Tinted Tintype Teen Queen

I went looking for this photo on Ebay. I had a mission, to find a tintype that looked like a daguerreotype photo. There was a different style to the way the photographer posed the subject. The camera came closer and more often than not the legs and feet were omitted in lieu of a more intimate shot. This one is no exception. The detail is wonderful and although hard to see every little detail in this is quite clear. I tinted it in photoshop carefully and here is the final result. I also cleaned up some flaws and scratches but all in all this is the way she came to me. For some people this may appear to be a rather boring sedate view but to me, clarity is everything and to see all of it in a tin is a rare and wonderful thing!

Etsy Front Page Nov 28th! Peppermint Stick

Hooray for the front page! Yesterday for an hour and half! 5 items sold off my treasury! I felt like a true merchant!! HAHA! be sure and check out all the wonderful gifts on etsy for holiday shopping.. I am busy working and will post again tomorrow!!

Don't miss this sale on all the wonderful blogger's stores

ETSY BLOGGER"S HOLIDAY SALE
click the links to go to my store for a 20% off all vintage prints and the other link to go to the blogger's link where all the links to the store's having sales will be... get shopping!! HAVE FUN!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
now through December 1st!

Dressed up for the Holidays!

how exciting... I took a little nap today.. very rare.. and awoke and immediately checked the front page and there we were! I was so happy to see this.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

French Girl w Flowers Stands On Her Little Red Chair

Here is my latest creation. I found this image on Etsy in a seller's store and purchased it and then last night decided to paint over it. What fun! Usually the images I have chosen to paint over before were tintypes or photos of my own, but this image intrigued me so much. This little tiny girl standing so self assured on this chair holding on with only one hand and the other with a little bouquet of flowers, such a confident little gal! I wanted to immortalize her in a painting but didn't want to obscure her face or clothing. I am very happy with it and listed it this morning in my Clancy Paints Etsy shop. I would be thrilled to get any feedback at all on this one to see if people will respond to this in any way. Click on the title to go to the image and then click on the magnifier icon to see it larger.

Little Girl w Her Doll Family on Front Steps Collage Mixed Media Vintage Photo Print

This is the latest creation of mixing glass negative with fabric and it has an interesting and unique look. The glass neg that this photo came from didn't have a head on the girl, well she had a head but didn't have any clarity. So I photoshopped in another image of a girl from a wonderful glass neg that I will list today in my main store on etsy. A family of girls with one boy, be sure to check it out. I had so much fun with this one and heh that is what its about, an enjoyable artistic experience and for me trying something new.. I have done this before and will do it again with tintypes but never with regular photos as if an image stands alone it doesn't need a thing added such as the case of the family of girls with one boy that this girl's head came from. I used samples of fabric to photoshop into this one giving it an almost 3D look.. I made a print for a good customer and she will get it tomorrow and hope she will enjoy it!
She is a doll collector and knew right away the Indian doll was called an Hookam Doll. Hope I got that spelling right. Well winter is starting to creep into Sedona, although I must torture you with the fact I wore short sleeves to the post office walk yesterday and it felt warm, but also felt like the last day to go without a sweater... today is sunny and nice but I see those clouds coming in.
Tomorrow starts a week sale in the store of 20% off all prints in my main Clancy's Classics store as a member of the Etsy bloggers so look here tomorrow for a banner that will give you a link to all the great stores participating in that sale!!! Don't miss it, lots of wonderful items to buy for Christmas and very reasonable and of course..hand made!!

Painted Tintype Little Girl w Bird

I have just added this little gal to my new Clancy Paints store on Etsy. I worked on her for a few hours fixing little details and now she is ready to show. I like painting in a folk art type of style because it frees me up to be creative and not follow any layout or idea per se but rather to focus more on the color and paint. I actually added 2 new painted tintypes yesterday and want to list another of a spinster image that I painted but it is very different than the cute little girl and pretty women ones and more of a garish tight painting... well maybe I will list it just to throw some folks off track for awhile. I am so anxious to do more art but with holidays coming and gift giving and also my ebay store, often as we all know, our artistic desires are put on back burner. Moms know this one as we tend to do the chores and then do our own needs.. let alone art!
Maybe tomorrow I will take a few hours to do something new with the tins or with wax-- I set up the whole encaustic table and have yet to start, that is because once I start I won't stop. It is addicting! I did finish a piece of jewelry I started long ago and it turned out great.. its a gift for my youngest daughter, I wanted her to have something handmade this Christmas, not just things purchased. I remember when I would make all my gifts for Christmas, I found the time, it gave me such pleasure and it saved money. Now off to start the day. My word of advice, find time for yourself this holiday season. It's good for you!

