NEW from The Toys Series -

"Red Ball"

digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

Today's post is the ninth piece shown in The Toys Series. I have an even dozen in the file and every intention of attempting to accomplish another dozen for my upcoming exhibition at The Weiskotten Gallery during the month of July. Initially I was thinking to mount the original paintings alongside the manipulated versions but expense has thrown that idea straight out the window. I'll quite likely choose one, representative painting as a reference point to hang with my exhibition statement. Gee, now I've tired myself out completely thinking about all of the work that lies ahead!

Illustration Friday: Baby -

"Hello Baby!"
digital collage by Mick Mather

The theme at Illustration Friday this week is baby, another tough one for me. I was hoping to pursue a few other ideas but I ran out of steam. Come to that, I'm back to relatively normal health wise (at my age, 60% is the new 100%), and yet I find that I tire quickly. So, I'm off for now, I'm going to kick my feet up!

Thursday Challenge: Common -

"A Common Door"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

Common is the weekly theme at Thursday Challenge. This particular entry is one of several in a loading bay at an old, not-quite-abandoned warehouse. Aside from it's innate ordinariness, it's monotonous, the fact that it's undistinguished and, in this dilapidated state, perhaps even vulgar, it certainly fills the bill. Only a single manipulation was layered with the original photograph and what you see here is true to the original ... well, pretty much!

It's all about the accessories -

"Black Shoulder Bag"
digital collage by Mick Mather

As the changeable weather patterns of spring even out, coats and jackets begin to disappear on the street, giving way to alternatives of accessory not seen since the final throes of warmth last fall ... and away we go! :)

Crawling back to the real world -

"Field-Tested Sketch"

digital collage by Mick Mather

I'm beginning to feel a little bit better. My nose has stopped running for the most part but a deep, hacking cough seems to be developing. That aside, tonights image is just a little playful dig at one of my favorite portal sites, Coudal Partners. They've come up with a notebook that seems to be rivaling the moleskin in such short order that my head is surely spinning. I own neither, but this image is a bit of a nod to Coudal and their also amazing Field-Tested Books. Well, time for my pills and little bed rest.

Sneezing, wheezing & coughing -

"Comunión para una Chica Joven en el Día de Los Muertos"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Once again I'm out of bed just long enough to keep my hand in. The translation is: Communion for a Young Girl on the Day of the Dead ... I know, I know, I should keep this until November, but my strength is waning. I'm going back to bed.

Up and away -

"Caught in the Net"
manipulated digital drawing by Mick Mather

I've crawled out of bed long enough to get some sustenance and twiddle away at an image that's been eluding me for a few weeks. This is it. In the throes of this miserable cold, perhaps it's still eluding me and I don't know it yet ... either way, back to sleep.

I feel lousy -

"Buckwheat"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

I was zooming along last night with anticipation of our Memorial Day Weekend when, BAM! I have a summer cold. It came out of nowhere and knocked my socks off. I have a lot of work to catch up on and will have to slog through the honking, sneezing, headaches and sore throat. With that in mind and unless the pills I started taking work some magic, I will likely be engaged in a lot of hit 'n run posting. I'm going to bed. :(

Illustration Friday: Worry -

"Worry"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"...Earline was the clear front runner in the 'Carks & Cares Beauty Pageant'. The judges lauded extra points for her answer regarding early entry when she said, 'You see, I have a full year now to worry over just about everything!'..."

Thursday Challenge: Pink -

"Pink"
photograph by Mick Mather

This week, the theme at Thursday Challenge is pink. After looking back over some recent photographs I spotted this artist's illustration of a new mixed use development project currently under construction in downtown Syracuse. Aside from having just the right shade of pink, I really like the fact that, instead of a boring fence, the developer went an extra 1/4 mile and had this vinyl banner made so we could all see what was coming. It's much better than a plywood barrier wall and what's not to love about the piece of construction material that came straight through one of the third floor windows?

Gone in a flash! -

"Twilight Tide"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I have just enough time to post this before rushing off to another meeting. All I have time to say is, if you've never had the opportunity to sit by the sea at dusk, watching the multiple colors of the day blend to a sand-colored cream mixed with dark shadow, well, road trip! It's one of those things you put on that list of things to do before you die. Must dash, chat later!

