and read at least a chapter.
4. Eat healthy - At breakfast, eat something healthy, [ex. egg and cheese with some fruit.] At lunch, eat a sandwich with healthy ingredients. At dinner, eat a salad loaded with healthy choices. Drink tea or water throughout the day.
5. Physical activity - Here I struggle big time because of my physical issues. I do my best to move around and not just sit. I stretch every chance I get. It's difficult to do, but, I go up and down the stairs at least three times a day to keep my legs/joints moving.

Now, it's your turn. How about you? Please leave me a comment with a link to your blog and art. I'd love to visit.