Japanese Garden at the Chicago Botanical Garden - Infrared Photo

"This is an 8x12 infrared digital print taken with a dedicated infrared camera. The internal filter turns anything with chlorophyll white and the result is an image that looks magical and surreal."
This is the explanation the artist
re4madoprints gives under the wonderful photo of the Japanese garden above.

I remember as a student at the University, the first time I saw some prints that Ted Orland did that were infrared in my advanced photo group and I was amazed and intrigued by the process.. but because I was heavily into my hand painting I never got around to trying this film which had to be kept cool and you worked pretty strict sometimes with it.. I was in my devil may care photo phase and missed a sparkling opportunity to try it. It is never too late though and I hope to give this a whirl in the near future. This film works best with foliage as it turns everything green white.

Here is what I found online about the film, "In infrared photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about 900 nm. Usually an "infrared filter" is used; this lets infrared (IR) light pass through to the camera, but blocks all or most of the visible light spectrum (the filter thus looks black or deep red).

When these filters are used together with infrared-sensitive film or sensors, very interesting "in-camera effects" can be obtained; false-color or black-and-white images with a dreamlike or sometimes lurid appearance known as the "Wood Effect."

The effect is mainly caused by foliage (such as tree leaves and grass) strongly reflecting in the same way visible light is reflected from snow. There is a small contribution from chlorophyll fluorescence, but this is extremely small and is not the real cause of the brightness seen in infrared photographs.

The other attributes of infrared photographs include very dark skies and penetration of atmospheric haze, caused by reduced Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering, respectively, compared to visible light. The dark skies, in turn, result in less infrared light in shadows and dark reflections of those skies from water, and clouds will stand out strongly. These wavelengths also penetrate a few millimeters into skin and give a milky look to portraits, although eyes often look black."

There is the lesson for the day on a very wonderful and magical film process called infrared.
I hope you find time to click on the title to go to the store of this artist on Etsy and see some of her wonderful and magical work... I think she is one of the best I have seen and I love her choices for subject!

Front Page on Etsy! How fun!! congrats to all!! 5:30 Thursday Night!!

Current Treasury forcing you to sing along...while you shop!

Here are my 2 latest treasuries... I thought I would list them just because they are so colorful and fun to look at. Click on this LINK to go to the treasury above. Click the title to go to the lalalala treasury! HAve fun shopping!!

Photographers of Etsy

click on the title above to go to the
blogsite for complete interview with eddyizm

The Leaning Swazey Hotel

Just one of many of the photos of Etsy photographer Eduardo Cervantes or better known as eddyizm. There is a wonderful interview of him and his work on the etsybloggers website and click the title above the POE logo, to be taken there to read more about him.. I love many of his images but I think this one is my favorite above, the hotel being held up like an old man with a cane, propped against the dry desert winds and the empty void beyond the once thriving western town. Contrast this with his writing on the wall image that you see first on the Etsy bloggers page and you will see a many sided and multi-talented young man... I, for one, want to see more!

click on the title The Leaning Swazey Hotel.. to be taken to his store.

Paris Girl in Pink and Blue Watercolor

Ok, so I am feeling a little French this week. I can't help myself. I have a friend who lives in the Beaujolais area of the French countryside and he is in PAris for the week and so I have thought about how fun it would be to go there and wear pink and walk around the Montmartre and the Louvre and all the Musee de PAris! This little watercolor was done while I was in Oregon on a vacation a few years ago, out of my head and really a form of relaxation as when I try to draw anything first or look at something that requires thinking and planning and although I am not afraid to do that I often enjoy painting out of my head. It certainly uses another side of my brain and also frees up the spirit to just be, "creative". This little gal is shopping and can almost not carry all of the wonderful things she bought. I also have just finished creating a treasury to go with this watercolor and it will be called"Putting on Pink for Paris". Soon to be displayed when the time is right.
I actually worked last night on another piece that is out of my head but a bit larger, its a Christmas gift for my 2 little grandaughters Ava and Miranda, who are almost 5 and 2 years old, for their bedroom. I will try to finish it soon and post it here when finished. I might even offer prints of it, but the original will go to them.
The wind is blowing and Rita is still sleeping. I think after hiking the Grand Canyon for 3 days and nights this week, for the first time, my 16 yr old is making up for a long needed rest. I always think I am going to sleep in on the weekend but really there is too much to do with Ebay and Etsy and treasuries and painting and dog walking and cleaning and cooking and shopping and writing emails and if lucky a little reading.... does this sound like your life too? I enjoy every minute of it. Have a wonderful Sunday. Our weather is in the low 70s in afternoon so I will wait until then to walk.. sorry, don't mean to make you jealous!
You might note that the above paragraph speaks to the brand new banner I put up yesterday.. it is about the balance of all of the things we love that make life so great!

