Memory Lane -

"Sleeveless Red Blouse"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I went a long way back in the files this morning, finding this image that I never quite finished. It's done in a hazy, impressionistic, painterly style that I was somewhat enamored with back then - some said of this body of work: "It's blurry". While I still do the odd piece that uses the particular filters to supply this look, I do so sparingly these days. It's the haunting look here that always intrigued me.

Trying again -

"The Girls at the Office"

digital collage by Mick Mather

I've been working on this piece for a few weeks, hitting a dead end each time. Last night I decided to go back a few layers and run it through an old filter that I use sparingly these days. Well, that didn't work very well either, even after posting it, so I've taken that one down and went back to one of the new filters. Better this time, I think. I'll put the other one that sat here much of the late afternoon and evening at No Matter What Shape - The Archive.

Painting with 1's and 0's -

"Flags Flying"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

Not so long ago I discovered a box of slides that I hadn't seen in over a decade. I scanned them, put them into a digital file and forgot about them again until a few weeks ago. All of these images were dark, diffused and saturated with false colors - a challenge to be sure and I wasn't up to it. As so often happens here at the Secret Visual Laboratory, I pressed forward anyway, layering, softening and finally, into the paint filter. I haven't been using that one much, since the end of 2006, and I didn't have high hopes for my success rate. All of a sudden, BAM! This dark and brooding impressionist thing began to take shape. I like it.