Saturday, January 27, 2024

Meadow Plantscape in Blue and Brown

 

Meadow Plantscape in Blue and Brown

This mixed media piece is another progression of the piece I did in my last blog post. It combines a drawing I did in oil pastel combined with digital effects to mimic conte crayon, in this case with a wider variety of colors but still a conte crayon like result. This is possibly my favorite rendition of this image. Again, for people new to my blog, I've been working on and off on a long-time series based on close-up views of low to the ground plant life. Instead of simplifying my images I increase the complexity to emphasize the diverse abundance of nature allowed to run wild.

Buy prints of this piece on various surfaces on Fine Art America.

Meadow Plants in Conte

 

Meadow Plants in Conte


This mixed media piece combines a drawing I did in multiple colors of oil pastel combined with digital effects to mimic conte crayon. I keep revisiting my long-time series based on close-up views of low to the ground plant life. This is a subject I can remember fascinating me since I was a toddler plopped on the grass and allowed to entertain myself. There's a whole world going on down there! But I don't really depict it realistically. My reference photo is actually multiple photos I took layered together. Instead of simplifying my images, I increase the complexity to emphasize the diverse abundance of nature allowed to run wild.



Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Overgrown Path in the Woods, Mixed Media Impressionist Landscape

Overgrown Path in the Woods

Overgrown Path in the Woods, © Sheryl Karas 2024

It's been a long time since I've done any original art. And this piece represents a new evolution where I've taken one of my hand-done pieces (oil pastel and oil pencil), scanned it into my computer, and combined it with other images in multiple layers, using multiple digital effects. So it's mixed media but the final result is digital art, available as a print. 

What I like about this piece is its ethereal, magical, quality. It reminds me of dense overgrown paths in the New England woods where I grew up. But the light coming down from the trees makes it seem like there's a fairy grove somewhere in there with elves and magical creatures just out of view.

This piece is available as a print on various surfaces and products on Fine Art America.

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Kuan Yin in the Lotus, Digital Art

Kuan Yin in the Lotus


I've been in a bit of a creative lull (creative slump?). This piece helped (although I may not continue in this direction). I decided to try something quite different than I usually do in my digital art using similar techniques: multiple images and digital painting combined with multiple layering effects.

The idea here is Kuan Yin in the Lotus. In China, Kuan Yin is as known the Goddess of Compassion. She is often depicted sitting cross-legged in a large Lotus flower. 

This piece is available as a print on various surfaces and products on Fine Art America.

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Time and Place — Foxtail Edition, Multi-layered Digital Photography

Time and Place — Foxtail Edition

I am exploring the multiple dimensions of reality by layering multiple photographs showing different elements of the same scene all at once. There is more going on in a single moment  than a simple snapshot can capture. But we record these impressions on a conscious or unconscious level whether we know it or not. This scene is created from photographs I took at ground level. The color shift is to make you look at something most people walk by without seeing: foxtails and native grasses.

This piece is available on Fine Art America.

Monday, October 24, 2022

"Strange Autumn" New Multilayer Digital Photography

 

Strange Autumn

This reminds me of the mood of the nation this autumn—grey, foreboding. It's really a multilayer digital art piece using my photographs of the sidewalk and autumn leaves along the edge of "landscaped" area of my apartment complex. I like the abstract quality of this piece. Available as a print, framed print, or print on canvas, acrylic, metal, etc. on Fine Art America.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Dead Flowers in a Vase #11

 

Dead Flowers in a Vase #11

Also from the Dead Flowers in a Vase series. This is Number 11. In this case it was made from layering several shots of the same scene using a variety of layering effects. Prints, framed prints, and prints on canvas, metal or acrylic are available on Fine Art America.

Dead Flowers in a Vase, Winter Mood

 

Dead Flowers in a Vase, Winter Mood

I thought I'd return to my "Dead Flowers in a Vase" series. This was done during the early days of Covid lockdown when we thought it was fun. I decided to make art from whatever I could see in front of me—in this case some dead flowers that had not thrown out because I liked the graceful way they were hanging down from the vase. This was created from multiple images of both the original scene and one I felt addressed a similar theme of beauty in nature even after death. The combination gave me a feeling of peace during a winter snow storm. Prints, framed prints, prints on canvas, metal or acrylic, etc. are available from Fine Art America.

Foxtail Jungle

Foxtail Jungle


I'm probably going to have to call this Image 3 of my "Foxtail Series." I didn't think I was going to have a Foxtail Series but I didn't expect to have a "Grass Series" either and that's gone on for many years now. What I liked about this image is that I did not use any software purposely to make it look like a watercolor painting. That's what happened after I layered the same photograph about 7-8 times, using different Photoshop layering techniques on each layer. Very fun! Prints, framed prints, prints on canvas or metal or acrylic, etc. are available on Fine Art America.

Thursday, June 23, 2022

Orchid Dreams

 

Orchid Dreams

I wanted something bright and cheerful tonight, a little tropical in feeling. This is a digital art piece composed with multiple photographs I took of an orchid plant from different angles. Prints, framed prints, and prints on canvas, metal, acrylic, etc. are available.