Chromo Litho Juggler Women

This is a French Chromo Litho. I mentioned before and this won't be the last time, I am fascinated by circus and juggling and all things that are theater like involving costumes and action. This piece which was an advertisement for some type of French cream or maybe even a small drink such as milk, had a label on it which would peel off and folks in 1880s collected them. Mostly women and girls. The men were collecting stamps so this was for the women. This is a wonderful example and one I cannot help but think how very difficult to create considering the time consuming process involoved in the art form. Here is a definition I found on a British website. There really isn't much online about this process.

Chromo Litho Chromolithography is a printing method. It was the first method capable of producing multi-color prints and prevailed on postcards published in the late 18 and early 1900's. Based on lithography it used print blocks (originally stone slabs) onto which an image was drawn using an oil based medium and with one block (or stone) for each colour. A chemical process then etched away the oil medium free parts of the block leaving the image part for the given colour proud of the surface. The card would be printed in multiple impressions, each block adding another colour layer.

There are still lots of people who collect these now and I think not only women. The images are wonderful and the color is vibrant and rich...

Sandy Sea by Gourd Fairy

Let me introduce you to the wonderful world of gourds. This creation by Etsy artist GourdFairie. Click the title to go to her store. I was traveling around Etsy world last night collecting items for my next treasury and this wonderful woman popped up! I think she is absolutely wonderful and although not very experienced with gourd art I can see where the creativity flows using nature's own to create with gourds. Please check out her shop its really unique and wonderful!
Here is a little from her profile page.
" Thank you for taking a look. You might get a little fairy dust on you, but its all part of the magic. I'm working on numbered series of fairy cottages. Each comes with it's own Certificate of Authenticity. Enjoy the magic!

Each of my fairy cottages has a carved detail shingle style "roof" and includes at least one original twig furniture piece created by me especially for it. The tops can alternate from original gourd stems, to metal or porcelain or glass drawer knobs...whatever gives it just the right feel. If it strikes me as perfect without one, that's the way it is left. No two cottages can ever be the exactly the same.

My other gourd art is created from the magic of the gourds themselves.

I've been doing some kind of craft all my life. Sketching with charcoal as a child earned me the use of my Mother's desktop easel, of which I am now the proud owner. I've traveled on roadtrips to all but two states on the mainland, flew to Oahu, crossed Canada and have been down to Mexico.

On most trips, where legal, ziplock bags and plastic containers outweigh luggage room. Collecting natural and rusty material on roadsides and in non-park woodlands is part of my road adventures. These I try to incorporate into my gourd art.

Please visit my website to read my Artist Statement and view my other gourd "kreations".

--------
WEBSITE: http://www.karolskreations.com
MY BLOG: http://www.graymarye.blogspot.com
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/gourdi"

Front Page Etsy 5:30 on Monday

This was another exciting post as I was lucky to have another front page with my Blue Buddha. However admin. took out the Buddha polaroid and so it was not coherent but I am not complaining as it was up for 30 minutes. Don't know if anything sold but heh it was fun!

front page early this morning!!

Pretty exciting while having my morning coffee there was also my treasury called Sugar and Cream on front page early this am. Congrats to all the artists!!

Autochromes photographic history mystery

Here are 2 examples of autochromes. For those lucky enough to have one you will understand a little more of what this explanation of the process means by looking at it up close and seeing the lines that you can only see if looking directly at the 2 sandwiched glass plates.
The first image is mine and was one of a series of 4 that I purchased on Ebay years ago. It is almost impossible to photograph these glass positives as you cannot scan them and you must stand in the shadow outside and shoot the image through the sun so your arm is stretched out into the sun while you sit in shadow. Its not easy... The second image is from my friend in France and it very much shows the different chemical and visual transformations that can take place when the elements work on the emulsion. Here is the somewhat technical description of an autochrome. The size varies but mine are all around 3X4 inches and taped around the edges.
Wikipedia says,"

Autochrome is an additive color 'screen-plate' process: the medium contains a glass plate, overlaying random mosaic of microscopic grains of potato starch, with lampblack filling the space between grains, and an impermeable black-and-white, panchromatic silver halide emulsion. The grains are a mixture of those dyed orange, green and violet, which act as color filters.^[3] The plate is processed as a slide — that is, the plate is first developed to a negative image and then reversed to a positive image — and the starch grains remain in alignment with the emulsion after processing in order to allow the colors to be seen properly.