Memory Lane -

"Walkin' in the Sand"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... somewhere along the coast of California we stopped for a few hours. The tide was out, way out, and the afternoon sun cast a rosy glow, thick as melted butter and warm for that time of year. The wind was rippling through your hair, lifting your sundress at just the right moment and creating a mood of the sort one never forgets. You asked if I knew about the nearby caves and when I said that I didn't, you took me by the hand and led me into one. It was a perfect moment where nothing more happened. I'll always remember that too, wondering if the look on your face was hopeful expectancy or that naive question as to how did you manage to get yourself into a situation like this? I suppose those ghosts haunt both of us, don't they? ..."

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Train"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

The series continues with this cacophony of line and, as I was looking back at these over the weekend, I was stunned to see how quickly the images have changed stylistically. Much of that is due to the filtering process while the initial method of creating the fast and loose paintings remains basically the same. I only mention this as a point of interest ... well, interesting to me at least. I look forward to the time when I have 2 or 3 dozen of these to exhibit. When I arrive at that, ahem, station, I may have a bit of a task organizing them any other way than chronologically; but, what could be more fun?

A playful evening in the Lab -

"Miracle Seekers"
digitally manipulated mixed media & collage by Mick Mather

I tend to pay attention to things like splatters, brush cleaning papers, paint mixing swipes on scraps and other throw-a-way materials. Here, for example, I've fallen into the habit of loading a brush with more than one color of paint. I like to test a few strokes on the newspaper photo's that happen to be adjacent to the print areas where I'm doing my tempera-on-paper paintings for The Toys Series. There was absolutely nothing special or intriguing about these until I started sending them into the secret array of plug-in filters and manipulators. I'll be showing a few more of these as time passes and I highly recommend little diversionary tactics like this to keep the mind fresh during those times when the more important work seems stale, dry, forced or impossible to move along.

Getting to the bottom -

"Modeling With Toothpicks"
digital collage & digital drawing by Mick Mather

I've had this one laying around for a while in a variety of versions. Eventually, a few of them included the stick-like construction along the top which supposed the title for me. I spent a lot of my preteen years making models, a lot of them buildings, and the reminder of those days gone by is very strong. They're good memories and for a long time I wanted to be an architect like my Uncle Bob. Anyway, a little something with a tiny glimpse of personal history.

Illustration Friday: Wide -

"A Wide Grin"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Something wide for this week's Illustration Friday. I don't know of anything in the world that can warm one's heart faster than a big, wide grin. Go do likewise. :D

Thursday Challenge: Shapes -

"Shapes"
photograph by Mick Mather

This week at Thursday Challenge the theme is shapes. My first idea was to post one of my monotypes from "The Basic Series - A Square Peg and A Round hole", when I remembered that this is supposed to be photography. Well, here's a recent photo for you, untouched, unfiltered and not a hint of manipulation!

NEW from The Birdhouse Series -

"Birdhouse V"
digitally manipulated mixed media & drawing on paper by Mick Mather

It was close to a 12-hour day at the office and I'm beat to my socks. Yesterday, fortunately for me, I was playing around with a coffee stained piece of paper covered with notes (names, phone numbers and the like) in various colored inks; ball point pens for the most part. That particular stained paper is the precursor to another series that I may begin showing at some point. There's a lot of preparatory work to be done and it may or may not be soon, but I digress. After scanning, resizing, layering and manipulating, out popped another birdhouse! Yeah, hard to believe but, I swear, it's true!

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Balloon"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

I've been so busy lately that the paintings have been stacking up while attempting to find time to accomplish the manipulations. As it happens, my 5:00pm meeting for today was canceled and I had a bit of unexpected free time to work in the Secret Visual Laboratory. Since no good deed goes unpunished and since nature abhors a vacuum, guess what? That's right! I now have something else to do ... gotta run!

NEW from The Birdhouse Series -

"Birdhouse IV"
digitally manipulated fractal flame & collage by Mick Mather

It just doesn't seem to stop. I had one quiet week, last week. Already jam-packed, this week is quickly spinning out of control and I don't know when I'm going to find time to catch up. There must be something in the water ... gotta run, again. Enjoy!

Still running -

"Holding On To A Fading Dream"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I'm still rushing in and out, back and forth, around and about! In some sense, this piece seems to fit in somehow. Can't stay, I'm off again!

