Thursday Challenge: Metal -

"Metal Security Door"
digital photograph by Mick Mather

"... there are things known
and there are things unknown,
and in between are
the doors of perception ..."
- Aldous Huxley

Thursday Challenge: Blue -

"Blue Door and River"
photo montage by Mick Mather
- click image to view full size -

"... Oh! 'Darkly, deeply, beautifully blue',
as someone, somewhere sings about the sky ... "
- Lord Byron

Illustration Friday: Pretend -

"Pretend"
digital collage by Mick Mather
- submitted to Espresso Stories -

"...like scores of men before him, he pretended that his affections were not imprisoned by the bawds and cheats beyond that dark postern..."

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!

Take that one, last step -

"Sandra Out Walking"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Last night I was getting tired, eyes drooping and I was thinking about going to bed. I thought to myself, "Just one more." All of a sudden an image that I was toying with for the fun of it started to click for me. Uh oh, wide awake now, filter this, layer that, turn it and burn it. Hmmm, tweak that old filter I rarely us. It won't work and you can go to bed. What? It looks fine...almost there, diffuse, one more layer, repaint that spot, leave that one go. Yup, this is where it took me and I couldn't be more pleased.

Moody Monday: Defensive -

"Defensive Posture (With A Knife)"
digital collage by Mick Mather

The theme at Moody Monday this week is defensive. A lucky break for me since, as often happens during the creative process, sometimes things appear that aren't really there. In this case, the filtering process reveals what seems to be a knife in the hands of the young woman standing in the doorway. Hmmm, a good story here - if only I had the strength to create it; but, it's been a long day and I'm in serious need of some mindless entertainment. TV? Yeah! That's it, that's the ticket!