To create the Autochrome plates, a slightly concave glass plate was coated with a mixture of pitch (crude pine sap), and beeswax. The starch grains, graded to between 5 and 10 micrometres in size, were coated on top of the plate. The exact methods by which they were coated still remain unclear, although it is known that approximately four million grains per square inch coated the filter in a single layer. It was later discovered that applying extreme pressure to the plate — around 5,00 kg/cm² — would improve the quality of the image, as the starch grains would be flattened slightly, reducing graininess and transmitting more light to the emulsion. Lampblack was then applied by a machine in order to fill the clear spaces between the grains. After this, the plate was coated with shellac. This served to protect the color mosaic and provided a flat surface for the emulsion, which was spread on the plate once the shellac dried.

The 1906 U.S. patent describes the process more generally: the grains can be orange, violet, and green, or red, yellow, and blue (or "any number of colors"), optionally with black powder filling the gaps.

Autochromes are expensive and hard to find so if you do find one, keep it...

Pink Tulips by my Blue Door Photo Print

Ok Ok.. I know.. these are spring flowers and this is winter.. but I am guessing even though we have another--yes another sunny day here in Sedona AZ that some of you might be experiencing a bit of rain or dare I say it ..Snow!
Well this is meant to cheer you up and also I am opening a new store on Etsy where I sell whatever I want.. yes that is right.. art, photos, beeswax paintings, prints from art, original watercolors.. whatever I want.. I feel so free now. My original store sells mostly prints from my glass negatives and I wanted to seperate the two stores and have one be for art.. it is called Clancy Paints-thanks for the title from sister Sharon.
Please click on the store now and again to see what I am listing. I appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Hope this pot of tulips cheers you right up or adds just a little brightness to your day!

Still Life-FOTOgraphicART

There is something really appealing to being able to find a scene such as this just sitting there for a photographer to come upon but that could be like finding a needle in a haystack..near impossible. I find this kind of photo set up very appealing and almost like a doll house miniature with everything just the way we would imagine it. It's like a painting done with objects. Many painters did this when cameras first came out to have a reference to their paintings and this harkens back to those days. Life made perfect.. just as we imagine it!
This artist has many different offerings photographically including some nice Amish images worth viewing. I lived with the Amish for 2 years in PA and these are scenes that never change despite our ever changing world around them. This photo Still life so reminds me of my time in Pennsylvania with the Amish where one fall I helped can 45 quarts of tomatoes and my housemate Bonnie insisted on stacking more and more on a shelf I knew would not hold and at one point the shelf broke in the middle of canning and at least 25 quarts exploded glass upon red tomatoes all over our hand hewd thick slab floor! What a mess...Now just a memory.. I buy my tomatoes canned at our local health food store..
Click the title to go see the other wonderful offerings these photographers offer at

Click the title to go to

FOTOgraphicART on Etsy!

The Peachy Flower by Suehelen

I love dahlias and this one is no exception. The artist Suehelen has a talent and a vision that we all can appreciate. Her Etsy store is a serene spot you can wander through with her vision and tone making you feel completely at ease and relaxed. This subtle image has detail and wonderful color and many of her images are ones I have favored to use as treasuries when the color time is ready.. I hope you will visit her store and by clicking on the title you will be taken to her store.
Here is what Suehelen has as a profile in her store:
My name is Suehelen and my favorite hobby is photography. Flowers are my subject of choice and I especially love those with the dew of morning or just after a gentle rain.

I was asked how I came up with my shop name - A Gift of Grace. Well, the answer is threefold.

1) Grace is my middle name. I think 'A Gift of Grace' sounds better than 'A Gift of Suehelen'. What do you think?

2) Grace was my Mom's first name and she was the one that brought hobbies and crafting into my life. Thanks Mom!

3) I believe that everything I have is a gift of grace from God. This includes the enjoyment of photography.
I think this sums up her beautiful vision and I hope to see photos from her on and on!