Gotta run, again! -

"Private Showing"
digital collage by Mick Mather

This is going to be a quiet weekend in the Secret Visual Laboratory. It's prom weekend, Mother's Day and poor li'l Leighlund isn't feeling well. So the women in my life are getting their well-deserved attention. In a way, today's post, a private fashion show, fits this idea of that sort of focus ... and, I'm off! We'll chat later. :)

Illustration Friday: Electricity -

"The Electricity Manual"
digital drawing by Mick Mather

Something simple and abstract in spite of the objective title. Once more, I had a lot of ideas for this week's Illustration Friday challenge for electricity. I have much to do today and likely won't be back anytime before late evening. So, please forgive the post 'n run again today.

Thursday Challenge: Family -

"Leighlund Ruth Vincett"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

Sorry to walk right in and walk right out but I'm well behind in almost everything that needs doing before tomorrow morning! For this week's Thursday Challenge theme, family, I offer yet another image of my beautiful granddaughter. I did this in color as well, but the b&w spoke louder to me while making a decision. Enjoy!

Another Ghost? -

"Mirror, Mirror"
digital collage by Mick Mather

While there's no official series for a number of ghost-like images I've been accumulating, this piece would certainly fit in if there was. For a look at the image that sparked the idea, have a peek here. Anyway, this minimalist work suggests something else to me. That said, I can hardly wait to see what the Finnish Sisters may have to say and usually in spite of my descriptive titles! :)

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Big Yellow Whistle"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

Work continues unabated on The Toys Series. A bit less momentum than there was with the initial flurry of activity, but forward progress just the same. The idea that I would mount each original painting side by side with the digital manipulation is no longer feasible but not completely dead as a concept. Either way, I'm off, back to the drafting table for another painting session.

All the better to see you with -

"Multiplying the Hood"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Over the past few days, figures in hooded jackets have been crossing my path. A pair of teenagers strolling past the window for one example and a poker player who was losing a big hand on TV for another. Then, as I was driving past the zoo the other day, I looked over at one of the wolves in his enclosure. Hmm, Sam the Sham and that Red Haired Gal! Finally, as I began to manipulate and layer tonight's image, there she was! Li'l Red Riding Hood, multiplied. Go figure (no pun intended)!

NEW from The Birdhouse Series -

"Birdhouse III"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

No one would be more shocked than I at the way this piece came about, considering that the tempera-on-paper painting was nothing more than a throw-away. I was, quite simply, using up the extra paint on my brush as I switched between colors while working on another piece from The Toys Series. As you may or may not know, these simple, quickly made paintings of children's toys are done on newsprint, scanned and manipulated. Here, with today's image, there was little attempt to obscure headlines or text as paint was cleared from the bristles followed by simple washes to get back to clean ... anyway, the various plug-in filters and super secret manipulation tools made this one a fun surprise all around!

(A day later, I've added the alternate version of this image at No Matter What Shape - The Archive. You can see it here.)

Gotta get a move on -

"The Fabulous Display"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I believe I have a few days of playtime coming. That will apply offline as well as on, but for tonight's post we're paying closer attention to the latter. I took two different elements, dragged them open to get a bit of pixelation, used a smoothing filter, enlarged that to this size and then began with the plug-ins, manipulators and other tools to knit them together. This is a working method that I employ often and the key ingredient tonight was to just have fun. I did have, with the added benefit that the piece came out a bit of alright at the same time. As you might surmise from the introduction, I have some real work to get to, but not this weekend! :)

Illustration Friday: Seed -

"Seed, Plotting 'Neath a Full Moon at Midnight"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

I was documenting the flowering of a pair of dandelions a few weeks ago and found this photo of the full head of seed irresistible. Since it fits the theme, seed, at Illustration Friday this week my work seems to be done! Hmm, a little couch time is sounding pretty good right now ... could be I'm going to seed as well? Later dudes and dudettes! :)

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Car"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

As I make progress with these childlike paintings I find myself growing steadily happier with the project. It's very close to taking control, just as The TV Dinner Series of monotypes did in the not so distant past. I suppose that one of the things I like about them is the quick-study and iconic nature of the subject matter and the fact that they can be splashed down without guilt, again, as a child might do. The real work comes after they're scanned and the digital manipulation, filtering and layering begins. In any event, forgive me if I'm repeating myself here, I have a vision of matting and framing each painting alongside the digital transformation. That could be trouble but we'll see.