Keeping Busy by Joanna

This photo has a bee--doing its thing--keeping busy, oblivious to any and all fulfilling its nature to collect and return to the hive for its queen. A willing participant in this endeavor is the flower as she offers up her nectar for this wonderful nature's dance. My symbol is the bee as I consider that insect the most industrious and wonderful creature on the planet. Without it we would not have honey, flowers or many fruits. This photo was taken by a lady named Joanna and her work is so in tune with nature and my vision that I am proud to introduce her on this blog. All of her work has a natural feel to it, no garish color--just wonderful soft ethereal hues. Please check out her store for more!
There is another photo similar that is entitled "looking up", and I was torn between that one and this one because today I feel that things are truly looking up after the election last night. I was joyful and proud and most of all renewed with hope--hope for our future, something I didn't have 2 days ago but now, that slim thread exists for us all in the hope of a new leader, one who might turn the tide and put us back on a course to love and to a more natural state of existing with the world. I know, I know..tall order... But I can dream can't I? And with that dream along with millions of others maybe our hopes and prayers can be answered as a collective will... we will all wait to see.
Here is Joanna's bio.. I HOPE you go see her photos, they are so nice!!!
"Ever since the first camera I got to hold in my hands I thought about it as a magic device.
It still is for me. The ability to freeze a moment. Chance to capture something that is so many times so close, but so often unnoticed.

The choice of photographic subject is infrequently set up. More often I just go with my camera and stop when I have noticed something that is attracting my attention. I like to take a stroll through the neighborhood and find interesting flowers, plants, forms and shapes in gardens I am passing by.

It all started so simply- the art of taking pictures of flowers. Since than I have discovered different photographic techniques, many options that the equipment can offer and so many ways of transforming original file into the final image that shows exactly what I was trying to point to in the first place. Very often I use specific color scheme to place stress on the part that I would like to show the most. The nature itself is the most inspiring to me. I like to take a look at things I can find around me and show it with stress on different that usual part. I like to experiment with colors, trying various approaches. My favorite tones are brown, green, grey and those most of the time found in my work."

Leaves and Acorns Child's Wool Hat by Bridget Clancy

I was the first person to leave the Sedona Voting Place this morning-the sun was not out and the splattering of little clouds were just starting to be visible. Pink and yellow came into view and as I got into my car the air was crisp and cool. I felt I had been part of something bigger than anyone on the planet.. American pride and responsibility. This is of course leading to the image above .. for on these cold mornings what do we need?...a creation by Bridget Clancy on Etsy!

Bridget works as a delivery nurse, tends to 2 small children and keeps her house working like a top! In her "spare" time she has been busy like an elf.. creating upcycled winter hats for these soon to be very cold mornings, for children, out of the greatest sweaters making one of a kind original hats and other items to keep kids and dogs warm.. yes, she also makes little cute coats and sweaters for dogs.. the little ones.

Yes voting is important, but keeping your kids and dogs warm this winter will also be important and if you want to share in the environmental movement to re-use and re-new in style.. then Bridget Clancy's Etsy store is where you should go!
Please click on the title to take you to her store. .. and please vote.. it's your duty and privledge!

Last two Treasuries made FP

These are the last two treasuries that made FP. The one on top was on last night about midnight. The blue one is dated. I am thrilled but yet somehow every time I make FP I am sleeping.. oh well some folks were not asleep and saw and commented.. I guess its all luck and timing... I am happy anyway and wanted to share the good news.. Don't give up on treasuries...go to flickr and see all the treasuries from the past and you will get a good idea of what goes on fp. Good luck to us all in our continuing quest for FP.

Twirly Bird Print by Allen Design Studio

Here is one of my favorite images on Etsy right now created by AllenDesignsStudio. I love the face on the ladybird and the movement created by the design.. I hope she makes more images like this as I absolutely love it! I have it bookmarked for a future treasury and also love the colors she uses.. Here is a little blurb from her bio on etsy:"I love the imperfect, slightly eccentric, witty quality of the world around me. My hope is that my art will never become so serious that I betray the uniqueness of this life that inspires me. Often if something seems too perfect in my art, I will skew it towards the unrealistic to capture the essence of a whim."
Please click on the title to take you to her store and see all her other wonderful pieces of whimsical and wonderful art!!

Art Doll Peace Dove by Sheila Clancy

I love dolls! I had a wonderful madame alexander when I got my tonsils out and that was it.. I loved to dress them and play with them and take them everywhere as if they were my child. Of course when I grew up and had children, 2 girls I got the oldest Sara, a madame alexander doll and she named it "Babe" and it was loved until she looked terrible. Now the second daughter, Rita would have very little to do with dolls until she was 10 and got her first American girl doll with a little mini violin and stand. The accessories were what she loved most, all the miniature things. I think the nicest dolls are the dolls that Sheila Clancy makes, the kind that are soft and can be set on the bed or carried around. They are so beautiful and such a piece of art! The little details are really amazing. I have one of her dolls and I wish I had more! Please click on her title to go to her Etsy store and see her wonderful bags and another doll! I hope she makes more of these dolls because Christmas and Hanukkah are coming!!